Cremation Process Timetable
Tracy Lee • September 28, 2020
With the increased demand for cremation services in America, I have received numerous inquiries for information about what happens to the human corps as it experiences the process.
Disclaimer
This article may be considered a little graphic. It will explain the process that a deceased human body passes through as the cremation process is imposed upon them. If you feel that this may be more information than you would like to have, please do not read this article.
When cremation is chosen for a decedent, the family must decide if they want the body to be present at their services or whether they would prefer that the decedent goes straight to the crematory. If they decide to have the decedent at the services, the body must be embalmed and placed in a casket. If the decedent is not going to be viewed or if it will not be at the services, the body can be cremated in an alternative container.
Alternative containers are generally constructed of pine, plywood, cardboard, or a combination of these materials. They are unfinished and burn nicely into ash. They are also priced substantially lower than a traditional casket.
Jewelry and medical devices must be removed before the body is placed into the retort (incinerator) for cremation. Medical devices have batteries that explode, prosthetics melt into a sticky goo, and silicone implants melt into blobs that must be scraped out. These consequences potentially endanger the team, slow their workflow, and lower their productivity. The body is then tagged with a metal disc and paperwork follows the body throughout the process.
The retort is constructed of two chambers. The primary chamber is for the body. The inferno is lined with brick and concrete. This is the chamber where soft tissues incinerate and vaporize into brittle bone and ash. The secondary chamber neutralizes noxious odors, gasses, and particles before they are released into the atmosphere.
The cremation process generally takes two hours. During this time, the body goes through intense changes approximately every ten minutes.
FIRST HOUR
10 Minutes
At ten minutes of incineration, the muscles, skin, organs, and fat begin to char, sizzle, and shrink.
If cremation takes place before the muscles enter the stages of decomposition, limbs may contract, hands may fist up, and the arms may come toward the chest into a boxing or fetal position. The body does not sit straight up as commonly assumed. It may be that the tight confines of the retort restrict the body from doing so.
20 Minutes
At twenty minutes, most of the soft tissue is now burnt off of the face. The ribs begin to show, and the abdominal and thoracic region begin spewing jets of liquid from tears in the body cavity. This is caused by bodily liquids aggressively evaporating. The abdominal organs dehydrate and shrink.
30 Minutes
At thirty minutes of intense heat, the calvaria (skull cap) begins to separate from the rest of the skull. Boiling liquid begins pouring out from the fractures. Facial bones are mostly void of all tissue. The bones of the chest are mostly exposed with ribs bending inward and outward. The abdominal organs continue to shrink, and the arms and legs are mostly free of soft tissue; they may also be completely consumed by flames.
40 Minutes
At forty minutes the calvaria will have completely dislodged from the head exposing a blackened (charred) brain. The facial bones are mostly disintegrated. The ribs will be entirely exposed. At this point, they will be bending and severely twisting. The abdominal organs will now look like blackened sponges, and the lower parts of the arms will be mostly gone.
50 Minutes
At fifty minutes the remains of the abdominal organs are shriveled and spongy. The thighs are burnt into stumps. The arms are mostly gone. It is at this point that we see the spinal column is coming apart.
60 Minutes
At sixty minutes, what is left of the torso now breaks apart. The skull is nothing more than bone fragments. All internal organs are now ash, and the pelvis is consumed by flames. At this juncture of time, the gasses and particulate transfer into the secondary chamber where they are exposed to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. At this extreme temperature, smoke, gasses, odor, and emissions are neutralized as the cremation progresses to its conclusion.
SECOND HOUR
At the conclusion of the cremation process, the cremains are allowed to cool. They are then scraped and swept into a metal box. The average cremated human body produces approximately three to seven pounds of inorganic bone fragments and ash.
After the ashes have cooled, a powerful magnet will be passed over the remains to pull out any metal. The remaining body densities are pulverized. They are ground into scaly ash with fragments of bone and teeth remaining.
