Why Is 6 Feet the Standard Grave Depth?

Meta description: For custom gravestones, plot burials, and cemetery monuments, you can get all you need and more with the leaders in the industry, Phillipsburg Memorial Company.

When it comes to burials at one of the saddest times in life, we may not be able to think straight about how and when things will take place, let alone know what gravestones, lettering, or monument markers to use. It’s good to know that you can get help with the final preparations of gravestones and more through Phillipsburg Memorial Company.

The company is a trusted firm helping grieved families lay their departed loved ones to rest in beautiful burials and plots. Servicing Phillipsburg, NJ, and its surrounds since 1939 and today, continues to raise the bar in exquisite human burial plots, gravestone craftsmanship, and peace of mind. The family-run company continues to help people do their best for the final resting place of their family members.

The history behind 6ft graves

Historically, graves became a depth of 6ft because of unlawful acts such as grave robberies. Some diseases plagued the old days, and human burials were risky as airborne microbes could spread the diseases if not buried deep enough. Or at least this was what officials thought even during the black plague of the 1300s. Officials issued 6ft burials as a standard depth. But only later would they learn the plague spread through animals like rats.

The depth is also precautionary so that the human burial site is not disturbed further underground. For instance, the ground surface might be disturbed, but the coffins won’t be moved from the position.

However, the grave depth of exactly 6ft is not always the case for all regions and countries. In some places and in some beliefs, there’s no such thing as burial but a type of cremation ceremony. In this case, there’s no grave dug but still perhaps a plot with a grave headstone marked as the final resting place for the individual.

Services include but are not limited to:

• Cemetery lettering and cleaning
• Bronze plaques
• Granite memorials
• Bevel pillow markers
• Slanted headstones
• Cremation monuments

Contact us if you are looking for a trusted company to help you decide on the ideal tombstone or burial site. You can get the design and budget for your family with various custom headstones, cemetery monuments, flat grave headstones, and more.

Categorised in: Cemetery