How much is a donated blanket worth?
Bedding is one of the few donations where the word you use decides the row, and blanket, comforter, quilt, and bedspread are four different rows.
- Typical value, good condition
- $9
- Published range, good condition
- $7 to $11
What a donated blanket is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanket | $11 to $15 | $7 to $11 | $3 to $7 | Source 1 for Blanket |
| Comforter | $16 to $20 | $10 to $16 | $5 to $10 | Source 4 for Comforter |
| Bedspread | $18 to $24 | $10 to $18 | $3 to $10 | Source 1 for Bedspread |
| Quilt | $18 to $24 | $10 to $18 | $3 to $10 | Source 1 for Quilt |
| Afghan | $11 to $15 | $7 to $11 | $2 to $7 | Source 2 for Afghan |
| Throw Blanket | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 5 for Throw Blanket | ||
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
Published: Salvation Army "Blanket" $3-$16; Goodwill Intl "Blankets/afghans" $2-$15; Goodwill NNE "Blanket" $3-$14; Catholic Charities "Blankets/Afghans" $3-$15. L*=$3 H*=$15 by lower median; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated blanket
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Fibre sets the ceiling. Wool holds value if it has not been eaten, cotton and acrylic sit lower, and fleece pills into the bottom tier faster than anything else in a linen closet. On wool, look for the small round holes and the fine grit that indicate moths, since a single hole in the middle of a blanket takes it out of resale. On down-filled comforters, check that the baffles still hold loft and that the fill has not migrated into one end.
Size is a real driver even though the guides publish one band per type. A king comforter and a twin blanket are not the same object to a buyer, so record the size on your list and let it inform which end of the range you land on rather than inventing a separate figure. Pilling, a bound edge that has come unstitched, and permanent staining are the three faults that decide the tier for almost every piece.
Two categories sit outside the ordinary rows. A handmade quilt or a hand-crocheted afghan can be worth well above the guide band, and the evidence for that is recent sales of comparable work rather than a thrift figure. Electric blankets are the opposite case: charities frequently decline them because of the cord and controller, and one that is refused is not a contribution at all.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Wash it, then photograph it spread out on a bed so the size, the binding, and any staining are all visible in one frame; a folded blanket hides exactly what a tier claim depends on. Note the fiber content and the size on your own list, and for anything handmade, photograph the stitching and keep the comparable sales you relied on rather than relying on the row.
Like new generally means unused or nearly so, no pilling, binding intact, full loft. Good means washed and used, clean, minor pilling, no holes. Fair means it is thin, pilled, or faded but sound and clean. Moth holes, torn binding, and set-in stains put a piece below Fair, and household goods below that line generally are not deductible.
Items people log as a blanket by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Comforter
A filled top layer priced on its own row, generally above a plain blanket. Whether the fill still lofts, rather than the cover fabric, is what decides the tier.
Quilt or bedspread
Both have their own rows here. A mass-produced quilted bedspread belongs on the row; a handmade or antique quilt is a comparable-sales item, and using the guide band for one would understate it considerably.
Throw blanket
Our sources publish no range for a small decorative throw, so it carries an honest blank rather than a number. Counting throws as full-size blankets is a common way a linen total inflates.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the kitchen and housewares section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Blanket
- Other Blanket$9, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the kitchen and housewares valuation guide.
- ValuesKitchen and housewares donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much are donated dishes worth?Donation values for plates, glassware, mugs, and dish sets by condition, why the ranges are per piece, and how to count a service for eight without double counting.
- ValuesWhat are donated pots and pans worth?Donation values for skillets, saucepans, stockpots, and bakeware by condition, including why a scratched nonstick pan generally is not deductible at all.
- ValuesWhat are donated bath towels worth?Donation values for bath towels and sheet sets by condition, with the line between a deductible linen and one a charity will only ever use as a rag.
- ValuesWhat are donated curtains worth?Donation values for curtain panels, drapes, and valances by condition, why the value is per panel rather than per window, and what to measure before donating.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a blanket
Is a comforter a blanket for valuation?
What about a handmade quilt?
Can I donate an electric blanket?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my Donation Worth?
Goodwill Northern New England
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Thrift Store Valuation Guide
Catholic Charities Maine (Catholic Charities Thrift Store)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Publication 526 (2025), Charitable Contributions
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
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Condition on the record
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