Since March 2025 the outer packaging is prescribed by name, and ordinary cartons are no longer accepted for this shipment.
The postal instruction, quoted
Publication 52 gives cremated remains their own packaging instruction, and it leaves very little to interpretation.
A USPS staff article dated 1 March 2025 announced the change on the day it took effect, telling customers to use the Priority Mail Express cremated remains box rather than their own packaging, with box kits available through the postal store. Section 451.22 carries the same requirement and adds that added coverage and Return Receipt are the only extra services permitted on these shipments.
| Requirement | What the manual specifies |
|---|---|
| Service | Priority Mail Express only for domestic mail |
| Primary receptacle | Strong, durable, sealed so that it is sift-proof, meaning no loose powder can escape in transit |
| Inner protection | The receptacle goes into a sealed plastic bag before it enters the shipping box |
| Cushioning | Enough material between receptacle and outer box to keep the contents stable and absorb shock |
| Outer packaging | The USPS-produced BOX-CRE packaging, ordered from usps.com |
| Recommended | A slip inside the sealed bag carrying both addresses and the words Cremated Remains, in case the outer label is lost |
What that service costs at the window
Priority Mail Express is the fastest and most expensive domestic product, and the rule leaves no cheaper option. These are the published retail prices, so the counter figure is knowable before you go.
| Zone | Retail at 1 lb | Retail at 5 lb |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | $35.90 | $37.80 |
| Zone 2 | $36.35 | $41.05 |
| Zone 3 | $38.30 | $50.55 |
| Zone 4 | $43.45 | $65.85 |
| Zone 5 | $51.50 | $85.00 |
| Zone 6 | $55.75 | $93.40 |
| Zone 7 | $59.25 | $98.35 |
| Zone 8 | $62.80 | $101.50 |
Weight decides which column applies, and the weight counted is the whole prepared package: receptacle, cushioning, sealed bag and postal box together. The Priority Mail Express flat rate envelope sits at $35.90 retail on the same price list, but an envelope cannot hold this shipment, so the weighted prices are the ones to plan against.
Where SMKlog stops
Our checkout sells domestic parcel labels for ordinary goods. This shipment is not one of them, and pretending otherwise would put a family in front of a refusal at the counter.
- Human remains appear on the prohibited list in our restrictions policy, so a description naming ashes or remains ends in a refusal rather than a rate.
- The lane needs a postal product bought with the postal cremated remains box and its own service code, which is not something a general parcel checkout can assemble.
- International movement runs through Priority Mail Express International, only where the destination country accepts it. Our own international lanes (Canada, the UK, Germany and Australia) do not change this: human remains sit on our prohibited list in every direction.
What we can price is everything that travels alongside: an urn ordered as merchandise before it holds anything, a memorial frame, a folded flag case, a box of photographs going to relatives after a service.
Sift-proof is the word that matters
The manual defines it plainly: a vessel that does not allow loose powder to leak or sift out during transit. Crematoriums supply a sealed plastic container for exactly this reason, and taping a decorative lid is not the same thing.
The box is ordered, not bought at the counter
The cremated remains kit comes from the postal store online, free of charge, and takes a few days to arrive. Families planning a shipment around a service date should order it early rather than the morning of.
Pet ashes follow the identical route
The instruction names human and animal cremated remains in the same sentence, so a pet cremation travels under the same service, the same box and the same sift-proof rule. Veterinary clinics that mail ashes back are working from this instruction too.
Shipping ashes: questions
Which carrier will ship cremated remains?
USPS, and only by Priority Mail Express in its own BOX-CRE packaging. UPS lists corpses, cremated or disinterred remains among the goods it does not accept, on the prohibited items page read 2026-07-28.
What does the packaging have to be?
A strong, durable, sealed sift-proof primary receptacle, placed in a sealed plastic bag, cushioned on all sides, inside the USPS-produced cremated remains outer box. Publication 52 packaging instruction 10C sets each of those steps.
How much does it cost to send ashes?
It costs whatever Priority Mail Express costs for the weight and zone. USPS Notice 123, effective 2026-07-12, lists $37.80 retail at 5 lb in Zone 1 and $101.50 retail at 5 lb in Zone 8.
Can I buy that label through SMKlog?
No. Human remains sit on our prohibited list and the shipment needs a postal service code we do not sell, so a description naming ashes returns a refusal. The Post Office counter is the right destination for this one.