Small Cremation Urns: What They Hold and 6 Designs

Not everyone wants, or needs, one large urn. Small cremation urns let a family share ashes between several homes, or keep a small part of someone close when most of the ashes have gone to a place that mattered to them. This guide explains how much a small urn really holds, when it is the right choice and when it is not, and then describes six designs from our small urns for ashes in ceramic, steel, marble and wood effect.

Every size and detail below comes from the page for that urn, so you can check each one before you decide.

What counts as a small cremation urn

There is no fixed standard. "Small urn", "keepsake urn", "mini urn" and "token urn" are all used for an urn that holds part of the ashes, and one maker's small is another maker's keepsake. The name matters less than the capacity, which every product page gives in liters and cubic inches.

As a rough map, our urn size guide describes adult urns as typically 3.0 to 4.0 liters (about 183 to 244 cubic inches) and keepsake or token urns as typically 0.05 to 0.3 liters (about 3 to 18 cubic inches). Several urns sold as small sit between the two, including four of the six below, which hold from 0.4 to 1.0 liters. They hold a larger share, but still not everything.

How much of the ashes a small urn holds

Less than most people expect, because there are more ashes than most people expect. The Cremation Association of North America says the average weight of adult cremated remains is between four and six pounds (from its page on the cremation process, read on October 5, 2026).

Urns are sized by volume rather than weight. Our urn size guide allows about one cubic inch of capacity for each pound of body weight before cremation, so someone who weighed 160 lb (about 73 kg) needs an urn of roughly 160 cubic inches. The largest of the six urns below holds 61 cubic inches, and four of them hold less than 30.

You do not have to measure anything. You decide how much to keep, and the rest stays in a main urn, or is scattered or buried. If you would rather not divide the ashes yourself, you can ask your funeral director or crematorium to do it for you.

When a small urn is the right choice, and when it is not

A small urn suits you if:

• Several people would each like to keep some of the ashes. You can have one main urn and a few small ones, or only small urns.
• Most of the ashes are being scattered or buried and you want to keep a little at home.
• You would like something of them in more than one place, such as a bedroom as well as the living room.
• The ashes are those of a small pet. Check the capacity against what your pet crematorium tells you, and see our pet urns for designs made for animals.

A small urn is the wrong choice if:

• You need to hold all of an adult's ashes. None of the six urns below will. Look at our adult urns instead.
• You want to bury it and have it break down in the ground. The six urns here are ceramic, steel, marble and MDF, and are made for display. Choose from our biodegradable urns, some of which come in small sizes.
• You want to carry the ashes with you. A piece of ashes jewellery holds a very small amount and is made to be worn.

Sometimes a small urn is chosen for a baby. If that is your situation, capacity matters here too, and your funeral director can tell you how much space is needed before you choose. You will find our baby urns gathered in one place.

6 small cremation urns in different materials

These six were chosen to show how different small urns can be: in what they are made of, in how much they hold and in how they open.

1. The Passage Small Urn in Crackle Glaze

The Passage Small Urn in Crackle Glaze is a ceramic oval with an open center and a spiral that runs around it without a break. Its page describes the opening as a passage, and the fine lines of the crackle glaze form differently on every piece. It holds 0.45 liters (about 27 cubic inches), measures 11 cm high and 17 cm wide (4.3 by 6.7 in) and weighs 0.7 kg (1.5 lb) empty. It closes at the base with a stopper under a plain ceramic cover, and a tube of ceramic glue is included if you want a permanent seal. It is suitable for display indoors or in a sheltered spot outdoors.

Pictured: The Passage Small Urn for Ashes in Crackle Glaze

The same shape is made in other colors, such as cream. There is also a Passage Adult Urn in Crackle Glaze that holds 3.2 liters (about 195 cubic inches), if you would like the main urn and the small one to belong together.

2. Cube Small Urn in Stainless Steel

A plain brushed steel cube, 11 cm (4.33 in) on every side. The Cube Small Urn in Stainless Steel holds 1.0 liter (about 61 cubic inches), which makes it the largest of the six, and it weighs 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) empty. The lid closes securely, and a small amount of clear adhesive can be added around the rim for a permanent seal. Its page notes that no accessories are supplied, so you would need your own adhesive. It is listed as suitable for display indoors or in a garden. Nothing about it says urn, so it sits quietly among books and other objects.

