How long does it take to dig a grave? This question about the time that is usually required to dig up a grave comes up when you are either trying to dig a grave for your pet or when you are trying to perform a burial of a loved one either yourself or through a burial service. For the burial of a pet, you should check out our dedicated article here. On average, a grave that is 6 feet in depth, 6.5 feet in length, and 3.25 feet wide will take about three to six hours to be dug by two workers. This is what is standard practice. If only one worker is digging he will take about ten to fourteen hours. Extra time is required by one worker as he has to take a break in between the process.
The process can be expedited if you are able to hire a small excavation machine that can accomplish the same task. But usually, that is not possible in a cemetery. As most graves are close together, even a small garden excavation machine is tough to fit between the tombstones. So, you will mostly have to rely on manual labor. The next hard step that most people miss is that most manual workers will not agree to dig a grave. It is one of those things that most people are scared of. To dig a grave you have to be in a grave. And only a few people will agree to do the job. If you want to dig a trench or a hole, almost every worker will agree. But as soon as you tell them that the hole is going to be a grave, every worker tries to excuse himself.
There is one other factor that you have to keep in mind. Most graves will have to be dug in a hurry. If you have not preserved the body of the deceased, the body will have to be buried in about 48 hours max. This causes an urgency. Sometimes, graves will have to be dug at odd hours of the night. Hence, finding a worker is quite tough.
In my opinion, it is best to give the task of burial to a burial/funeral service. They are trained to handle such an urgent scenario and have contractors who are willing to do the job. So, they can help you tremendously in such a scenario.
Most people get confused by the funeral service charges which are mostly billed hourly. Funeral services are businesses and hence they are in it to make a profit. Many people believe that funeral services try to charge extra for everything. This is because they have this one notion “The family is in a state of distress and hence funeral services will try to get them to agree to anything”. This is hardly the truth.
Most funeral agencies will bill you for at least six hours of grave prep and you will have to pay for two workers. They do this so that if the soil in the area is harder they have a cushion to fall on so that they don’t lose money. Further funeral agencies can’t employ workers at the minimum wage. This is because most workers don’t agree to dig a grave. So the service has to pay an extra fee for someone who is willing to do the job. Supply and demand issues mostly. A service fee on top of the usual hourly rate is placed by the funeral agency as they have to do the administrative tasks of contracting people and getting them paid.
I would advise you to hire a funeral agency, as the hassle to deal with employing and contracting alone is quite difficult. And, in a time where you are grieving over a loved one, it becomes extra hard. Plus, you also have to buy the land where the grave is going to be dug in the cemetery. So, It becomes even more complicated. I would sincerely advise you to consider a funeral agency.
How long does it take to dig a 6-foot deep grave?
If you are employing two workers it will take them about three to six hours to dig a grave that is six feet deep, six and a half feet in length, and three and a quarter feet wide. For a single worker expect an average time of ten to fourteen hours.
How do you dig a grave?
Digging a grave is just like digging a hole or a trench. The soil will first be broken up at the location of the designated plot where the grave is to be dug. Then soil will be broken up using a pickaxe. Next, the soil will be dug with the help of shovels. Graves a usually dug by starting at the middle of the designated plot and then expanding the grave length and width wise. This ensures that the soil doesn’t start to fill up the grave by caving in from the sides. Next, the sides of the grave will be prepared. This is done by using the shovel to smoothen the sides so that the walls of the grave are level. This ensures that the casket will go in evenly and will not require additional digging of the sides when the casket is lowered into the grave.
What is the standard size of a grave?
The standard size of a grave is 6 x 6.5 x 3.25 (where 6 is the depth, 6.5 is the length, and 3.25 is the width.
What is the fastest way to dig a deep grave/hole?
The fastest way is to dig a grave is by using a garden excavator. However, mostly it will not be possible as graves are usually built very close together in a cemetery. So, you would have to hire professional gravediggers.