The cremains are then collected and placed in a plastic bag. The bag is secured in a plastic box and returned to the funeral home. At this time, the family must decide how to preserve and protect the cremains.
Final disposition may consist of sprinkling a loved one’s cremains over a chosen spot with meaning to the family or the decedent. Perhaps they may decide to urn their cremains and house them at home. Cremains may also be buried in a grave or released into a body of water. There are, of course, regulations that must be observed with burying, sprinkling, or releasing cremains into water. Your funeral home professionals can help you with whatever information you need to properly place cremains into their final disposition of peace and rest.
As a funeral professional, it is my recommendation that whatever your chosen method of final disposition may be, that you place a memorial stone in a bonafide cemetery with the vital information of your loved one inscribed upon it. I have seen all too often that someone comes to the funeral home asking for cremains to be identified. Unfortunately, unless the urn or container has been engraved, the funeral home has no way to make an identification. I have also witnessed families who have lost a loved one’s cremains during a move, transfer of custody, or other activity. After a generation or so, without proper memorial markers, the loved one is forgotten. Please take this under consideration when you cremate your loved ones.
The past two weeks have been difficult for me. I have suffered the loss of a dear friend and have served families that have suffered great losses. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unwarranted loss, stress, and heartache to so many people this year. Not only have we lost loved ones, but we have lost our economy, our comfort, and our security as Americans. Everywhere I look, it seems that people are rude and uncaring toward each other when what we need is love. I wish we could be kind to each other, considerate to each other, and help each other through our difficulties rather than burning cities, burning businesses, and tearing apart what makes up great, our Union. Americans are the most blessed people in the world. We live in a time of convenience and wealth. Why is it then that we can’t add kindness and respect to our society? Why must there be murders and brutal attacks on innocent people walking down the street? I work with families every day who would give all that they have for just one more moment with their loved one to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” Time is so precious, but even more precious is the way that we treat others. For if we treat others with contempt, we will reap the bitter reward of hatred. Hate eats a person from the inside out, and no matter how hard a hateful person tries to find happiness, it will never come to them. I know this because I see it every day. A hateful heart has no room for happiness. Happiness only comes to those who love. Love is like light. Light is the only thing that is stronger than the dark. If you have a completely dark room and you strike a match, the light from that match will push the darkness away and light up the room. Conversely, if you have a room filled with light and you cup your hands to create a spot of darkness. As soon as you open your hands, the dark is gone. Light overpowers it just as love overpowers hate. Love is the only thing that is stronger than hate. If you strike an ember of love in the heart of someone full of hate, love will grow and overtake their hatred. In my profession, love is very important. I see all too often those who have pushed love aside thinking that they were winning an argument or for some other ridiculous reason. What I see when this happens is that at the end of life, those who were foolish and let hatred get the best of them suffer the most. They remain miserable for the rest of their lives. Don’t be one of these people. Don’t let hatred get the best of you. And most assuredly, let us not allow hatred to overtake our country. I don’t want to live in a world filled with hatred and discontent. I want happiness and love for all. I especially want love in your life when you suffer loss because believe me, when the grim reaper knocks, it’s too late to cry for one more moment to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” At that moment, the weight of hatred crushes every hope you ever had to make amends, to accomplish happiness, or to right any wrong you may have perpetrated. It’s too late and you are the person who will suffer the consequences of your vicious actions. You are the person who will have no friends, no love, and who will die alone; miserable because of your hatred and terrible deeds. I know because I see it in so many people who thought they could just make a statement, a judgment, or an action and not suffer the consequences. In the end, it’s the hateful people who suffer the consequences. They die alone without love or support. Their needs are not met and they writhe in misery. I lost a dear friend this past week. He was kind, loving, and good. He made the world a better place, and he made my life happier through his actions of kindness toward me. I wish everyone alive could have known my friend. Christ died to make man holy, and my friend John took up his offer. John was a holy man. He lived his life serving others, teaching others, and helping anyone who needed help. He was filled with love and he shared his love with those who needed it. If we could all be like John, the world would be an amazingly happy and beautiful place. John is gone and I feel the weight of his loss deeply in my soul. He leaves a legacy of service to our nation, service to Christ, and service to anyone who needed it. He was a good man, a great man, and now he is gone. I will have the honor of directing his memorial service in a few days. The church will be bursting as those who John served make their way there to express their sorrow and love for him. I will be one of those people. John’s legacy will continue in his absence because he ignited goodness, love, and service in the hearts of those about him. May we all understand and embrace John’s mission in life to serve and love our fellow beings. Doing so will bring us the greatest rewards. It will fill our lives with the greatest gifts on earth; joy, happiness, and love. This is my prayer for you, for our nation, and for the world during this time of uncertainty and discontent. Thank you, John, for being my friend, and my God bless you as you arrive home, never to suffer more, the pains of the world nor heartaches of men. Godspeed.
