Coffin and casket prices in New Zealand

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Casket prices in New Zealand run from about $1,200 to $5,000 on the Funeral Directors Association's indicative range (July 2025), and cheaper cremation caskets may be available below that. One Auckland director's May 2026 list shows custom wood caskets at $1,705 to $5,895 and solid timber at $5,035 to $14,800. A high-end metal casket can cost many thousands more.

A casket, also called a coffin in everyday speech, is the container in which the body is placed for a burial or cremation. Searchers use both words, but the price lists and council pages behind this page say "casket", so that is the word used here. A casket is a significant line, though not usually the largest: FDANZ lists the funeral director's professional services fee at $3,000 to $6,500, ahead of the casket (FDANZ: Funeral costs). We found no sourced price for cardboard, pine or willow caskets, so this page gives none and says where a gap exists.

What caskets cost, by source

Source	Casket or type	Price
FDANZ, indicative, July 2025	Wide variety, including MDF or solid wood, wool, wicker, shrouds	$1,200 to $5,000
FDANZ	High-end, such as metal Batesville caskets with a split lid	"Many thousands more" than the top of the range
Dils (Auckland), May 2026	Custom wood	$1,705 to $5,895
Dils	Eco	$3,055 to $5,435
Dils	Solid timber	$5,035 to $14,800

Prices include GST and "may alter at anytime without notice" according to Dils (Dils price list). FDANZ's ranges are for its members and "vary per funeral director". Some plans include a casket in a package price instead. Simplicity Funerals in Christchurch lists a basic casket in its Dignified direct cremation plan and a Brunner casket in several others, with other choices at extra cost, but it prints no separate price for the casket (Simplicity Funerals Christchurch).

Fewer families are choosing a casket

FDANZ's 2026 report found a casket was present at 64% of 2025 funerals, down from 74% in 2023 (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report). The figures we read do not explain the fall, so we do not guess at a cause.

Materials and alternatives

MDF and solid wood. Both appear in FDANZ's list. Dils prices timber caskets by type, with a very wide spread between custom wood and solid timber.
Wool and wicker. FDANZ names both. Dils's "eco" caskets run from $3,055 to $5,435; the list does not say what they are made from.
A shroud. A shroud is a cloth wrapped around the body, placed on a wooden board or shroud bearer. Auckland Council says a body can be cremated in either a casket or a shroud, provided all the materials are combustible (Auckland Council: how cremation works). Work and Income lists shrouds among reasonable funeral expenses.
A cheaper "cremation" casket. FDANZ says lower-price cremation caskets may be available. Ask your funeral director for the lowest-cost option.
Cardboard. People do search for cardboard coffins. We found no New Zealand price list for them, so ask your director whether the crematorium accepts one and what it costs.

What a crematorium requires

Auckland Council's rules are one published example. All materials must be combustible, and the council can supply a list of approved materials if you are unsure. Handles are removed only if they would hinder the cremation or are made of lead. Flower arrangements can go in, but bases such as green foam blocks cannot. Items that cannot be placed with the body include glass, books or excessive amounts of paper, PVC in all forms, polystyrene, sawdust, flags and batteries or electronic devices. A casket can be held for up to 48 hours in a refrigerated holding room. Other crematoria may have their own rules, so ask the one your funeral director uses. The cremation costs and options are on our cremation cost guide.

Natural burial grounds

Natural burial grounds usually ask for materials that break down. Auckland Council's Waikumete natural burial area requires an untreated casket or a natural-fibre shroud, no embalming, and temporary wooden markers only. Wellington City Council's natural burial requires no embalming and a biodegradable casket. Costs for the sites are on our natural burial page.

Buying a casket elsewhere, or making one

Community Law says families do not have to hand arrangements to a funeral director and can organise a funeral themselves (Community Law: Funerals and tangihanga). We found no source that says whether a family may supply a casket bought elsewhere or made at home, or what a crematorium or cemetery will accept. Before you buy or build one, check with the crematorium or cemetery and the funeral director. FDANZ members are bound by their code to be open about costs, but there is no legal requirement to use a member.

Help with the cost

The Work and Income Funeral Grant is up to $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026, and it lists the casket among reasonable expenses; other help, including prepaid funeral cover, can affect the grant (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). See our Funeral Grant guide and the full funeral cost guide.

Funeral insurance is a way some people prepare. It pays a fixed benefit, not the bill. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, for ages 40 to 75, pays only for accidental death in the first 24 months, and premiums over a long life can add up to more than the benefit. Momentum Life is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best (financial strength). Read what funeral insurance is; the buttons on this page open Momentum's online application. For other lines in the bill see funeral director price lists and the funeral costs hub.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

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Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

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Adviser's view

Published casket prices run from about $1,200 to $5,000 on FDANZ's indicative range, with high-end timber and metal caskets costing much more. The casket is usually smaller than the funeral director's fee, and FDANZ names a cheaper casket as one alternative to ask a director about. Cheaper cremation caskets and shrouds exist, but we found no sourced price for cardboard or pine.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Coffin and Casket Prices NZ: What the Lists Show. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-costs/caskets-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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