Hong Kong Cremation Coffin Rules: Dimensions, Materials, and What Gets Rejected

Having a casket turned away at a Hong Kong government crematorium is more common than families expect — and it happens at the worst possible moment. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) enforces strict size and material specifications for all coffins entering public cremation facilities, and a casket with prohibited features may be refused for use unless the offending attachments are removed.

What FEHD Requires for Cremation Coffins

Public crematoria in Hong Kong accept coffins that meet FEHD's combustion, size, and material guidance, including highly combustible wooden caskets and approved eco-coffins. The FEHD advises choosing a coffin no larger than 710 mm in height, 760 mm in width, and 1,980 mm in length. Your funeral director should verify the requirements for the specific crematorium booked for your session.

Beyond size, the FEHD specifically warns against:

• Plastic handles or fittings
• Metal ornaments
• Synthetic interior linings

The coffin interior must also be inspected before the session. Personal items placed inside the casket are subject to the same rules: no metal watches, plastic-framed glasses, or synthetic clothing. Licensed funeral directors inspect the casket contents before transport, but the crematorium staff conduct a final check at the gate.

What Happens When a Coffin Is Rejected

If a casket fails the crematorium's inspection, the funeral director may need to remove or replace offending features, which can create additional transport costs or delay. Ask the director what happens to the booked session if the issue cannot be resolved in time. Meanwhile, the body continues to accrue mortuary storage charges (HK$200/day from day 29, escalating to HK$550/day from day 36).

The most common rejection triggers are decorative metal fittings that coffin shops sell as "standard" and caskets sized for burial rather than cremation. Some families purchase coffins independently from shops in Hung Hom or online, bypassing their funeral director's advice, and discover the compliance gap only at the crematorium entrance.

Shopping for a Coffin in Hung Hom

Hong Kong's traditional coffin shop district runs along Ma Tau Wai Road and the surrounding blocks in Hung Hom. Shops here sell everything from budget paperboard eco-coffins to ornate hardwood caskets with hand-carved panels. Prices range from around HK$3,000 for a basic cremation-compliant pine coffin to HK$50,000 or more for an elaborate camphor or nanmu burial casket.

When buying from Hung Hom directly rather than through your funeral director:

• State the disposition method first. Tell the shop whether you need a cremation or burial coffin before looking at anything. Cremation coffins use lighter, faster-burning softwoods; burial coffins use dense hardwoods meant to resist underground pressure.
• Ask for FEHD-compliant dimensions in writing. A reputable shop will confirm the casket meets the crematorium you've booked, not just "standard cremation size."
• Inspect the fittings. FEHD warns against metal or plastic attachments on the external surface. Wooden or rope handles avoid those attachments.
• Check the interior lining. Avoid synthetic interior linings and ask what the material is.
• Get a delivery-to-parlour quote upfront. Transport from the shop to the funeral parlour is separate from the funeral director's hearse service.

Eco-coffins — paperboard or rapidly decomposing wood composites — are increasingly popular and carry a government subsidy. They meet all FEHD specifications by design, avoid the material-compliance guesswork, and cost significantly less than traditional wooden caskets.

How to Prevent a Rejection

The simplest safeguard is to let your licensed funeral director source the coffin. Directors who work with the same crematoria weekly may know which models pass inspection; have the director confirm compliance before transport. If the family prefers to choose the coffin independently, have your funeral director inspect it at the parlour before the funeral day — not the morning of the cremation session.

For families planning a traditional Chinese funeral in Hong Kong, the complete planning guide includes a vendor comparison worksheet and a pre-cremation compliance checklist covering the FEHD requirements identified above, helping reduce the risk of a problem at the gate.