Private Label Caskets Winding Down Operations Citing Tariffs and Volatility

In light of President Trump’s March 2025 tariffs on aluminum and steel and other economic concerns, Private Label Caskets has decided to cease operations as of December 31, 2025 after more than 17 years in business.

On October 20, 2025, Private Label customers received a memo explaining the decision. Citing “recent global economic volatility and newly imposed tariffs — especially those impacting imported steel, wood, and caskets,” the memo explains that “these conditions make it increasingly difficult to guarantee affordable, stable pricing and dependable supply.”

The memo, which is also posted to the company’s website, was accompanied by a “tariff free pricing” inventory list. Customers were encouraged to order a “larger supply” of the remaining inventory, adding that they will be supported by the company until this inventory is depleted.

A thoughtful, if difficult, decision

Monday’s memo, coupled with a July 2025 press release by Private Label Caskets, show that this decision was not made lightly or quickly. Although the company stated in July that they were “weathering the tariff rollercoaster after a record-setting 29% growth in 2024,” Private Label representatives were quite transparent in explaining the impact of tariffs over the past eight years.

Carlos Figueroa, of Private Label’s parent company Buchanan Group, stated in the July release that tariffs were first instituted in 2017 and have “multiplied” through the years, reaching up to 135% at one time. Figueroa added that the “big tariff shock hit” the company in May, leading Private Label to add a 30% surcharge to cover tariffs — only the third time in the company’s history that prices were raised. 

Even then, Private Label and Buchanan Group owner Bruce W. Buchanan openly explained that he understood the intended goal of tariffs, but hoped that caskets could be exempt.

“I appreciate what the president is trying to accomplish by levying tariffs,” said Buchanan in July. “There are key manufacturing sectors that should come back to the U.S., but I don’t believe that caskets are one of those. Funeral homes already operate at thin margins; we need whatever help we can get with the cost of products.”

Looking forward

Before reaching the conclusion to cease operations, Private Label explored other alternatives, including “nearshoring and U.S. sourcing” according to the memo, but determined that winding down was the “best path” for the company and its customers — and, ultimately, for the families they serve. 

The December wind-down may be a case of one door closing, but another opening, as Private Label leaders are actively seeking a “relationship with a domestic manufacturer.” 

This spring, multiple media outlets predicted the potential impact of Trump’s tariffs on funeral costs, shortly after the 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum was announced on March 12. 

Private Label Caskets Weathers Tariff Headwinds

Indianapolis, IN – Indianapolis-based Private Label Casket Company is weathering the tariff rollercoaster after a record-setting 29% growth in 2024. 

If you want to hear a blow-by-blow account of the past few months, just ask Carlos Figueroa, Buchanan Group’s Private Label manager. “We started 2025 up another 29% until the big tariff shock hit us in May, then orders leveled off. Still, our clients have remained loyal and we are adding significant new ones.”

“The government has been adding and subtracting tariffs on our imported products in a way I never imagined,” said Figueroa. “It started in 2017 when a 10% tariff was first instituted. Since then, multiple back and forths have multiplied that number.” Due to the nature of publishing deadlines, the current level of tariffs cannot be predicted. For a short time it was as high as 135%.

Private Label has raised prices only three times in its 17 years of importing and distributing caskets and urns. This makes them unique. Currently, the company adds a surcharge of 30% to cover the tariffs, even though it is paying at a higher level. Figueroa says that the surcharge will be removed once tariffs drop back down.    

“It has kept us nimble,” said the owner of Private Label and the Buchanan Group of companies, Bruce W. Buchanan. “We have kept our business stable by working with our manufacturers, keeping our staff right-sized, and being flexible with warehousing. We still have a high-quality product that costs less. Tariffs don’t change that.”   

Buchanan Group is a management services company that owns Private Label, Fewell Monument, and Flanner Buchanan Funeral Centers. The firm was started in 1881 and was a founding member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes. Private Label launched as a distributorship in 2010.

“I appreciate what the president is trying to accomplish by levying tariffs,” said Buchanan. “There are key manufacturing sectors that should come back to the U.S., but I don’t believe that caskets are one of those. Funeral homes already operate at thin margins; we need whatever help we can get with the cost of products.” 

“We work with many premier funeral home operators in the country. They appreciate our quality, pricing, and commitment to serving families. We are a funeral company that just happens to sell great caskets. I believe this tariff pain will pass.”

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Private Label Caskets, a member of the Buchanan Group of companies, serves funeral homes and distributors throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The brand is a smart, customer-centric alternative to the more expensive, big-name casket brands. Private Label’s caskets and urns include a mix of imported and domestic products, and are offered in a wide range of popular, high-quality wood and metal models. Regional warehouses, stocked with thousands of products, provide for product availability and on-time delivery of caskets and urns throughout North America. Their website is www.PrivateLabelCaskets.com.