Ottawa’s best documented cemetery is Beechwood, whose by-laws say in plain words that a bronze marker must arrive already fastened to its granite base. That sentence shapes how a family orders bronze in the capital: the plaque is cast and shipped, a local monument dealer cuts the base and bolts the two together, and Beechwood’s staff set the finished unit at the foot of the grave for a fee fixed on its July 31, 2026 price list. The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall publishes a 2026 price list for Hope Cemetery with flat marker installation fees but no bronze specific line, the National Military Cemetery uses only Department of National Defence headstones, and Pinecrest, Capital Memorial Gardens and Notre-Dame publish no by-law or price list online. This page quotes what is published, says what is not, and explains what we supply: the bronze, cast with bosses and lugs, in any size inside Beechwood’s envelope.
Design an Ottawa bronze marker online
Set a size that stays inside 24 by 18 inches once the granite border is added, add the inscription and emblem, choose lugs with studs, and see the price in Canadian dollars with shipping included.
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Beechwood Cemetery: the by-law rules
Beechwood’s by-laws, the 2020 edition its site currently links, define a marker as “a memorial constructed of bronze or granite, set flush and level with the ground”, and section 26 says “All markers shall be set in the ground by the cemetery staff”. Section 27 sets the envelope: “Adult Grave: shall not exceed 60.96 cm (24 in) x 45.72 cm (18 in); Child Grave: shall not exceed 50.80 cm (20 in) x 30.48 cm (12 in); Infant Grave: shall not exceed 40.64 cm (16 in) x 25.40 cm (10 in)”, one marker at the foot of each grave. Section 30 makes Ottawa different: “Bronze markers must be attached to a granite base of not more than 15.24 cm (6 in) and not less than 10.16 cm (4 in) in thickness. Bronze markers must be securely attached to the granite base before delivery to the cemetery. Granite bases cannot exceed the size of the bronze marker by more than 5.08 cm (2 in) on all sides.” Section 31 requires “at least four brass or bronze anchor lugs from 10.16 cm to 15.24 cm (4 in to 6 in) in length, and not less than 1 cm (3/8 in) diameter”. Markers go only to the maintenance yard, never “between December 1st and April 1st”, photograph attachments are not permitted, contractors need written pre-approval and $3,000,000 of liability insurance, and no memorial is placed until its design “have been submitted to and approved by the cemetery”. Beechwood’s niches take marble, glass or granite plaques, not bronze.
Beechwood fees from July 31, 2026
The price list effective July 31, 2026 charges a marker setting fee of $210.00 for a marker of 173 square inches or less and $310.00 for 174 square inches or larger, monument foundations at $2.00 per square inch with a $950.00 minimum, and re-setting at $250.00 to $1,000.00. Care and Maintenance follows the regulation: $0 under 1,116.13 square centimetres (173 square inches), $100 at 173 square inches or larger. Beechwood’s own flat bronze markers with granite base run from $3,800.00 to $9,290.00 (2026) before setting, and its specification table lists a cremation section for a “Flat Bronze Marker 16″x9″” and another for an “Upright monument with 18″x 12″ bronze marker”. The 173 square inch line counts twice at Beechwood, for the setting band and for the contribution: a 16 by 9 inch bronze (144 square inches) pays $210.00 and no contribution, a 20 by 10 inch bronze (200 square inches) pays $310.00 plus $100. A 20 by 10 inch plaque is $1,759.60 in our designer, shipping included, and a 16 by 12 inch plaque is $1,580.02.
Hope Cemetery and the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall
The Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall run Notre-Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, Hope Cemetery on Bank Street, St. Alphonse, St. Bernard and St. Patrick’s. No by-law is posted, but Hope Cemetery’s price list effective January 1, 2026 is public. It charges $350 to install a small flat granite marker (16 by 10) and $400 for any other size, monument foundations at $32 per linear inch with a $500 minimum, and cemetery supplied flat bronze markers from $1,625. Its section table lists flat bronze markers of “24 x 14 / 61 x 36 cm”, “36 x 13 / 91 x 33 cm”, “44 x 14 / 112 x 36 cm” and “16 x 9”, so bronze is in use on its lawns. There is no bronze specific installation line, so the flat marker fee appears to be the charge for an outside bronze on granite; confirm with the office, and ask for the base specification and the delivery season, which are not published. No Notre-Dame price list was found.
The National Military Cemetery
The National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces sits inside Beechwood but follows its own rules. Beechwood coordinates a headstone “adhering to specifications pre-determined by DND” under DAOD 5018-3, graves cannot be pre-selected, and applications go through the Department of National Defence. It is not a place for a family bought bronze marker. For a Veteran buried in a civilian section of Beechwood or at another Ottawa cemetery, Veterans Affairs Canada’s Funeral and Burial Program, delivered through the Last Post Fund, provides a military style grave marker in upright or flat grey granite, “in certain cases, flat bronze”. No upgrade route or refund for a family chosen bronze is published, so a family wanting its own bronze on a Veteran’s grave should ask the cemetery and the Last Post Fund first and should not count on any contribution toward it.
Pinecrest, Capital Memorial Gardens and Notre-Dame: ask the office
Three of Ottawa’s larger cemeteries publish nothing we could use. Pinecrest Cemetery’s website did not resolve. Capital Memorial Gardens is an Arbor Memorial property whose site returned only a page title. Notre-Dame has no cemetery specific by-law or list online. For any of them, ask the office before you design: does the section permit a flat bronze marker, and on what base; what are the maximum length and width, measured on the bronze or on the base; how long must the lugs be; does the cemetery attach the base or must it arrive assembled; what are the setting fee and the year of the price list; when may markers be delivered; and what form must the rights holder sign. Write the answers on the cemetery’s own form, then type the size into the designer.
