Singapore Coffins and Caskets
The main difference between coffins and caskets are their shapes. Caskets are four sided, rectangularly shaped and used since ancient times. Coffins on the other hand are in the past reserved only for the wealthiest and are six sided, hexagonal shaped.
In the past, this distinction is made quite clearly. In Singapore, rectangularly shaped caskets are used since ancient times when our forefathers first came to Singapore and brought the wood-making industry along with them. Majority of the people back then were staunch Taoists if not Buddhists and hence four-sided caskets were the norm for funerals. As Singapore progresses and becomes more westernized, six sided, hexagonal coffins gained popularity, especially among the Christians and Catholics.
There are no religious affiliations linked to the different coffin shapes but Singaporeans are generally used to seeing the rectangular types of caskets. The older generation in Singapore might still prefer them to the more modernized six sided coffins. In fact, some older folks feel uncomfortable with the hexagonal coffins as they remind them of the coffins used by draculas in Western movies.
Today, the distinction between four sided caskets and six sided coffins is not as marked as before anymore. People are aware that these wooden crates are used to contain the corpse during the wake and the shapes of these crates in no way symbolize any specific religion. With exposure and awareness, people are more open to choose the caskets or coffins based on the practicalities of the situation than on superstitious beliefs. In fact, a new coffin shape has emerged in Asian societies hugely populated with Chinese. Eight-sided coffins have become popular over the years because of the supposed auspicious meaning it symbolizes.
What Are Coffins and Caskets Made Of?
Worldwide, coffins can be made of various materials depending on the method of final disposition of the body – burial or cremation. In some countries, coffins are on a rented basis before the body gets transferred into the cremator for cremation. In Singapore, this is not the case. In Singapore, the coffin chosen gets cremated with the cadaver and we strictly do not reuse coffins.
In some countries, coffins are made of steel, fiberglass, wood and even recycled kraft material. In Singapore, traditionally the caskets are made of real solid wood – teak, mahogany, etc. Singapore used to have one company that manufactures coffin locally. However, with changing times and rising costs, the business model simply became unsustainable. For one, the space needed to manufacture coffins is not small and this cost can be significant in land-scarce Singapore. In the past, coffins used to be hand-made and that took a lot of time, rendering the entire process unproductive as well. With advancement, the old methods of locally producing coffins were disposed of. Singapore then started importing coffins overseas.
With cremations slowly superseding burials in land-scarce Singapore, Singaporeans are also more open to coffins being made of lower-grade wood. Nowadays, it is not common to find coffins made of solid wood anymore. Coffins and caskets these days are made from medium density fibreboard (MDF) wood. MDF is a man-made wood product that is manufactured by breaking down wood into fibres and then combining these fibres with heat and pressure to form thick panels. The panels formed are as hard or harder than actual wood. They also appear nicer as they are smooth and free of blemishes. MDF wood coffins serves the same purpose as solid wood coffins at a much lower price.
为何选和谐殡葬礼仪？
在 Harmony Funeral Care，我们的目标是保留 60 多年来为死者家属提供服务的传统。我们为能够在悲伤中提供最好的支持而感到自豪，并提供：
- 专业经验丰富的员工将为您提供指导
- 竞争性葬礼套餐，确保人人能够负担得起
- Free Video Montage On Funeral Day
- 透明定价，无隐藏费用
若有任何查询，请拨打 +65 9489 2424.
Get A Quote Now
为纪念自 1963 年成立的 Hock Hin Undertaker 创办人 Tee Hock Chwee 先生
