The call comes late in the day. A family in another state, a flight in the morning, and a container decision that has to be right before anyone leaves the building. Shipping human remains rarely arrives on a convenient schedule, and the choice between an air tray and a Ziegler Case is only one piece of a transfer that also involves a carrier, a receiving facility, and paperwork that all has to line up.

For Funeral Home Managers, the goal is simple: no surprises at the airport. Here is how the two containers differ for shipping human remains, where the Combo Shipping Tray fits, and what is worth confirming before a shipment leaves your care.

Two Containers, Two Different Jobs

The Air Shipping Tray is the outer structure that holds a casket for transport. A wood base and fiberboard lid are secured with nylon straps, and the reinforced corners and strapping are tested to support up to 1,000 lbs. It includes carrying straps, a packing slip envelope, and a casket bag, which is heat-treated and bug-stamp certified for international shipping. An oversize option is available.

The Ziegler Case holds the deceased directly, with no casket needed. It is a sealable case built from galvanized 20-gauge steel, with a rubber gasket seal, locking clasps, and four integrated handles. Starmark makes it for international shipments, repatriation, and any transfer where embalming is not possible or permitted. It comes in standard and oversize.

Put simply, the tray carries a casket, while the case holds the deceased directly in sealed steel. Which one belongs on a given transfer depends on the destination, the preparation, and how the remains are traveling.

Where the Combo Shipping Tray Fits

The Combo Shipping Tray is one of two options when there is no casket. Where the Air Shipping Tray needs a casket, the Combo comes with a mattress and headrest, so the deceased travels in the tray itself. It has a wood base and fiberboard lid held with nylon straps. Reinforced corners are third-party tested to support up to 1,000 lbs, and the tray is airline compliant, heat-treated, and bug-stamp certified for international shipping. Carrying straps and a packing slip envelope are included. It comes in standard and oversize, and an all-wood version is also offered.

What the CDC Says About Containment

For remains entering the United States, the CDC requires that non-cremated remains be fully contained in a leak-proof container, packaged and shipped according to all applicable legal requirements. Its examples include a double-layered, puncture-resistant body bag, a casket with a manufacturer-certified leak-proof lining, or a sealed metal body transfer case. These are examples, so a Ziegler Case is not required for every international transfer, but it is one way to meet the standard.

Documentation follows a similar pattern. Except for cremated or embalmed remains, the CDC expects a death certificate stating the cause of death, with a consular mortuary certificate, affidavit of foreign funeral director, and transit permit as the path when a certificate is not available. Domestic transfers and international shipping human remains bring their own carrier and destination rules, so each transfer is worth confirming on its own.

A Pre-Pickup Checklist for Shipping Human Remains

A few checks before the container is assembled leave time to fix a problem while the shipment is still in your hands.

• Destination: International repatriation can involve the destination country's rules, consular coordination, and airline procedures that a nearby transfer never touches.
• Preparation: Embalmed, non-embalmed, and cremated remains fall under different requirements, so each case of shipping human remains gets its own confirmation rather than carrying over assumptions from the last one.
• Fit: Measure before preparation begins. An oversize casket or a larger individual may need an oversize tray or case.
• Receiving facility: Agree with the receiving funeral home or crematory on the container, identification, documentation, and handling instructions before the shipment leaves.
• Paperwork: Check names, identification, and destination details against what travels with the deceased. A final review before pickup is the last easy chance to correct a discrepancy.

Keeping Shipping Human Remains on Schedule

The best time to decide between a tray and a case is before the call comes in. Knowing which containers you keep on hand, and which transfers call for which, turns a late-afternoon scramble into a routine step, and shipping human remains becomes one less thing to improvise. That steadiness matters most to the family waiting on the other end.