Russia Has Seen A Boom In Cardboard Coffins

For reasons of economy.

The mortality rate in Russia is growing, and with it the funeral industry - one of the few industries in the country that has demonstrated sustainable development since the war began. In the first half of 2025, 916,000 people will die - in per capita terms, this is more than in the pre-Cold War years. Younger and younger people are dying, and causes of death are increasingly unrelated to disease. The market of ritual services is fueled by the flow of coffins from Ukraine. But the patriotic funerary creativity of the first year of the war has fallen out of favor, and the poorer families of the civilian dead have a demand for the simplest and most economical funerals, writes The Insider.

Cremation is increasingly ordered for reasons of economy, says a representative of the ritual agency Eugene.

"The urn can be buried in an existing grave and not put a new monument, but just add an inscription on the old one. And often the body is burnt in another city. For example, those who died in Moscow arrange a fake cremation, and then take the remains to Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Tula or Rostov-on-Don. It turns out to be three or four times cheaper than in Moscow," he says.

Rostov crematorium works as an industrial enterprise for burning bodies. There are no farewell halls, no marble, no blue spruce trees - just a hangar and ovens. The deceased are brought in special multi-carriages hearse to make it cheaper.

This economy defines the entire current funeral industry. Ritualists complain that because of this Russia is "losing the culture of funerals". For example, hearse cars, having delivered the deceased to the cemetery, no longer wait to pick up people for the wake, but rush to pick up the next body. Spare parts are becoming more expensive, car maintenance too, so they have to optimize the work process.

Another trend is cardboard coffins for cremation for 1.2-4 thousand rubles. Manufacturers of such goods told The Insider that they sell about a thousand units a month, and sometimes demand exceeds supply. Suppliers emphasize the environmental benefits: cardboard burns faster and "provides clean ashes, without impurities." Coffins made of cardboard are also suitable for burial in the ground: for this purpose, a special wooden frame costing 600 rubles must be built into the bottom.

But, the producers note, their products are not only interested in environmental concerns. Some municipalities buy cardboard coffins for burying unclaimed bodies. Two models are in demand: "Economy" for 1.2 thousand rubles and "Standard" for 1.7 thousand rubles (the second one differs by its more durable construction and the presence of rope handles for carrying).

According to Evgeny, Russians started saving money on funerals even before the war: "This has been going on for five years already - since the times of the Covid. It became worse to buy expensive stone. Many companies in Russia have developed special social packages where everything is minimal: an inexpensive coffin, simple supplies, cremation, and an urn. And such packages are becoming more and more popular.

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