Bronze from us, granite arranged in Ottawa
We supply the bronze. The plaque is cast in solid LG2 statuary bronze with raised polished lettering on a textured background, and when you choose lugs with studs it is cast with bosses on the back to take the 3/8 inch lugs 4 to 6 inches long that Beechwood specifies. We do not supply the granite base and we do not install. Because Beechwood requires the bronze “securely attached to the granite base before delivery”, the base is cut and the plaque fastened to it by a local monument dealer, who delivers the unit to the maintenance yard inside the April to November season; at Hope Cemetery ask whether staff attach the base. Size the bronze for the envelope: with a 2 inch border on every side, a 20 by 14 inch bronze on a 24 by 18 base reaches Beechwood’s adult maximum and a 16 by 8 bronze on a 20 by 12 base the child maximum. Leave the ceramic photo option off for a Beechwood grave; an emblem cast in relief is fine. Plaques for a bench, tree or garden need no base at all; see bronze memorial plaques and garden plaques.
What the plaque itself costs, delivered to Ottawa
The table below is our price for the cast bronze plaque itself, read from the design tool on this website on 14 October 2026 for a standard rectangle with the default border and background. Every figure is in Canadian dollars and includes delivery to any address in Ottawa.
| Size, inches (mm) | Typical use | Our price, delivery included |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 4 in (152 x 102 mm) | Name and dates on a small cremation plot, urn or pet memorial | $478.72 |
| 8 x 6 in (203 x 152 mm) | Cremation garden plaque or a short dedication on a bench or wall | $674.98 |
| 10 x 8 in (254 x 203 mm) | Cremation lot marker with a line of wording or an emblem | $889.05 |
| 12 x 8 in (305 x 203 mm) | Single lawn marker with name, dates and a line of wording | $996.08 |
| 16 x 12 in (406 x 305 mm) | Single grave marker with an emblem, or a companion cremation marker | $1,580.02 |
| 18 x 12 in (457 x 305 mm) | Larger single marker or a dedication plaque with several lines | $1,759.60 |
| 20 x 10 in (508 x 254 mm) | The 20 by 10 inch flat marker size many municipal cemeteries list | $1,759.60 |
| 22 x 12 in (559 x 305 mm) | Companion marker or wide single marker inside a 24 inch envelope | $2,118.74 |
| 22 1/16 x 15 3/4 in (560 x 400 mm) | The largest size the designer makes, for double markers and dedication tablets | $2,456.76 |
Any cemetery charge quoted higher on this page, such as a setting fee, a permit, a foundation or a care and maintenance contribution, is paid to the cemetery and is separate from our price. Add the two together for the full installed cost. Open the design tool, type in the size your cemetery allows, and the exact price for that size appears before you order.
How to order
- Ask the cemetery office for its marker specification: the maximum size, the base it requires and the form it needs signed. Most offices email it the same day.
- Open the free design tool, pick the shape and set the size in inches or centimetres. The price in Canadian dollars updates as you go.
- Add the wording, choose a border and background, and add an emblem, motif or photo if you want one. Choose lugs with studs if the plaque will be bolted to a granite or concrete base, or a flat back for adhesive mounting.
- Save the design and order it from My Account. We send a written proof that you can forward to the cemetery for approval, and nothing is cast until you approve it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Beechwood accept a bronze marker from an outside supplier?
Its by-laws require the marker to be bronze or granite, within the size limits, attached to a 4 to 6 inch granite base with at least four lugs, and approved in design before anything is placed; delivery by a contractor needs written pre-approval. Setting is by cemetery staff for $210.00 or $310.00 (July 31, 2026).
Must the bronze be fixed to granite before it reaches Beechwood?
Yes. Section 30 of the by-laws says bronze markers must be securely attached to the granite base before delivery to the cemetery, and the base may not exceed the bronze by more than 2 inches (5.08 cm) on any side. A local monument dealer supplies the granite and bolts the plaque to it.
What does Beechwood charge to set a marker?
The July 31, 2026 price list charges $210.00 for a marker of 173 square inches or less and $310.00 for 174 square inches or larger, plus the $100 Care and Maintenance contribution at 173 square inches or more and HST.
Can I put a bronze marker on a grave in the National Military Cemetery?
No. Headstones there follow specifications set by the Department of National Defence under DAOD 5018-3 and are coordinated through Beechwood and DND. For a Veteran in a civilian section, ask the cemetery and the Last Post Fund before buying your own bronze.
What about Pinecrest, Capital Memorial Gardens and Notre-Dame?
None of the three publishes a by-law or price list online. Ask the office whether bronze is permitted on your section, the maximum size, the base and lug rule, who attaches the base, the setting fee and its year, and the delivery season, and get the rights holder’s form before you design.
How long does a bronze plaque take in Ottawa?
Allow about four to six weeks from payment to delivery. Casting and hand finishing take most of that time, and we send a free written proof before anything is cast. If your cemetery only sets markers in the frost free season, order early enough for the spring installation window.
Design the bronze, let a local dealer fit the granite
Enter the size, add the inscription and an emblem, choose lugs with studs, and see the Canadian dollar price. Free proof to show the cemetery, shipping included.
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