The Steps to The Cremation Process Explained

You may have a general sense of cremation services in Guilderland, NY. For one, it means that someone has died, and they or their family chose to treat their body via cremation.

You probably also know that there will be ashes at the end of the process, typically placed in an urn.

However, have you ever been curious about what happens between the time the body gets to the cremation facility and when the family receives the ashes?

If yes, you’ve come to the right place. We explain what the cremation process entails below by breaking it down to the following basic steps:

1. Identification of the deceased and obtaining necessary authorization

First, there will be paperwork to help confirm the identity of the deceased and the type of service(s) requested by the authorizing agent.

More paperwork, including a cremation authorization form, is then obtained and signed for the process to go on. A fireproof ID tag bearing the deceased details will then be attached to the body.

2. The body gets prepared and placed into a cremation container

Next, the crematory staff prepares the body by removing incombustible external accessories such as jewelry and items that can explode, like medical devices.

At this point, this body is already bathed and dressed since embalming isn’t necessary for cremation unless requested or there was a viewing prior.

Then the prepared body is placed in a cremation container made of wood or any other material that can combust completely.

3. The cremation container is moved into a specialized chamber called “retort”

For the cremation proper, the technician fires up the retort, a furnace chamber made for cremation.

Usually only big enough to contain one person, the retort heats up to 2000 degrees, which is the temperature required to reduce a body to its skeletal constituents.

This part of the cremation process takes between two to three hours.

4. Incombustible materials such as metal are removed after cremation

By this stage, in place of a body, you have skeletal remains, maybe some salts and minerals, metallic implant remnants, if any, and the attached ID tag.

After cooling, the cremation chamber operator separates metallic impurities from your loved one’s remains in preparation for the next phase.

5. The cremated remains are ground into their final form

Except for potential metal pieces, the remains from the cremation, essentially bone fragments, are transferred into a processor for grinding.

The result is what we commonly refer to as “ashes”

6. The processed remains get transferred into a temporary container or an urn the family provides

Finally, the operator pours these remains into a temporary container (usually a plastic bag) in readiness for delivery to the deceased’s family.

These cremated remains can then be transferred into an urn provided by the family.

And that pretty much sums up the nitty-gritty of the cremation part of Guilderland, NY, cremation services. If you are convinced and would like to discuss making arrangements either ahead or at-need, get in touch with us or make an appointment to visit at any time.