For those who follow the traditional Jewish beliefs, a casket must be made entirely of wood. Metal caskets are forbidden by Jewish law. Even the use of metallic components such as nails, screws, handles, etc in the construction of wood caskets is not acceptable. The entire casket must be free from metal. Additionally, Orthodox caskets should be plain and free from excessive ornamentation. Their construction must have rabbinical certification. Interestingly, the use of plastic for hinges, etc is acceptable.

As you might imagine, manufacturing a hardwood casket to these exacting specifications without using metal requires skill. At Thacker Caskets, Inc. we offer a broad selection of hand crafted Orthodox caskets produced by the industry's most respected manufacturers. We maintain a large inventory of Orthodox caskets made from a wide variety of wood species to meet every price requirement.
From Orthodox caskets crafted using elegantly hand polished African Mahogany, to the most simple unfinished, flat-top pine box, Thacker customers can purchase with confidence knowing that each selection represents exceptional value in its price range. In addition to Mahogany and Pine, Thacker Caskets, Inc. offers Orthodox caskets in all of today’s most popular furniture woods such as Walnut, Cherry, Oak, Maple, and Poplar. Most caskets are available in both finished and unfinished varieties.

In certain older Jewish cemeteries (primarily in Metropolitan areas such as New York City) caskets with reduced dimensions are occasionally required in order to accommodate their smaller grave sizes. These caskets are commonly referred to as “Calvary Sized Orthodox Caskets”. Rest assured that Thacker Caskets, Inc. does stock a selection of Calvary Sized caskets to meet these special needs.

 

Thacker Caskets, Inc. stocks one of the industry's largest selections of extra long and extra wide caskets—truly something to address every need.

Recently, Thacker Caskets, Inc. announced that ALL of their metal caskets are being crafted with a minimum interior width of 24” rather than the industry norms of 22” or 23”. Thacker Caskets, Inc. is proud to be an industry leader in the initiative to produce a wider standard casket. This change has been well received by Funeral Directors. These larger caskets were introduced at NO additional cost, and all will easily fit into a standard size burial vault.

For circumstances where a much larger casket is required, Thacker Caskets, Inc. has a broad product offering of both metal caskets and cloth covered fiberboard caskets.
The Thacker Montclair is an 18ga steel casket that features a full 27” inside width. The casket had been designed so that it will fit into a standard burial vault. The Montclair comes in several exterior colors including lite bronze shaded dark bronze, lite blue shaded silver, and silver shaded gunmetal.

The Thacker Reed is a 20ga steel casket that, like the Montclair, also fits into a standard size burial vault. The Reed is versatile. It is available in a wide variety of exterior colors. It is also available in either a gasketed or a non-gasketed format.

When a substantially larger casket is required, Thacker Caskets, Inc. proudly offers the Empire series. These caskets are all 7 feet in inside length. They vary in inside width from 29 ½” to 32 ¾” to 35”. Non-gasketed Empire caskets are offered in a silver exterior finish. Gasketed Empire caskets feature a blue exterior finish.

All of the Empire series caskets require extra sized burial vaults.
Finally, Thacker Caskets, Inc. offers a selection of extra size cloth covered caskets. The #1750 Gray Cloth is 6 feet, 6 inches in inside length, and is available in inside widths of 26”, 28” and 34”.