Pictured: Cube Small Urn for Ashes in Stainless Steel

3. Classic Marble Keepsake Urn in Grey

This one is for anyone who wants an urn that looks like an urn, only smaller. The Classic Marble Keepsake Urn in Grey is shaped from natural marble in the traditional rounded form, and because it is real stone, the veining is different on each one. It is 9 cm high and 6.5 cm wide (3.5 by 2.6 in), weighs 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) empty and holds 0.15 liters (about 9.2 cubic inches), which is a small portion. It is filled from underneath. A plastic stopper in the base is taken out with a screwdriver, and the included sealant can be used to close it permanently. Its page describes it as designed for display in the home and outdoors. It also comes in black and white marble.

Pictured: Classic Marble Keepsake Urn for Ashes in Grey

4. Big Heart Classic Urn in White Marble

Despite its name, the Big Heart Classic Urn in White Marble is a small urn. It holds 0.85 liters (about 51.9 cubic inches), which its page calls a keepsake capacity rather than a full adult volume. It is a rounded ceramic heart, 16 cm high and 15 cm wide (6.30 by 5.91 in), and weighs 0.65 kg (1.43 lb) empty. White Marble is the name of the glaze, a soft, layered pattern on white. The urn itself is ceramic, not stone. It is filled through an opening in the base, so nothing interrupts the shape, and clear ceramic adhesive is supplied for an optional permanent seal. It is designed for indoor display.

Pictured: Big Heart Classic Urn for Ashes in White Marble

If you want a heart that holds much less, the Brushed Metal Heart Keepsake Urn in Silver holds 0.08 liters (about 4.9 cubic inches) and is 7.5 cm (2.95 in) wide, small enough to sit in the hand. It closes with a screw closure at the base. There are more shapes in our heart urns.

5. Tealight Combo Keepsake Urn in White Marble

A small urn and a candle holder in one. The Tealight Combo Keepsake Urn in White Marble is a ceramic cylinder, 11 cm high and 7 cm wide (4.33 by 2.76 in), with a raised heart on the lid. Turn the lid over and it holds a standard tealight, so you can light a candle whenever you want a quiet moment. It holds 0.2 liters (about 12.2 cubic inches) and weighs 0.32 kg (0.71 lb) empty. Ashes go in through the top, and clear ceramic adhesive is supplied if you want to seal the rim, though sealing is optional. It is finished in a White Marble glaze, like the heart above, and is designed for indoor display. Our candle urns include other designs that hold a tealight.

Pictured: Tealight Combo Keepsake Urn for Ashes in White Marble

6. Oak Wood Effect Small Urn

The Oak Wood Effect Small Urn is a low rectangular box, 8 cm high and 14 cm wide (3.1 by 5.5 in). It is made from MDF, an engineered board of wood fibers and resin, with an oak effect finish, so it looks like wood but is not solid wood. It holds 0.4 liters (about 24 cubic inches) and weighs 0.4 kg (0.9 lb) empty. It opens underneath, where a sliding panel is held by a screw. An ashes bag is included, so the ashes are placed inside in their bag rather than poured in loose. It is designed for indoor display. Our guide to wooden boxes for ashes shows more box shapes, including adult sizes.

Pictured: Oak Wood Effect MDF Small Urn for Ashes

The six side by side

• The Passage Small Urn: 0.45 liters (27 cubic inches). Stopper in the base, glue included. Indoors or a sheltered spot outdoors.
• Cube Small Urn: 1.0 liter (61 cubic inches). Lid, with adhesive optional and not supplied. Indoors or in a garden.
• Classic Marble Keepsake Urn: 0.15 liters (9.2 cubic inches). Stopper in the base, sealant included. In the home and outdoors.
• Big Heart Classic Urn: 0.85 liters (51.9 cubic inches). Opening in the base, adhesive supplied. Indoors.
• Tealight Combo Keepsake Urn: 0.2 liters (12.2 cubic inches). Lid on top that turns over to hold a tealight, adhesive supplied. Indoors.
• Oak Wood Effect Small Urn: 0.4 liters (24 cubic inches). Sliding panel in the base, ashes bag included. Indoors.

