Coffin Mouldings / A Quick Guide

March 7, 2023

Where did Coffins come from?

The coffin industry traces its roots back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where wood, cloth and paper were used to make sarcophagus- style burial boxes. In Europe the Celts began making caskets out of flat stones around the year 700. For centauries. however caskets were only used to bury aristocrats and nobility.

History of Wooden Coffins

Traditional wood remains by far the most popular type of coffin. The earliest example known to man, dating back to 7000 years, was in Shaanxi province of china.

Wooden coffins are also known to have been popular during medieval times, although their history has been difficult to ascertain as most of them have disintegrated. Coffins that have survived tend to be made of lead and stone which were reserved for the very wealthy.

What makes a Coffin

The making of a wood coffin is not significantly different from any other type of carpentry or cabinetry. In some parts of the world, skilled carpenters specialise in elaborate coffins. Italy has a vanishing tradition of hand built burial caskets, and master crafts men in Ghana continue to create coffins in fanciful shapes such as birds, cars and ears of corns and many more different exclusive shapes. In the United states due to the rising tradition of cremation , coffins are are traditionally built only as needed.

The majority of coffins are made using Oak, Mahogany and Elm style Veneers which are laminated on to chipboard or medium density fibre board called MDF.

The three essential elements of the coffin are the shell, the lining , the handles and the accessories.

Plenty of Choice

Wood Mouldings are suppliers of Coffin Trims to the coffin industry for over 20 years. We produce mouldings in a wide variety of timber types including Red Oak , Beech, Sapele and Southern Yellow Pine, across a wide range of trim designs.

We manufacture a full range of coffin profiles in a wide variety of wood types.

Our range of trims