Book donation value: what each donated book is worth in 2026
Updated , edition 2026.1
A donated book is generally worth $1 to $3 for a hardcover, $0.75 to $2 for a paperback, and $0.50 to $1 for a children's book, depending on condition. Textbooks, cookbooks and comics run $0.50 to $2. Format decides the row, not subject, and the work in valuing books is the counting rather than the pricing.
- Typical value, good condition
- $2
- Published range, good condition
- $1.75 to $2.50
Book donation values by format and condition
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
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. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
175 pieces, suggested total
$271.25
Supported range $233.75 to $323.75
- $250 or more in one drop-off generally needs a written acknowledgment from the charity. What it has to say
- This is fair market value, not tax saved. What it is worth to you
Photograph them before they leave the house. DeductiBee keeps the count, the condition, the photo and the value together on your iPhone until April. A counted batch is one entry; free for 20 new entries a year.
How this range was derived
The published band is $1 to $3, from The Salvation Army and checked against 7 other published guides. We split that band into three condition tiers: the bottom 35% is Fair, 35% to 70% is Good, and the top 30% is Like new. The suggested figure is the point we prefill inside each tier.
The dataset record
Published: salvation-army-donation-value-guide "Book (hardback)" $1.00-$3.00; goodwill-gii-donor-valuation-guide "Hardcover" $1-$3. Consolidated by lower median to L*=$1, H*=$3; tiers split at 0/35/70/100% of the span per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6. Two primaries agree exactly. Corroborating sources print higher (catholic-charities-thrift-valuation-guide "Hardcover" $1-$15, agrace-thrift-donation-value-guide "Hardcover books" $2-$7); per CITATIONS.md 4 the conservative primary consensus ships unchanged. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): goodwill-ohio-valley-fair-market-value-sheet "Hard Back" $2.00 point value; goodwill-greater-mc-donation-value-guide "Hard Cover Books" $1.99 point value; goodwill-northern-illinois-valuation-guide "Hardcover book" $1.00-$3.00; smbiz-valuation-guide-charitable-contributions "Book (hardcover)" $1.00-$3.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this books in the value tool.
- Like new
- Unread or nearly so: tight spine, clean pages, crisp cover or dust jacket.
- Good
- Read, with light shelf wear: spine intact, no writing, water damage or loose pages.
- Fair
- Well read: creased spine, worn cover or some highlighting, but complete and readable.
What drives the value of donated books
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
The published guides price books by physical format, so a hardcover novel and a hardcover history sit on the same line while the paperback edition of the same title sits on another. Sorting the boxes into hardcover, paperback, children's, textbook, cookbook, and comic before you count is most of the job, and doing it at the curb instead of at the drop-off is the difference between a list and a guess.
Condition for a book is spine, block, and jacket. A cracked or rolled spine, pages that have cupped from damp, and a musty smell that will not air out all take a book out of resale, and water damage is the one fault that spreads to the books stacked with it. A dust jacket on a hardcover is part of the book, not an extra, and a hardcover missing its jacket is worth less. Ex-library stamps, discard markings, and pocket residue also reduce what a shop can ask.
Two kinds of book do not belong on these rows. A textbook loses most of its value the moment a new edition ships, and highlighting or margin notes take it to near zero, so the edition and printing are worth recording. At the other end, signed copies, first editions, and older illustrated books can be worth well above any thrift band, and those need recent comparable sales as evidence. A large donation of similar books is also the classic case where the group of similar items rule starts to matter.
What the charities print for books
The charity sheets print one band per format and leave the condition call to you. Our tiers split those same published bands by condition, so a hardcover in good condition lands in the middle rather than at either end.
| Guide | Row | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Hardback | $1 to $3 |
| Salvation Army | Paperback | $1 to $2 |
| Goodwill Northern New England | Books | $0.59 to $2 |
| DeductiBee, good condition | Hardcover | $1.75 to $2.50 |
| DeductiBee, good condition | Paperback | $1.25 to $1.75 |
What a box, a shelf and a library are worth
One box of 40 paperbacks in good condition: 40 at $1.50 is about $60, within a $50 to $70 range.
A shelf clear-out in good condition: 60 hardcovers ($120), 80 paperbacks ($120), 25 children's books ($18.75) and 10 cookbooks ($12.50) come to about $271, within roughly $234 to $324. That is over $250 in one gift, so ask the charity for a written acknowledgment that states the counts by format. It is also the tally the counter on this page starts with.
