Flatpack’s Great for Furniture, Not for Farewells

Flatpack’s Great for Furniture, Not for Farewells

One of our most requested coastal prints, photographed on the west coast of NZ

Why Our Caskets Aren’t Flat Packed and Never Will Be
People often assume that because our caskets are made from cardboard, they must arrive flat packed like some kind of DIY kit.

They don’t.  And they can’t.

That smooth, curved lid you see? The angled base? You can’t fold that up flat. There’s no way to flatten it without turning it into a basic rectangle. And that was never the vision.

Flatpack Exists.  Just Not Here
Yes, there are cardboard caskets on the market that come flat packed. They arrive folded up in a box, ready for you or someone else to build when the time comes. That’s fine for some people. But that’s not what we do. We don’t make DIY kits. We don’t do basic boxes. We definitely don’t do cheap, flimsy cardboard. And we definitely don’t do boring. Because flatpack was never what we set out to do.

​Outside The Box Caskets - Fern lid design with jute rope handles

Why We Don’t Do Flatpack Caskets
There are plenty of cardboard caskets on the market that come flat packed. That’s fine if you’re after something boring and basic. But that was never the plan for us. To make our design flatpack, we’d have to strip it right back. Make it rectangular. Easier to fold. Easier to box up. Flatpack only works if the shape is basic, straight sides, sharp corners, no curves. And to get there, you have to sacrifice shape, aesthetics, and soul. You lose presence. You’re back to a box. Something that looks more like storage than ceremony.

That would’ve been easier. But we don’t do easy. Easy isn’t how we got here. And it’s not what this is about.

We didn’t want a fold-up coffin that looks like a shipping crate. And we didn’t want to do traditional either. We wanted something different.

• Something beautiful.
• Something strong.
• Something honest.
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Something that reflects what people actually want even in the hardest moments. 
For something truly personal, we offer a range of printed lid designs or a plain kraft casket that can be decorated by hand. Learn more about personalising a casket here.
Because we are not a box. And we never wanted to be.

So Why Don’t We Flatpack
• Because they need to work. Our caskets can handle up to 320kg, be carried by pallbearers, and still fit respectfully into any funeral setting.
• Because they need to look good. Flat means boring. Boxy. We designed our caskets to look and feel different. Not just a box.
• Because they need to arrive ready. It shows up built, strong, and finished. As it should.

How It Works
• Every Outside The Box Casket is assembled in-house
• It’s delivered directly to the funeral home
• There’s nothing for you or your family to build or figure out

Back to the Name
We’re called Outside the Box Caskets for a reason. We never set out to make just a box, not in shape, and not in thinking.
Flatpack was never the goal.
Dignity was.
Beauty was.
Sustainability and strength were.
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If you want a casket that can carry real weight and still look good doing it, you can’t make it flatpack. Not without turning it into just another box.
And that’s the point.

We are not a box.
It’s something else entirely.
And we’re proud of it.

Outside the Box Caskets are available through funeral homes across the country. Just ask your local funeral director.