Home › Marker types
What the VA actually offers
Five options, all free, all with the inscription included. The catch is that the cemetery often narrows the list before you get to choose.
The VA furnishes upright headstones in granite or marble, flat markers in granite, marble, or bronze, and bronze niche markers for columbaria. All are free, all include the inscription, and all are shipped at no cost. The cemetery's own rules usually decide which of them you can actually use.
The five options
| Upright, granite | The traditional vertical stone. Durable, widely accepted, carries the fullest inscription. |
|---|---|
| Upright, marble | Lighter in colour, softer stone. Weathers faster than granite in harsh climates. |
| Flat, granite or marble | Set flush with the ground. Required by many cemeteries. Needs less labour to place. |
| Flat, bronze | Bronze plate on a base. The only option some cemeteries accept. |
| Bronze niche marker | For cremated remains in a columbarium. Sized to the niche front, which varies by facility. |
A bronze medallion is the sixth path, but it works differently — it attaches to a private stone that is already there rather than standing on its own. There are two kinds: one marking the individual as a veteran, in three sizes, and one marking a Medal of Honor recipient.
The cemetery decides more than you do
This is the part worth internalising before you fall in love with an upright monument.
Plenty of cemeteries permit flat markers only, so the grounds can be mown without a crew working around stones. Some sections accept bronze and nothing else. Some have rules about height, width, thickness, and finish that differ between one part of the cemetery and another part of the same cemetery.
Get the regulations in writing before you tick a box on the form. Ordering a marker the cemetery will not accept means starting over.
What goes on the stone
Included at no cost, and standard:
- Name
- Branch of service
- Dates of birth and death
Optional, also at no cost:
- Rank
- War service
- Awards and decorations
- An emblem of belief
- A short additional inscription, subject to space and VA approval
Nothing on that second list costs extra. Families sometimes leave items off assuming they will be billed for them, which is a shame when the inscription is permanent.
Emblems of belief
The VA maintains a long list of approved emblems covering a wide range of faiths, plus options for those who don't want a religious symbol. It is considerably longer than most people expect, and if what you want isn't on it there is a formal process to have a new emblem added.
The cemetery may have its own view — a Catholic cemetery may require a cross, a Jewish cemetery will have its own conventions on the inscription format. Ask.
Granite or marble, if you have the choice
Granite is harder and holds an inscription longer, particularly through freeze-thaw cycles and acid rain. Marble is softer and brighter, and it is what a great many historic military graves use, so it can be the right call when a stone needs to sit alongside older family markers.
If the grave is somewhere with hard winters and you have no aesthetic reason to prefer marble, take the granite.
Marker types and inscription rules reflect National Cemetery Administration guidance. Available emblems and inscription policies are updated periodically — confirm current options with the VA at 800-697-6947 before filing.