In Canada, a casket and a coffin are two distinct products, though both serve as a container for burial or cremation. A casket is rectangular with a split lid; a coffin is the six-sided, tapered shape most people picture from old movies. In Canada, caskets are the standard. Most funeral homes stock only caskets, and the word “coffin” is rarely used in practice.

Key Takeaways
– A casket is rectangular with a hinged split lid; a coffin is six-sided and tapered at the head and foot.
– In Canada, caskets are the overwhelmingly standard product. Most funeral homes don’t carry traditional coffins at all.
– The two terms are often used interchangeably by grieving families, and no funeral home will correct you or charge you differently based on the word you use.
– The material (wood vs. steel), gauge, and interior quality matter far more to price and appearance than the shape.
– Families in Ontario can legally purchase a casket from a third-party supplier like Haven Casket. The funeral home must accept it, with no extra fees.

What Is a Casket?

A casket is a rectangular container, typically made from solid wood or steel, with a flat bottom and a hinged lid that opens in two sections. That split design, where the top half opens for viewing and the lower half stays closed, is the feature you’ll recognize from any funeral service.

Caskets come in a wide range of materials, finishes, and price points:

Wood caskets: Solid hardwoods like oak, mahogany, cherry, and poplar. Warm, traditional, and widely available. Browse our wood caskets to see the range of options.
Metal caskets: 18-gauge or 20-gauge steel, stainless steel, or copper. Durable, available in many colors and finishes, and often sealed with a rubber gasket. Explore metal caskets if you’re looking for a modern or longer-lasting option.
Cremation caskets: Made for services where a viewing comes before cremation. They are built from combustible materials. See our cremation caskets for more.

When a family walks into a funeral home in Toronto, Markham, or anywhere across the GTA, virtually every option on the price list is a casket. The shape is so standard in Canada that most people never think to ask.

What Is a Coffin?

A coffin is a tapered, six-sided container that widens at the shoulders and narrows again toward the head and feet. The distinctive shape, wide in the middle and narrower at both ends, is what most people picture when they hear the word “coffin.” This is largely because of how often it appears in older films and European media.

Coffins are the norm in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and much of continental Europe. They were also more common in 19th-century North America, before the funeral industry made the rectangular casket the standard.

Today in Canada, coffins are rare. You might find them through specialty suppliers or at funeral homes that serve communities with strong British or European traditions, but they are not the default product you’ll encounter.

One practical note: coffins are often slightly less expensive to make because they use less material. But that cost difference rarely means real savings for families in Canada, where the supply chain is built around caskets.

Casket vs. Coffin: Key Differences at a Glance

Feature	Casket	Coffin
Shape	Rectangular	Six-sided, tapered
Lid	Split (two-panel hinged)	Single-panel or two-panel
Standard in Canada	Yes	No
Standard in UK/Europe	No	Yes
Typical materials	Wood, steel, copper	Wood primarily
Price in Canada	Widely available at many price points	Specialty, harder to source

The terminology can cause real confusion for families who have heard both words, often from different sources. One family member searches online using “coffin”; another asks the funeral director about “caskets.” In most cases, they’re looking at the same thing.

Which Is More Common in Canada?

In Canada, caskets are the standard by a wide margin. The Ontario funeral industry is governed by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) and operates almost exclusively around caskets. If you walk into any funeral home in Toronto, Scarborough, North York, Vaughan, or Mississauga, you will see a showroom full of caskets.

This matters practically for a few reasons:

Pricing and availability: Caskets have a well-established supply chain in Canada. You’ll find the widest selection and most competitive pricing in this category.
Delivery logistics: When purchasing from a third-party supplier like Haven Casket, you’re ordering a casket. Delivery to any GTA funeral home is handled efficiently because this is what the industry moves every day.
Legal protections apply to caskets: Under Ontario law, funeral homes must accept caskets purchased from third-party suppliers and cannot charge a handling fee for doing so. This legal protection, enforced by the BAO, is what allows families to save $3,000 to $5,000 by purchasing factory-direct. Learn more in our guide to buying a casket without a funeral home.

Does It Matter Which Word You Use?

No. Not at a funeral home, and not when you’re shopping.

Funeral directors are used to hearing both words. If you walk in and ask to see their “coffins,” they will show you their caskets without hesitation. If you call Haven Casket and ask about “coffins,” we’ll understand exactly what you’re looking for.

Where the terminology does matter is in this article: when we say Haven Casket sells caskets, we mean the rectangular, split-lid containers that are standard across Canada. We do not carry traditional six-sided coffins, because there is almost no demand for them in the GTA market.

