How Much Does a Memorial Bench Cost? Prices, Cemetery Fees and Delivery

Published US monument dealer prices for an engraved granite memorial bench mostly fall between about $2,000 and $6,000 (prices we checked in November 2026), and a cemetery usually charges a few hundred dollars more for the foundation and setting. At our stone workshop in Quyang, Hebei, a 4 ft gray granite memorial bench starts at US$1,800; a black granite bench with an engraved backrest or a cremation compartment reaches US$6,000; carved marble garden benches run US$4,500–9,500. All of our prices are per bench, FOB Tianjin, with engraving included. Below is every part of the total, with the numbers behind it.

Key takeaways

• Engraved granite memorial benches from US dealers mostly cost about $2,000–6,000; from our Quyang workshop, US$1,800–6,000 FOB Tianjin with engraving included.
• Black granite costs about 1.7–2.2 times gray granite for the same design.
• Cemeteries add their own foundation, setting or application fees; ask for the written fee schedule first.
• A granite memorial bench takes 15–20 working days to make, then about 25 days at sea to the United States plus clearance and inland delivery.
• Get cemetery approval of the design in writing before you order.

Memorial bench prices at a glance

These are our current reference prices for granite memorial benches. Each price is per bench, FOB Tianjin port, and includes the engraving. Weights are approximate and include the whole bench, so you can plan the foundation and unloading.

For a garden rather than a grave, a modern curved gray granite bench is US$3,300 (150 cm) or US$3,800 (180 cm), and carved marble benches with scroll ends, winged figures, relief backs or lion legs run US$4,500–9,500. You can see every design, with its stone, size and weight, on our granite memorial benches and stone garden benches page.

What our bench price includes, and what it does not

• Included: the bench in the stone and size you choose; all engraving, including a laser-etched photo and gold or white letter fill; a drawing and lettering layout for your approval; modeling for custom designs; a fully enclosed, foam-lined wooden crate.
• Quoted separately: ocean freight, insurance, customs clearance and delivery to your address, as one DDP price.
• Arranged locally by you: cemetery approval and fees, the concrete foundation, forklift unloading and setting the bench.

Three typical memorial bench orders

These are the three orders we are asked about most often, with what each costs at our workshop and what else to plan for.

• A simple cemetery bench. Gray granite, backless, 120 cm (4 ft), name and years on the front edge: US$1,800 FOB Tianjin, made in 15–20 working days, about 190–340 kg (420–750 lb). Plan for the cemetery foundation and setting fee.
• A bench that serves as the headstone. Black granite, 150 cm (5 ft), engraved backrest with the family name, two names and a verse, gold letter fill: US$6,000, made in 15–20 working days, about 340–610 kg (750–1,340 lb). Confirm with the cemetery that a bench can be the grave marker.
• A carved garden memorial. White marble bench with winged figure armrests, 180 cm (6 ft), name on the back: US$4,500, made in 30–35 working days, about 950–1,340 kg (2,090–2,950 lb). Plan a concrete pad and forklift access in the garden.

What changes the price of a memorial bench

• Granite color. This is the biggest single factor. The same design in black granite costs about 1.7 to 2.2 times the gray granite price.
• Length. Going from 120 cm (4 ft) to 150 cm (5 ft) adds US$300–400 in gray granite and US$500–1,000 in black. A 5 ft bench seats two adults with room to spare and carries a longer line of lettering.
• A backrest. In gray granite a backrest adds about US$500–600. It also gives you an upright panel for the name, dates and a verse, so the bench can serve as the headstone.
• A compartment for ashes. Our cremation bench price already includes the compartment under the seat. On other designs a compartment can be added and is priced by its size and how it closes.
• Carving and stone type. Most hand-carved marble benches take 30–35 working days instead of 15–20 (the large curved bench with lion legs takes 55–65), which is why they start at US$4,500. Red marble costs more than white: our scroll-end red marble bench is US$5,500–6,000, while the larger white marble bench with winged figures is US$4,500–5,800.
• Engraving. Many US price lists charge extra per letter, per symbol or per portrait. We do not: hand-cut or sandblasted lettering, a laser-etched photo, and gold or white paint in the letters are all included in the bench price.
• Custom shapes. A bench curved to a set radius, your own drawing, or a carving from a photo is priced from the design. Modeling is included in the order.

Memorial bench or headstone: which costs more?

In US dealer price lists we checked in November 2026, flat grass markers started at about $725–1,000, upright headstones at about $1,600–4,000, and granite memorial benches at about $1,600–3,400. So a simple bench costs about the same as a mid-range upright headstone. These are starting prices for the simplest model, and some include delivery and setting while others do not, so compare quotes for the same design and check what each one includes. A bench with an engraved backrest can do both jobs: the backrest carries the name, dates and verse like a headstone, and the seat gives visitors a place to stay. This is often called a bench headstone. Whether a bench can replace the headstone, or must stand beside one, is the cemetery’s decision, so ask before you budget for both.

