What are donated curtains worth?
Curtains are valued per panel, not per window, and a pair is two items on the list even though it was one purchase.
- Typical value, good condition
- $4.75
- Published range, good condition
- $3.75 to $6
What a donated curtains 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtains | $6 to $7 | $3.75 to $6 | $2 to $3.75 | Source 1 for Curtains |
| Drapes | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 1 for Drapes |
| Valance | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 4 for Valance | ||
| Curtain Rod and Hardware, Traditional RodHousehold Miscellaneous | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 6 for Curtain Rod and Hardware, Traditional Rod |
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 "Curtains" $2-$12; Goodwill NNE "Curtain" $2-$7. L*=$2 H*=$7 by lower median; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4. Single home for fabric window coverings: the duplicate under Household Miscellaneous: Decor was removed 2026-08-04.
- 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 curtains
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Length is the first thing a buyer checks, because a panel that does not reach the floor in their room is useless to them. Standard drops resell readily and unusual or custom-cut lengths do not, so measure the panel from the top of the header to the hem and write the number down before it leaves. Width matters almost as much: narrow panels only work in pairs, and a single narrow panel on its own is a hard sell.
Sun does the damage that decides the tier. Look at the leading edge and the top third, where fading, brittleness, and a chalky feel appear first, and check the fold lines, since a panel that has hung in the same position for years often shows a permanent line and a color difference between the exposed and shaded parts. Lining is the other structural point: a separating or shredded liner is a repair nobody undertakes, and blackout coating that has begun to crack or flake takes the panel out of resale.
The header decides who can use it. Grommet, rod pocket, tab top, and pinch pleat all need different hardware, and pleated panels usually need their hooks, which are frequently thrown away with the rod. Donating the hooks or rings with the panels keeps them usable. Valances carry no published range in our sources, and a curtain rod is a decor item on its own row rather than part of the panel.
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.
Take the panels down, iron or steam them, and photograph them either hanging or laid flat with a tape measure in the frame showing the drop. Photograph the header and any hooks or rings with them. Record the count of panels, the length, and the header type on your list, and describe them on the receipt as panels with the count, not as a set of curtains.
Like new generally means unused or barely hung, no fading, liner intact, hooks included. Good means they have hung and been washed, color still even, hems sound. Fair means visible fading, a soft crease line, or a liner that has aged but is intact. Sun-rotted fabric that tears at the edge, a shredded liner, or flaking blackout coating puts a panel below Fair, where it is generally not deductible.
Items people log as a curtains by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Drapes
Everyday speech treats the words as interchangeable, but our sources price drapes on their own row and generally below the curtain row. Lined, heavier, formal panels are the ones people usually mean by drapes.
Valance
A short top treatment with no published range in our sources, so it shows an honest blank. Valuing a valance as a full panel is the most common overstatement in this group.
Curtain rods and hardware
Rods, finials, and brackets are decor items with their own row, not part of the panel value. Donating a rod with the curtains means two entries rather than a higher one.
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 Curtains
- Other Window Treatment$4.75, 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.
- ValuesHow much is a donated blanket worth?What donated blankets, comforters, quilts, bedspreads, and afghans are generally worth by condition, and which row a handmade piece actually belongs on.
- 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 curtains
Is a pair of curtains one item or two?
Curtains or drapes, which row should I use?
Do the curtain rods count?
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 .
- 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 .
- Donation Value Guide (2023 edition)
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. 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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