What Is a Funeral Home Cooler?

A funeral home cooler is a refrigeration unit built specifically to store the deceased at a controlled 34–38°F until burial, cremation, or service. It is not a converted food cooler — a true funeral home cooler is engineered for body storage, with interiors sized for mortuary cots or trays, NSF-certified stainless surfaces, and self-contained 110V operation that requires no plumbing or drainage.

For a funeral director, the funeral home cooler is the single most important piece of equipment in the building. It protects the dignity of every family's loved one, keeps the home compliant, and runs 24 hours a day, every day. American Mortuary Coolers has built that cooler in the USA since 2009 — and this page covers everything you need to choose the right one.

How a Funeral Home Cooler Works

A funeral home cooler works like a precision refrigerator engineered for body storage. A self-contained compressor and digital thermostat hold a steady 34–38°F — cold enough to slow decomposition, warm enough to never freeze tissue (freezing complicates embalming). The deceased is stored on slide-out shelving, a roll-in cot, or telescoping trays depending on configuration.

How to Choose the Right Funeral Home Cooler

Choosing a funeral home cooler comes down to two decisions: capacity (how many bodies) and configuration (how you load it). Match capacity to your annual caseload with headroom to spare — a cooler at maximum capacity every busy week wears faster and leaves no margin.

Step 1 — Pick your capacity

Step 2 — Pick your configuration

• Upright — front-load slide-out shelving; the most common and most affordable funeral home cooler. Shop upright →
• Roll-in — a mortuary cot rolls directly inside, eliminating lifting. Shop roll-in →
• Vault style — individual bay doors with telescoping trays. View vault style →
• Extra-wide — bariatric-rated interior clearance for larger cases. View 3BX →

Funeral Home Cooler Price & Financing

A funeral home cooler's price scales with capacity and configuration — self-contained 2-to-4-body uprights are the most affordable, with walk-in systems for high-volume operations at the top end. American Mortuary Coolers prices every funeral home cooler factory direct with no distributor markup, so you pay the manufacturer price, not a reseller's.

• Shop Pay: 4 interest-free installments at 0% APR on eligible orders
• Equipment financing: lease-to-own and equipment loans for qualifying funeral homes — apply here
• Section 179: the funeral home cooler may qualify for full first-year tax deduction

Why Buy Your Funeral Home Cooler from AMC?

• No forklift required — AMC delivers and places the cooler inside your facility; competitors often require a forklift you must provide.
• 110V plug-and-play — no plumber, electrician, or drainage.
• 15-year panel warranty — the strongest in the category, manufacturer-backed.
• Factory direct — built in Johnson City, Tennessee, no middleman markup.
• BBB A+ rated for 10+ years · NSF certified · OSHA compliant · USA-made.

Funeral Home Cooler Resources

Shop by type: All Funeral Home Coolers · 2, 3, & 4 Body Coolers · Upright Coolers · Roll-In Coolers · Walk-In Coolers · Hospital Morgue Coolers

Funeral Home Cooler — Frequently Asked Questions

What is a funeral home cooler?

A funeral home cooler is a refrigeration unit designed to store the deceased at a controlled 34–38°F until burial, cremation, or service. It's built for body storage — sized for cots or trays, NSF stainless, self-contained 110V — not a converted food cooler.

How does a funeral home cooler work?

A self-contained compressor and digital thermostat maintain a steady 34–38°F — cold enough to slow decomposition without freezing tissue. The deceased is stored on shelving, a roll-in cot, or telescoping trays. AMC units plug into a standard 110V outlet, no plumbing required.

How much does a funeral home cooler cost?

Price depends on capacity and configuration. Self-contained uprights (2–4 body) are most affordable; walk-ins serve high volume. AMC prices factory direct with no markup, plus Shop Pay 0% APR and Section 179 financing. Call 1-888-792-9315 for a same-day price.

How do I choose a funeral home cooler?

Match capacity to caseload with headroom (2-body under 100/yr, 3-body 100–200/yr, 4-body 200–400/yr, walk-in above), then pick a configuration — upright, roll-in, vault, or extra-wide. Always size up rather than down.

Does a funeral home cooler need plumbing or special wiring?

No. AMC upright funeral home coolers are 100% self-contained on a standard 110V outlet — no drainage, plumbing, dedicated circuit, or forklift required.

Funeral Home Cooler — Shipped to All 50 States