Zinc-Lined Coffins: What They Are and Why Required

A zinc-lined coffin is an ordinary coffin with an inner lining of zinc sheet that is soldered shut, so the body travels in a hermetically sealed container. It is required because airline rules say human remains, other than ashes, must fly in hermetically sealed containment, and a zinc lining is the usual way of meeting that rule.

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If you are arranging repatriation, you will see the term in most quotes. Here is what it means and how it affects the funeral at home.

What it is

A zinc-lined coffin is a standard wooden or MDF coffin with an inner lining of zinc sheet metal. Once the body is inside, the zinc is soldered shut, creating an airtight container around the body.

It looks like a regular coffin from the outside. The zinc lining is internal. The outer coffin may be the presentation coffin that will be used for the funeral service in the UK, or a simpler transit coffin, with the body moved to a presentation coffin on arrival.

Why airlines require a sealed coffin

A body is flown home as air cargo, and the airline industry’s handling rules set the standard. IATA’s Airport Handling Manual (section AHM 333, Handling of human remains) says remains, except cremated remains, “must be packed in a hermetically sealed inner containment which may be constructed of a flexible material or may be a rigid coffin of lead or zinc”. That inner container then goes inside a wooden or metal coffin, which may have an outer packing and a canvas or tarpaulin cover so that its contents are not apparent.

IATA’s own guidance places these rules in its TACT Rules (section 2.3.3) and AHM 333. It also says airlines must follow the laws of the departure, transit and arrival countries. So the airline and the countries on the route each have a say, and the departure funeral director works to the strictest of them.

The reasons behind the rule are practical:

Decomposition during transit, particularly on long-haul flights, can create health and odour issues
Health authorities in many countries want evidence that remains are properly contained before they allow departure and entry
Airlines have obligations to other cargo and to the staff who load the aircraft

A soldered zinc lining keeps the body contained for the whole journey, which is why it is the standard choice. IATA’s wording also allows a sealed flexible container, but whether that is accepted depends on the airline and the countries involved, and your funeral director will confirm it for your route.

The embalming question

Embalming replaces body fluids with preservative chemicals, which slows decomposition. Many airlines and countries expect it. IAG Cargo, the cargo arm of British Airways, states that all remains carried in a coffin must be embalmed, come with an embalming certificate and be hermetically sealed, with exemptions only in rare cases such as exhumed remains. GOV.UK’s country guidance often lists a certificate of embalming among the documents for taking a body out of the country.

Some families, particularly those from religious traditions that prefer the body not to be embalmed (many Muslim families, for example), ask whether it can be avoided. Where the airline and the countries involved accept it, a sealed zinc-lined coffin without embalming can be used. That requires the body to be sealed promptly after death and the transit time to be short. Because carriers differ, raise this on the first call, before the flight is booked, so the funeral director can choose a carrier and route that allows it.

On very long routes (Australia to the UK, for example), preservation becomes a more pressing question. Your funeral director can advise on the specific route.

When the coffin arrives in the UK

The zinc lining is sealed at the departure end. In the UK, the receiving funeral director has to cut the seal to reach the body for any preparation, including dressing, laying out or viewing.

If the family wishes to see their loved one before the funeral, this is possible once the zinc is opened. After a long repatriation, viewing may not always be advisable, depending on the condition of the body. The UK funeral director will be honest with you about what is appropriate.

GOV.UK sets out the paperwork at this end. Take the foreign death certificate to the register office for the area where the funeral will be held, and the registrar will give you a certificate of no liability to register, which goes to the funeral director. The UK coroner must be told if the death was violent or unnatural, or its cause is unknown.

Cremation and burial

For cremation in the UK, the zinc lining has to come out. The Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities’ instructions to funeral directors say coffins for cremation must be easily combustible, must use no metal beyond what safe construction needs, and that “lead or zinc linings must not be used”. In practice the body is moved from the zinc-lined coffin into a coffin made to the crematorium’s standard. Tell the UK funeral director early if cremation is planned, so this is arranged before the service.

For burial, the zinc lining usually remains in place and is buried with the body.

Transit coffin or presentation coffin

If you are offered a choice of coffin for the journey, the question is whether you want the funeral in the UK to use the same one. A presentation coffin means your loved one arrives in the coffin that will be used for the service. A transit coffin means the UK funeral director will move the body to a new coffin, which involves opening the zinc before the service.

If cremation is planned, a transfer to a coffin without a metal lining is needed whichever you choose, so a transit coffin may make more sense. Either way, the sealed lining is needed for the journey itself.

How it appears on a quote

The zinc lining and soldering usually appear in a repatriation quote, either as their own line or within the departure preparation fee. If you are unsure what a line covers, ask for the quote to be itemised.

If you need this arranged now

If someone you love has died abroad, we can arrange the whole journey: the sealed coffin and its preparation in the country where they died, the local paperwork, and the flight home. Send us the details through the enquiry form below and we will send one quote that sets out what is included.