I received a first call late last night and was therefore at the hospital when I ran into an acquaintance of mine. As we spoke, she told me that her father had recently died. She began to cry and I offered to send over a set of my grief books (Mourning Light I, II, & III) to her office the following morning. I wrote her a sympathy card and delivered the books about 15 minutes ago. She had not yet arrived at her office, so I left the books and card with her secretary. The following is the note I wrote in the sympathy card. I thought I would share it, in hopes that it might help others who mourn as well. Dear Friend, February will be the 2nd anniversary of my grandson’s death. It is said that “Death is Final”; that is untrue. The pain and loneliness remain in my soul, and it feels as though I held his lifeless body, yesterday, in my arms. That day broke me; it almost killed me. Had I not had the love and support of my husband and children, I don’t think my sanity would have remained with me. The pain continues to crush my soul with anguish. There are 4 things that have helped me survive the debilitating pain of losing my grandson, and I wanted to share them with you in hopes that you might find peace in them as well. Prayer Prayer was, and continues to be, my saving grace. Without the love and promise of Christ’s redeeming grace, peace would remain unobtainable. Recounting my Experience Sharing my story out loud made it real. It took away my fear. It gave me power over the chaos of pain. Information As a certified grief counselor, knowing what to expect and whether it was normal or abnormal helped keep my worries at bay. The books that I have sent over are filled with information, plainly and simply written, to help you understand and identify the symptoms of grief, as well as recovery’s signs and secrets. Journaling Writing down my anguishes, thoughts, pains, worries, and fears helped me to let them go. I was able to organize myself, and it gave me hope for my future. I am sorry for the dreadful sorrow in your heart, and the pain that infiltrates your daily existence. I understand that breathing feels unnatural, it takes effort to continue on, and that peace eludes you. I wish that death did not exist, but it is a reality that the both of us know all too well; one that we must endure. I believe that families are forever, that we are all God’s children, and that we will reunite with our loved ones across the veil as we too, one day, experience death. Until that day arrives, however, I pray that you and I will live our lives as emissaries of Christ, basking in his grace, and recipients of his glory. I hope that as you suffer the loss of your daddy that you will feel comfortable in reaching out to others, and that you might call me should you need assistance. The pain of grief should never be carried nor suffered in silence, nor alone. Reach out and allow those who love and care for you to lighten your burdens. Life will never be as it once was, but it will improve as you share priceless moments of peace with those who remain by your side. I hold you in high esteem, and pray that Christ’s promise will grace your soul. With Deepest Regards, Tracy Lee My name is Tracy Renee Lee. I am a Certified Grief Counselor (GC-C), Funeral Director (FDIC), published author, syndicated columnist, and co-founder of the “Mikey Joe Children’s Memorial” and Heaven Sent, Corp. I write books, weekly bereavement articles, and Grief BRIEFs related to understanding and coping with grief. I am the American Funeral Director of the Year Runner-Up and recipient of the BBB’s Integrity Award. It is my life's work to comfort the bereaved and help them live on, as well as educate adults in the needs of surviving children.