Going Home vs God Care Metal Casket Review (2026)

Going Home vs God Care Metal Casket: Which Blue Is Right for Your Family?

Who Going Home and God Care Metal Caskets Are Really For

Somewhere in your house, there is probably a kitchen table, and sitting at that table is a person who has been given a number they were not ready to hear. Four thousand dollars. Five thousand. Sometimes more. The funeral director was kind, the room was still, and now you are back home with a phone, a screen, and a decision that feels too big to make in the window you have been given.

If that is where you are right now, you are in the right place. This is an honest side by side of two caskets families in exactly your situation have been ordering directly from Discount Caskets for years. The Going Home Metal Casket and the God Care Metal Casket. Same company, same price, same build. The only meaningful difference between them is the shade of blue on the outside.

The families we hear from typically fall into three groups. The first is the immediate buyer: someone who lost their person in the last 24 to 72 hours and has been handed a casket quote from the funeral home that makes their stomach drop. The second is the pre-planner: someone ordering ahead of an expected loss, wanting the decision handled before the grief arrives. The third is the adult child shopping on behalf of an elderly parent who has already told the family what kind of casket they want. All three groups land on the same truth. At this gauge, at this price, with this level of funeral home acceptance, there is no reason to spend $4,000 more for a casket that does the same job and holds your loved one with the same dignity.

What You Actually Get in an 18 Gauge Metal Casket at $1,695

Discount Caskets builds both models from 18 gauge steel, which is the standard gauge families see in most funeral home showrooms. The interior is a soft blue crepe, the same fabric that runs through the rest of the brand’s 18 gauge metal line. The outside width measures 28.5 inches, which matters for two reasons. It fits inside a standard burial vault. And it matches the general dimensions a funeral director expects when a casket arrives for a service.

When the casket ships, it leaves the warehouse wrapped in Styrofoam and bubble wrap, then loaded into a protective wooden crate. Discount Caskets moves their caskets as commercial airline cargo, which is how they can promise 1 to 2 business days from anywhere in the United States. The funeral home receives the crate, unpacks the casket, and prepares it for the service. Nothing about the delivery or the arrival signals “ordered online.” The family at the service sees a casket that looks like what they would have expected from a funeral home showroom, because at this gauge and finish, it is that casket, just sourced through a different door.

A few details are not listed on either product page. Exact length and depth, exact weight, and hardware finish specifics are not published. This is the one honest asterisk on this review. I will not guess at numbers I cannot verify. If you want the exact length or weight for a specific shipping or burial requirement, the fastest path is to call Discount Caskets directly from their product page, or to ask your funeral director to confirm on receipt. For the family comparing two nearly identical models, the missing specs do not affect the decision between them.

How the $1,695 Price Compares to What a Funeral Home Will Quote

The single loudest reason families land on this page is the price gap. At $1,695, either casket runs you about the same as a mid range refrigerator. At the funeral home, the quote for a comparable 18 gauge metal casket usually lands somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000, and on finishes that are even slightly more decorative, the quote can stretch higher. The math is not subtle. Ordering either the Going Home or God Care directly from Discount Caskets saves most families $2,500 to $4,500 on a single line item. For a family paying out of pocket in the middle of a loss, that number is the difference between a service they can afford and a service they have to put on a credit card.

There is a feeling that comes with that saved money, and I want to name it honestly. Some of us feel guilt. We wonder if spending less on the casket means we loved the person less. I have been in that chair. I can tell you what I believe: the casket is not the gift. The gift is the time, the care, and the memory. A $1,695 metal casket with the same steel and the same interior as a $5,500 funeral home casket carries your loved one the same way. What you save stays with the family that is still here, and that is not a betrayal of the one who passed. It is a responsible decision made under the worst circumstances a person can face.

The FTC Funeral Rule: Why Your Funeral Home Has to Accept These Caskets

This is the single biggest fear that stops families from ordering online. Will my funeral home actually take a casket I bought somewhere else? Will they charge me extra for handling it? Will they push back when I tell them it is already on the way? The answer to all three is no, and it is not optional on their end. The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) has been in effect since 1984 and was updated in 1994 to close a specific loophole. Funeral homes are required by federal law to accept a casket from a third party seller, and they are prohibited from charging you any extra fee for handling it.

The FTC’s consumer guidance on shopping for funeral services spells it out in plain language. Your funeral home cannot refuse the casket. They cannot add a handling fee. They cannot require you to be present when the casket is delivered. If a funeral director tells you otherwise, they are either misinformed or testing how firmly you plan to stand on your rights. The rule was written specifically to protect grieving families from exactly that pressure.

When you order a Going Home or God Care casket from Discount Caskets, you do not call the funeral home to ask permission. You call them to give them the delivery details. That is the only conversation the Funeral Rule requires, and it is the only conversation you owe them.

Shipping, Delivery, and What Happens if Something Goes Wrong

Discount Caskets ships from warehouses in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Georgia. The brand targets a 1 to 2 business day delivery window across the country, and for most of the continental US that window holds. If the timeline is tighter, for example a service in under 48 hours, the brand offers expedited shipping quoted on request. You do not need to pick up the phone to check standard delivery; the 1 to 2 day window is the published standard.