Sharing ashes between small urns

It helps to plan how the ashes will be divided before anything is opened. Decide who would like a share and choose the urns first, so the capacities are known. Then either ask your funeral director to fill them, or do it at home on a clear table, working over a large sheet of paper. Small urns have small openings. The page for the marble keepsake above suggests guiding the ashes in with a folded piece of paper as a funnel. Our guide on how to fill a cremation urn goes through it step by step, and our guide to dividing a loved one's ashes looks at the other ways to share them.

It is worth checking that everyone close to the person is comfortable with the ashes being divided. Faith can matter here too. The Catholic Church asks that ashes be kept in a sacred place, such as a cemetery. A reply from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved by Pope Francis on December 9, 2023, says the Church authority "may consider and evaluate a request by a family to preserve in an appropriate way a minimal part of the ashes of their relative in a place of significance for the history of the deceased person," subject to conditions (Vatican News, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith responds to questions about cremation, published December 12, 2023, read on October 5, 2026). If your family is Catholic, speak to your parish priest before you divide the ashes.

Where a small urn can be kept

Most small urns are kept indoors, on a shelf, a bedside table or a windowsill. Three of the six here are also listed for outdoor display: the Passage in a sheltered spot, the Cube and the Classic Marble. The ceramic heart, the tealight urn and the oak effect box are designed for indoor display. Wherever it goes, put a small urn somewhere it cannot be knocked, because a light urn moves easily, and keep the oak effect box away from damp.

Flying with a small urn in the United States

A small urn is easy to carry, but at airport security the material matters more than the size. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows cremated remains in carry-on bags, with special instructions, and suggests "a temporary or permanent crematory container made of a lighter weight material, such as wood or plastic." It adds: "If the container is made of a material that generates an opaque image, TSA officers will not be able to clearly determine what is inside the container and the container will not be allowed." Its officers will not open a container, even if the passenger asks. The TSA also notes that some airlines do not allow cremated remains in checked bags, so check with your airline (TSA, Cremated Remains, page last updated July 10, 2018, read on October 5, 2026).

The TSA does not list which materials fail. To be safe, travel with the ashes in a container made for the journey, and carry a steel, marble or ceramic urn empty to fill when you arrive. Our travel urns collection and our guide to flying with ashes have more detail.

Sizes and product details in this guide were checked against our product pages on October 5, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a small cremation urn?

A small cremation urn holds part of the ashes rather than all of them. It is also called a keepsake, mini or token urn. The six in this guide hold between 0.15 and 1.0 liters (about 9.2 to 61 cubic inches).

How much ash does a small urn hold?

It depends on the urn, so check the capacity on its page. Our size guide describes keepsake or token urns as typically 0.05 to 0.3 liters (about 3 to 18 cubic inches), and some urns sold as small hold up to about 1 liter (61 cubic inches).

Can a small urn hold all of an adult's ashes?

No. Our urn size guide allows about one cubic inch of capacity for each pound of body weight before cremation, and the largest small urn in this guide holds 61 cubic inches. For all of an adult's ashes, choose an adult urn.

Is it all right to divide ashes between several urns?

It is a choice for the family, and it is worth checking that everyone close to the person is comfortable with it. If your family follows a faith with its own guidance on ashes, such as the Catholic Church, speak to your priest or minister first.

Do small urns need to be sealed?

Not always. None of the six urns in this guide has to be glued shut. The ceramic and marble urns come with glue, adhesive or sealant if you want a permanent seal, the steel cube has a lid that closes securely, and the oak effect box is closed with a screw.

Can a small urn be kept outdoors?

Only if its page says so. Of the six here, the Passage Small Urn, the Cube Small Urn and the Classic Marble Keepsake Urn are listed for outdoor as well as indoor display. The others are designed for indoor display.