Bronze Plaques Hamilton

Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries sell no markers at all. Their 2026 price list says so and encourages families to use a monument dealer of their choice, while the City provides the foundation and the setting. The rules for what that dealer may bring are in By-law 12-151, which treats bronze as a tablet attached to a marker and spells out the granite it must be bolted through. The Diocese of Hamilton’s Catholic cemeteries, including Gate of Heaven in Burlington, follow by-laws of 2012 with their own sizes and a cross on every marker, and Gate of Heaven publishes 2026 setting fees in bands by area. This page quotes both sets of rules, the 2026 fees and the veterans’ contribution the City lists. We cast the bronze and ship it with shipping included at a price shown in Canadian dollars; the granite slab or concrete base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery office or a Hamilton monument dealer.

By-law 12-151: what Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries require

By-law 12-151, consolidated in April 2024, governs Woodland, Mount Hamilton, Eastlawn, Stoney Creek and the City’s other cemeteries. Markers must be “constructed of granite or other industry standard material”, and where bronze is used “it shall be used only for the fixtures such as doors, window grilles or statuary of mausoleums or for tablets attached to markers”, “it shall meet industry standards for bronze”, and “its casting shall be true and without any sand-like roughness”. An adult grave marker may be “no more than 60.96 by 45.72 centimetres (24 by 18 inches) or 10 percent of the lot, whichever is less”, a cremation grave marker “no more than 30.48 by 24.40 centimetres (12 by 10 inches)”, and “a marker shall be flat on top and flush with the ground so that a lawn mower can pass safely over it”. Where a marker is bronze, “the marker shall be cast with integral bosses on the back as specified by Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries such bosses being capable of receiving anchor lugs, supplied by the dealer, of brass or bronze of .95 centimetres (3/8 inch) in diameter and maximum size of 7.6 centimetres (3 inches) in length; and, the marker shall be bolted through granite having a surface area of 45.72 by 60.96 centimetres (18 by 24) inches and a thickness of 10.16 centimetres (4 inches)”. Markers “shall be delivered to cemeteries for installation between April 1 and November 1 of each year” with a Foundation/Marker Permit, and dealers complete the Marker and Monument Dealer Form. Note the lug length: Hamilton caps it at 3 inches, where the Catholic cemeteries ask for 4 to 6.

Hamilton price list, January 1, 2026

The 2026 price list, in effect January 1, 2026 with HST not included, states: “Hamilton Cemeteries does not offer or supply markers or monuments. We encourage families to contact a local Monument Dealer. Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries provides foundations and installation/setting of all monuments and markers.” The marker setting charge is $200.00 for a 12 by 10 inch marker, $225.00 for a child’s 18 by 14 and $305.00 for “All other sizes up to maximum of 24″x18″”. Care and Maintenance on markers is no fee under 12 by 10 inches, $100.00 above 12 by 10 and $200.00 for a “DVA Monument”. Bronze plaque installation and niche plaque installation are $200.00 each; the cemetery sells columbarium bronze plaques at $1,200.00. The 2025 list charged $190.00 to set a 12 by 10 inch marker. Urn garden graves are sold as “Flat Marker Only” in 12 by 10, 20 by 10, 20 by 16 and 24 by 18 inch sizes, which shows the bronze sizes the City expects to see.

Diocese of Hamilton Catholic Cemeteries

The Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Hamilton (Gate of Heaven in Burlington, Holy Sepulchre, Resurrection, Holy Cross in Paris, St. Thomas in Waterdown and others) operate under by-laws approved October 5, 2012. Bronze markers “must be installed flush with the ground” and “All markers must have a cross incorporated into the design”. The base rule: “Concrete bases must be the same dimensions as the marker. The maximum thickness of all bases will not exceed four inches. Granite bases must have projections of two inches on all sides from the outside edge of the bronze memorial.” The cemetery “reserves the right to supply and attach concrete bases to all markers and installations must be made by the employees of The Catholic Cemeteries”. Bronze must be cast with four integral bosses for lugs “4 to 6 inches in length and not less than 3/8 inch”. Maximums are Infant, Child and Cremation 22 by 10 inches, Adult 24 by 14 inches and two graves side by side 44 by 13 inches. “Markers supplied by outside dealers must comply with the rules and regulations of the Cemetery”, and none may be delivered until the dealer “has received written permission to deliver the marker”. The Care and Maintenance table in this 2012 document shows pre-2022 amounts; the figure today is $100.