An estate library of 300 hardcovers in good condition is about $600, within $525 to $750. That is over $500, so Form 8283 Section A goes in with the return, and any single title priced from comparable sales is listed on its own line.
Donating books to a library
A public library run by a government unit, or its Friends of the Library group, is generally a qualified organization, so books given to it are deductible on the same terms as books given to a thrift store (who qualifies).
Libraries usually will not put a value on your gift, so the value is yours to set from the rows on this page. Ask for a receipt that states the counts. Books the library sells at its book sale are still a contribution. Book drop bins run by for-profit resellers are not, so check the name on the bin.
Textbooks, rare books and first editions
For books, Publication 561 points to comparable sales. A current-edition textbook with a live buyback quote, or a collectible first edition, can be worth well above its format row; value it from sold listings (not asking prices) or the buyback quote, keep that evidence with the item, and list it separately from the box count.
Donated books only reduce tax if you itemize: the new deduction for people who take the standard deduction is, as currently written, for cash gifts (how it works).
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.
Photograph each box with the spines facing up so titles and count are legible, and record the count by format on your own list before it goes. Ask the receipt to state the number of boxes and the approximate count rather than the word books. For anything you valued above the guide row, keep the comparable listing you relied on and note the title, edition, and condition you matched it to.
Like new for a book generally means unread or nearly so, tight spine, jacket present, no markings. Good means read and shelved, spine intact, clean pages. Fair means readable with a creased spine, a bumped corner, or a price sticker scar. Water damage, mold, loose pages, or a broken binding put a book below Fair, where it is generally not deductible and where most charities will pulp it.
Items people log as books by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Textbooks
A separate row, and edition turnover matters more than condition. A superseded edition with highlighting is generally not worth listing, while a current edition in clean shape can be worth more than the row suggests.
Children's books
Their own row and the lowest band in this group, because supply is enormous. Board books with chewed corners or torn flaps are below the condition standard rather than at the bottom of the band.
Collectible and first editions
Not a guide-range item. Value it from recent comparable sales, and note that a large group of similar books valued together can cross the thresholds where an appraisal is generally required.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the books and media section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesBooks and media donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much are donated DVDs and CDs worth?Donated DVDs and CDs are worth $2 to $5 each by condition, VHS tapes and vinyl about $1. Count a stack by format and get a cited total for your taxes.
- ValuesBoard game donation value: what a used game is worth for taxesA donated board game is generally worth $1 to $3, about $2 in good condition. Card games, chess sets and puzzles by condition, plus when a game is worth more.
- ValuesHow much are donated video games worth for taxes?Donated video games run about $3 each on Goodwill guides, consoles $20 to $50. Sourced ranges by condition, when a title is worth more, and what to reset first.
- ValuesTowel donation value: what a donated bath towel is worthA used bath towel in good condition is generally worth $1.75 to $3 for a tax deduction. Count your stack by condition, and run the rag test before you donate.
- 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 books
Do I really have to count every book?
Are textbooks with highlighting deductible?
What if one of the books might be rare?
How much is a box of books worth for taxes?
Can I deduct books donated to a public library?
Can I use the cover price or what I paid?
Is a box of books one item or many?
Do I need to list every title?
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 .
- 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 .
- Donation Value Guide
Agrace (Agrace Thrift Stores; Wisconsin's largest nonprofit hospice, Madison/Janesville WI)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Fair Market Value Sheet (Revised 3/1/2023)
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries (Cincinnati, OH)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my donation worth?
Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago (Goodwill Retail Services, Inc., Tax ID# 39-2040239)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Charitable Contributions
Small Business Taxes & Management (A/N Group, Inc.), ISSN 1089-1536
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. 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 .
- Estimated Valuation Guide & Receipt for Items Donated to the Kokomo Rescue Mission
Kokomo Rescue Mission (Kokomo, Indiana; Federal I.D. No. 351104430)
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.
Books are rarely the only thing in the car.
DeductiBee carries this same dataset on your iPhone, so the rest of the load gets valued and photographed at the drop-off instead of reconstructed in April.
Same numbers, offline
Edition 2026.1 ships inside the app, so a value never depends on a server being up in January.
Condition on the record
The tier you picked and the photo that supports it stay attached to the item, on your device.
Free to start, with 20 new item entries a year. Pro is $19.99 a year.