Buyer's guides for the cremation profession

Practical guides for every stage of your project

Buying cremation equipment is something most organisations do only once or twice in a generation. That makes it difficult to build experience internally. Our guides are written to fill that gap with neutral, practical information that helps you plan, compare and negotiate with confidence.

Each guide focuses on a specific question: how to start a crematorium, how water cremation works, how to choose pet cremation equipment, how to structure a tender, and how the main equipment categories differ. Together they form a complete buyer's handbook for the cremation profession.

Starting a crematorium

Our step-by-step guide covers feasibility studies, permits and planning, technology choice, building design, budgets and financing, tendering, installation and operating with dignity. It is written for funeral home owners considering an on-site crematory, municipalities planning a new facility and entrepreneurs entering the market.

Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis)

Water cremation, also called resomation or aquamation, is a growing alternative to flame cremation. Our guide explains how the process works, its environmental profile, legal status, costs and what to compare between manufacturers, plus advice on explaining the option to families.

Haustierkremation

Pet aftercare is one of the fastest-growing parts of the funeral sector. Our pet cremation guide covers communal, partitioned, individual and witnessed services, pet cremators and pet aquamation, regulation and how to build a trusted business.

Equipment buying guides

• Human cremators: gas, electric and bariatric models, refractory, controls and lifetime cost.
• Cremulators and processors: types, metal separation, dust control and traceability.
• Filtration and abatement: mercury, dioxins, particulates, heat recovery and running costs.
• Handling, charging and cooling: charging machines, refrigeration, ash cooling and safe workflows.

Tendering and procurement

Our tender guide and free builder help you write a structured request for quotation, evaluate proposals on lifetime cost and sustainability, and negotiate contracts with clear guarantees. It is useful for municipalities following public procurement rules as well as private buyers.

How we write our guides

Our guides draw on publicly available technical literature, regulatory documents, manufacturer information and industry experience. We avoid promoting any manufacturer and highlight where regulations vary by country. Because rules and technology change, we review guides regularly and welcome feedback from operators, consultants and regulators.

Information is general and not legal or engineering advice. For a specific project, consult your permitting authority and qualified advisers, and confirm details with manufacturers.

Where to start

If you are new to cremation, begin with the guide to starting a crematorium, then read the equipment guides. If you are replacing equipment, go straight to the human cremators and filtration guides and then the comparison tool. Pet aftercare providers should start with the pet cremation guide. Whatever your path, finish with the tender builder to turn your knowledge into a clear request for proposals.

Families and the public occasionally visit this site too. If you are looking for information about arranging a cremation for a loved one, your local funeral director is the best first point of contact; they can explain options including flame and water cremation where available.

Key terms explained

• Retort: the primary cremation chamber, also used for the cremator as a whole in North America.
• Secondary chamber or afterburner: where gases are held at high temperature for complete combustion.
• Refractory: the heat-resistant lining that protects the cremator and stores heat.
• Cremulator or processor: the machine that reduces bone fragments to fine ash.
• Abatement: flue gas treatment that removes mercury, dioxins and particulates.
• Alkaline hydrolysis: water cremation, also called resomation or aquamation.
• Bariatric: equipment sized for larger and heavier persons.

Understanding this vocabulary makes conversations with manufacturers more productive and helps you read proposals critically.