Gate of Heaven fees, January 1, 2026

Gate of Heaven Cemetery’s price list effective January 1, 2026 charges setting of bronze markers with a granite base at $140.00 up to 364 square inches, $210.00 for 365 to 679 and $270.00 for 680 to 864 square inches, and bronze markers with a concrete base at $140.00 up to 162 square inches, $190.00 for 163 to 240, $250.00 for 241 to 432 and $290.00 for 433 to 649 square inches. Cemetery supplied flat bronze markers start at $2,425.00 and a bronze niche plaque is $3,150.00. A 12 by 8 inch bronze (96 square inches) on a concrete base sits in the $140.00 band with no contribution, while a 22 by 12 inch bronze (288 square inches) is in the $250.00 band and pays $100.00; on a granite base with its 2 inch border the same bronze becomes a 28 by 16 unit of 448 square inches and moves into the $210.00 granite band.

Veterans in Hamilton

Hamilton’s 2026 price list charges a $200.00 Care and Maintenance contribution on a “DVA Monument”, the upright military marker that Veterans Affairs Canada provides through the Last Post Fund. The program supplies a military style grave marker in upright or flat grey granite, “in certain cases, flat bronze”, and publishes no dimensions, no upgrade route and no refund for a marker a family buys itself. A family wanting its own cast bronze tablet on a Veteran’s grave should ask the cemetery office and the Last Post Fund first.

Our bronze, Hamilton’s granite slab arranged locally

We supply the bronze tablet, cast in solid LG2 statuary bronze with raised polished lettering on a textured background and, when you choose lugs with studs, with bosses on the back. We do not supply the 18 by 24 by 4 inch granite that By-law 12-151 requires or the 4 inch concrete base the Diocese allows, and we do not install. In a City cemetery a Hamilton monument dealer buys the granite, bolts the tablet through it with lugs no longer than 3 inches, completes the Dealer Form and delivers the unit between April 1 and November 1; the City then sets it for $200.00 to $305.00 (2026). At a Diocese of Hamilton cemetery the office may attach the concrete base itself. A 12 by 8 inch plaque is $996.08 in the designer and suits a cremation grave inside the City’s 12 by 10 inch limit; a 22 by 12 inch plaque is $2,118.74, shipping included, and fits the 18 by 24 slab or the Catholic adult maximum of 24 by 14. For the smaller tablets Hamilton installs for $200.00 on columbaria, and for bench and garden plaques, see bronze memorial plaques and cemetery plaques.

Our bronze plaque prices for Hamilton, delivery included

Here is what the plaque costs from us. These are the design tool’s own prices on 14 October 2026 for a plain rectangle with the default border and background, in Canadian dollars, and delivery anywhere in Hamilton is already included in each one.

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

The cemetery fees described above are paid to the cemetery office and are not part of these prices, so the full cost of a finished marker is our plaque price plus the cemetery’s setting, permit or foundation charges. Enter your cemetery’s size in the design tool and it shows the price for that exact size straight away.

How to order

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 the City of Hamilton sell bronze markers?

No. The 2026 price list says Hamilton Cemeteries does not offer or supply markers or monuments and encourages families to contact a local monument dealer. The City provides the foundation and sets the marker for $200.00 to $305.00 (January 1, 2026).

What base does Hamilton require under a bronze marker?

By-law 12-151 says a bronze marker shall be bolted through granite with a surface area of 18 by 24 inches (45.72 by 60.96 centimetres) and a thickness of 4 inches (10.16 centimetres), using brass or bronze lugs 3/8 inch in diameter and no more than 3 inches long.

What does it cost to set a marker in Hamilton in 2026?

The City charges $200.00 for a 12 by 10 inch marker, $225.00 for a child’s 18 by 14 and $305.00 for other sizes up to 24 by 18, plus HST and $100.00 Care and Maintenance above 12 by 10 inches. Gate of Heaven charges $140.00 to $290.00 by area.

What do the Catholic cemeteries in Hamilton require?

A cross in every design, a concrete base the same size as the marker no more than 4 inches thick or a granite base projecting 2 inches on all sides, four bosses with 3/8 inch lugs 4 to 6 inches long, and maximums of 22 by 10 inches for infant, child and cremation graves and 24 by 14 for an adult.

Can I add a bronze plaque to a columbarium niche in Hamilton?

The City lists niche plaque installation at $200.00 (2026) alongside its own columbarium bronze plaques at $1,200.00, so ask the office whether a supplied plaque is accepted on your niche and what size it must be. Gate of Heaven sells its bronze niche plaque at $3,150.00 (2026).

How long does a bronze plaque take in Hamilton?

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.