casket v. coffin

so i was having a conversation with my mother about something or another and somehow i ended up extremely puzzled because i could not figure out the difference between a casket and a coffin. i asked her if she knew, and she said that she had heard that coffins are for babies and that people speciously think that the two words are synonymous. still, she did not know how true that was. i then asked one of her friends, who stated confidently that they were the same thing. so then, of course, i was moved to look it up, and this is what i found:

a coffin tapers at the head and feet (not a perfect rectangle).
it is usually made of particleboard, custom wood, or solid timber.
the lid is separate from the rest of the coffin and is secured in place with screws
also, a coffin can have four or six handles.




a casket, on the other hand, is rectangular in shape and is the same width & height at the head as it is at the foot.
it is usually made of solid wood or metal.
the lid is attached with hinges on one side, and some lids are made in two sections for viewing purposes.
caskets are traditionally larger than coffins and come in a variety of designs.
also, they may have a handle bar or individual handles.

the interior of a coffins and caskets is lined with protective plastic sheeting and then covered, usually in silk, satin, or cotton trim, and then finished with a lace edging.
basic coffins, however, may not have the inner material lining.

the decision of whether to have a coffin or casket is generally one of personal preference, and/or cost; caskets are usually more expensive than coffins.

so there it is, in case you were wondering too...

source: Funeral Line Australia. "Coffins Vs Caskets." Funeral Line Australia, 1-2. http://www.funeralline.com.au/text/FreeInfoSheets/Casket-Coffin.pdf