Here’s what actually matters when choosing:

Material: Solid hardwood vs. steel vs. cremation-grade. Each has aesthetic, practical, and pricing differences.
Gauge: For steel caskets, 18-gauge is thicker and more durable than 20-gauge.
Interior: Crepe, velvet, and satin interiors vary in appearance and feel. Families who visit a showroom often find this detail matters more than they expected.
Dimensions: Standard vs. oversized sizing. Worth confirming ahead of time.
Price: A funeral home in Toronto might price a mahogany casket at $8,000 to $12,000. The same quality purchased factory-direct from Haven Casket starts around $2,500.

A Note on Terminology From Families We’ve Helped

Diane came to our Markham showroom last spring after spending two hours on the phone with a funeral home that quoted her $7,500 for a “premium wood casket.” She’d been searching online for “coffins” at first, then switched to “caskets” when nothing useful came up. She didn’t realize they were largely the same product in Canada.

When she arrived, she walked the showroom floor, saw the same quality hardwood caskets displayed under lighting she could actually judge, and left with an oak casket at a fraction of the funeral home’s price. Her question on the way out: “Why didn’t anyone ever explain that to me?”

That’s exactly why this article exists. The confusion between “casket” and “coffin” is real, and it costs families time they don’t have during one of the hardest weeks of their lives. If you have questions about what you’re looking for, call us at (905)-604-7555. We’ll help you find the right product, whatever word you use to describe it.

How to Choose the Right Casket for Your Loved One

Once you know that caskets are the standard in Canada, the decision comes down to a few practical questions:

What material fits the service?

If the service is a traditional burial, your burial casket options include the full range: solid hardwoods, steel, and copper. If the plan is cremation following a viewing, a cremation casket made from combustible materials is the right choice.

What is your budget?

This is where third-party purchasing makes the biggest difference. Our funeral cost guide shows the full breakdown of where GTA families spend their money, and where they can legitimately save. The casket is almost always the single largest merchandise line item, and it’s the one with the most room to reduce cost without reducing dignity.

If you want an estimate before committing to anything, try our funeral cost estimator to see a realistic range.

Can you see it before buying?

At Haven Casket’s casket showroom in Markham (2750 14th Ave G7), families can walk through different options, see the interiors, and ask questions with no obligation. For many families, especially those who are unsure what they’re looking for, this makes a real difference in confidence and peace of mind.

If visiting in person isn’t possible, we’re happy to walk you through the options by phone and share detailed photos.

What about delivery?

Haven Casket delivers directly to the funeral home across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, North York, Scarborough, Mississauga, and Brampton. We coordinate with the funeral director directly, so you don’t need to arrange transportation yourself. Same-day delivery is available for families working on urgent timelines. See our delivery policy for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Canadian funeral homes use coffins or caskets?
Caskets. Almost all Ontario funeral homes carry only caskets. Traditional six sided coffins are a specialty item that most Canadian funeral homes do not stock.

Is it disrespectful to say “coffin” instead of “casket”?
Not at all. Funeral directors hear both terms constantly and will not take offence. The distinction is a product detail, not a matter of respect.

Can I buy a coffin in Ontario?
You can purchase a traditional coffin through specialty suppliers, though availability is limited. For most families, a casket serves the same purpose and is far easier to source at competitive prices.

Are coffins cheaper than caskets?
In theory, coffins use slightly less material due to their tapered shape. In practice, the price difference in Canada is minimal because the supply chain is built around caskets. The bigger savings come from purchasing factory-direct from a supplier like Haven Casket rather than through a funeral home.

Does it matter which I choose for cremation?
For cremation, the container needs to be combustible. Whether it’s called a casket or a coffin is secondary. What matters is the material. Haven Casket’s cremation caskets are purpose-built for this use.

The Bottom Line

A casket is rectangular with a split lid. A coffin is six-sided and tapered. In Canada, caskets are the standard, and “casket” and “coffin” are used interchangeably by most families without any practical consequence.

What does matter: the material, quality, and price. A solid hardwood or 18-gauge steel casket from a funeral home in the GTA might be priced at $6,000, $8,000, or more. The same quality, purchased factory-direct from Haven Casket, is available for a fraction of that cost, and delivered directly to your funeral home, same day if needed.

Ontario law is on your side. Funeral homes must accept third-party caskets. No handling fees, no exceptions.

If you’re making this decision right now, or planning ahead we’re here to help. Browse our full casket collection, visit our showroom in Markham, or call us at (905)-604-7555. We’ll answer your questions with patience and without pressure.

Haven Casket & Monument
2750 14th Ave G7, Markham, ON
Phone: 1-855-604-7555 | Local: (905)-604-7555
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Casket vs. Coffin: What’s the Difference?