If the casket arrives damaged, the procedure is simple and strict: refuse the delivery, keep the original packaging, and contact Discount Caskets immediately. They handle the claim directly with the carrier and ship a replacement. This only works if the damaged casket is refused at the door, which means the funeral home needs to know to inspect the crate on receipt and not sign off on a damaged shipment. Call your funeral director the day before delivery and give them that instruction. It takes thirty seconds and it is the single most important call you will make on the shipping side.

Cancellations and returns fall under a 10 day window from the purchase date. A 30 percent restocking fee applies, and the customer pays return shipping. Once the casket is ordered and the funeral home is expecting it, a return is rare. The policy exists for the unusual situation where plans change, not as a regular use case.

Going Home vs God Care: Which Shade Fits Your Family’s Goodbye

This is the part of the page the rest of the post has been building toward. The two caskets are mechanically identical. Same 18 gauge steel. Same blue crepe interior. Same 28.5 inch outside width. Same shipping, same policy, same price. If you lined them up side by side with the brand labels removed, the only difference you would see is the shade of blue on the outside.

Going Home is gloss blue. A classic, darker blue with a deep, even shine. It reads as traditional and neutral. It suits any kind of service, any kind of family, and any kind of loved one who would want a respectful, understated casket. If your family is not sure which one to choose and you want a blue that will not feel like a statement, Going Home is the default.

God Care is gloss sky blue. A lighter, softer blue with a brighter finish. The name is not incidental. “God Care” carries weight for Christian families, for services held in a church, and for any family honoring a loved one whose faith was central to who they were. The lighter shade reads as hopeful and open, the kind of finish families describe with words like “heaven toned.” If your family wants a casket that speaks to faith without needing to explain it, God Care is the one.

I want to close this section with the truth that matters most. There is no wrong choice here on quality. Both caskets are built the same, carry the same protection through the same return policy, arrive in the same packaging, and meet the same federal standard for funeral home acceptance. The choice is only the shade. Pick the one that feels right when you picture it next to your loved one. That is the only criteria the decision actually needs.

Questions Families Ask Before Ordering a Casket Online

Will my funeral home actually accept a casket I bought online?

Yes, and they are required to by federal law. The FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) has been in effect since 1984 and was updated in 1994 to make funeral home acceptance of third party caskets mandatory. Your funeral home cannot refuse the delivery. They cannot add a fee for handling it. They cannot require you to be present when it arrives. If a funeral director pushes back, the rule is on your side, not theirs.

Can the funeral home charge me a handling fee for accepting a third party casket?

No. The FTC Funeral Rule prohibits any handling fee for a casket purchased from an outside seller. This was written into the 1994 update specifically to close a loophole some funeral homes were using to discourage online purchases. If a fee appears on your itemized price list for handling a third party casket, that fee is illegal and you can challenge it directly with the funeral home or report it to the FTC.

Do I need to tell the funeral home I’m bringing my own casket before I order it?

You do not need permission, but you should give the funeral home a heads up so they can be ready to receive the shipment. A single phone call the day you order is enough. Tell them the carrier, the estimated delivery window, and ask them to inspect the crate before signing. That is the whole conversation. You are informing them, not asking.

Is an 18 gauge metal casket at $1,695 actually the same quality as a $5,000 one at the funeral home?

At the same gauge, yes. 18 gauge steel is 18 gauge steel regardless of where it was sold. The interior fabric is the same grade of crepe. The outside dimensions are the same. The price difference at the funeral home is markup, not material. A funeral home runs showroom overhead, staff time, and margin expectations that do not exist on an online order that ships direct from a warehouse. The casket is the same. The receipt is not.

Is Discount Caskets a legitimate company or am I taking a risk?

Discount Caskets has been shipping third party caskets for years, operates warehouses in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Georgia, and handles damage claims directly with their carrier. Memorial Merits maintains a Discount Caskets resource page with current pricing, return policy, and shipping details. If you want to verify before ordering, call the support number from the product page and ask any question you have. A legitimate online casket company answers the phone.

How fast can a Going Home or God Care casket be delivered?

The standard shipping window is 1 to 2 business days from order, anywhere in the continental United States. The caskets move as commercial airline cargo, which is faster than ground freight. If your service is inside 48 hours, expedited shipping is quoted on request. Weekend orders are processed on the next business day, so a Friday afternoon order typically ships Monday for Tuesday or Wednesday delivery. If the timeline is tight, call Discount Caskets before you order.

What happens if the casket arrives damaged?

Refuse the delivery at the door, keep the packaging, and contact Discount Caskets immediately. They handle the claim with the carrier and ship a replacement. This only works if the funeral home knows to inspect the crate before signing for it, so call your funeral director the day before the expected delivery and give them that instruction. It takes thirty seconds and it is the single most important call on the shipping side.

If Going Home and God Care are mechanically identical, why does Discount Caskets sell them as two separate products?

Because the finish on a casket is how families remember the service. Going Home is gloss blue, a classic darker shade that reads as traditional and neutral. God Care is gloss sky blue, a lighter finish the brand markets toward Christian families and church services. The steel, the interior, the dimensions, and the price are identical. Listing them as two models gives families a faster way to pick the shade that fits who their loved one was, instead of scrolling through a single product page with a color dropdown.

Which casket should I pick if my loved one was not particularly religious?

Going Home. The name is not attached to a specific faith, the darker blue finish reads as traditional without leaning into any one tradition, and it is the default choice for families who want a respectful casket that does not carry a specific message. God Care is the right call when faith was central to the person you are honoring. Going Home is the right call for everyone else.

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