Costs after the bench: cemetery fees, foundation and setting

The bench price is rarely the whole bill. A granite bench weighing several hundred kilograms needs a level concrete foundation, a crew with lifting equipment to set it, and, in a cemetery, the cemetery’s permission. Each cemetery publishes its own fees, and they vary widely:

• A New York cemetery’s 2024 foundation price list charges $634 for a granite bench foundation measuring 3’6″ × 1’2″.
• An Albany, New York cemetery charges a $30 memorial bench application fee (March 2026 price list), with foundation work priced separately.
• Other cemeteries do not publish a bench fee; one New York cemetery’s 2026 foundation price list simply says to contact the office for benches.

So ask the cemetery office for its written fee schedule before you compare bench quotes. Many cemeteries pour the foundation themselves; others let a monument company do it. In a private garden, a local contractor pours a pad and sets the bench. We send the approximate weight and installation guidance by email so the foundation can be planned, but we do not send installers, and unloading at the site needs a forklift.

Buying direct from a stone factory: shipping, duty and timing

Our prices are quoted FOB Tianjin, which means the bench is packed and loaded at the Chinese port. For a home, cemetery or park, ask us for a DDP (delivered duty paid) quote instead. It covers ocean freight, insurance, customs clearance, import duty and delivery to your address, and it is priced by destination and weight. It does not include unloading. We reply to quote requests within 12 hours.

Import duty. US import duty and customs clearance are included in our DDP quote, so there is nothing extra to pay when the bench arrives.

Timing. Plan for these stages after the drawing is approved:

Each bench travels in a fully enclosed wooden crate lined with foam, insured in transit. Check the crate and the stone for damage before you sign for the delivery, and contact us right away if anything is wrong. Payment is a 50% deposit and a 50% balance; the minimum order is US$1,000 per order, and a bench, planters and a stone table can share one order and one shipment.

What you get by ordering from a stone workshop

Ordering from a stone workshop gives you more than a catalog bench:

• A carved bench. Winged figures, relief-carved backs, scroll ends or lion legs, hand-carved in marble.
• Your own design. A bench drawn from your sketch, a photo of a bench you saw, or a size and curve made to fit your plot or garden bed, with modeling included.
• More than words. A laser-etched photo, a carved symbol and gold or white letter fill, all included in the bench price instead of charged per item.
• Several pieces at once. A bench with matching urns or a stone table, made together and shipped in one order.

How to get a memorial bench placed in a cemetery

1. Ask the cemetery for its rules first. Find out whether benches are allowed in that section, the maximum size, which stones and colors are accepted, who pours the foundation, who may set the bench, what the fees are, and whether the inscription needs approval. If the bench will hold ashes, ask how the cemetery handles placing the urns.
2. Choose a design that fits those rules. Send the rules to your maker with your preferred design; it is much cheaper to change a drawing than a finished stone.
3. Get the drawing approved in writing. Show the cemetery the drawing with dimensions, stone and lettering, and keep their approval on file.
4. Approve the lettering layout before cutting. Check every name, date and spelling on the layout you receive; engraving cannot be undone.
5. Book the foundation and setting. Give the cemetery or your monument company the bench weight and delivery date, and make sure a forklift will be there to unload it.

A memorial bench in a park or your own garden

City park dedication programs usually set their own price, choose the bench model and limit you to a plaque, so the cost is whatever the city charges. A stone bench in your own garden avoids cemetery fees, and you choose the design, stone and wording freely. You still need a level, well-drained base and room for a forklift or small crane to reach the spot, because even a backless granite bench weighs 190–390 kg (420–860 lb).

What a complete memorial bench quote should include

Bench quotes are hard to compare because each seller includes different things. Before you pay a deposit, check that every quote states:

• The exact design, length, stone and color, ideally with a drawing.
• The engraving: how many lines or letters, the method, any photo or symbol, and the letter fill.
• Whether you approve a layout proof before the stone is cut.
• Delivery: to the curb or to the site, and who unloads it.
• For an imported bench, whether import duty and customs clearance are included (DDP) or due on arrival.
• Who pours the foundation and sets the bench, and whether the cemetery’s own fees are included.
• The production and delivery time, and what happens if the stone arrives damaged.

Upkeep costs after installation

A stone bench has almost no running cost. Wash it a few times a year with clean water, a soft-bristle brush and a pH-neutral soap or stone cleaner; a pressure washer is fine for rinsing. Moss and bird droppings come off with a soft brush and water. Avoid vinegar, lemon juice, bleach and acidic cleaners, which etch marble, and never use a wire brush. Some cemeteries charge an annual care fee for the plot, which is separate from the bench.

Memorial bench cost FAQs

Get a delivered price for your bench

Send us the design you like, the length and stone, your wording and the delivery address, plus the cemetery rules if there are any. We will reply within 12 hours with the bench price and a DDP price to your door. Request a memorial bench quote or browse all memorial and garden bench designs.

Sources

• Beth Moses Cemetery, Farmingdale, New York: Foundation Price List, effective January 1, 2024
• Albany Rural Cemetery, New York: Services and pricing, effective March 2026
• Mount Lebanon Cemetery, New York: Foundation Price List, effective January 1, 2026
• Yun Sculpture bench prices, weights and production times: our memorial and garden bench price list, November 2026