How much is a donated dresser worth?
Updated , edition 2026.1
A donated dresser is generally worth $34 to $48 in good used condition (we prefill $41). A dresser with an intact mirror, a tall chest of drawers, or a wardrobe runs $50 to $80. Charity guides print wider bands, $20 to $105, because they cover every condition at once. Case goods are valued on construction rather than on looks, and a dresser tells you which it is the moment you pull a drawer all the way out.
- Typical value, good condition
- $41
- Published range, good condition
- $34 to $48
What a donated dresser 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.
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.
Nightstands have no published range, so they take your own figure. The bed and bedroom set rows are here for a bedroom clear-out; see bed and mattress values for more.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
2 pieces, suggested total
$180
Supported range $145 to $220
- 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
Five charity guides publish a dresser row, from $20 at the low end to $150 at the high end. We take the middle of the published lows and highs ($20 to $60) and split it into three condition bands.
The dataset record
Published: Goodwill Intl "Dressers" $20-$60; Goodwill NNE "Dresser" $20-$80; Habitat ReStore "Dresser" $25-$100; Catholic Charities "Dresser" $20-$150; Goodwill avg price list "Dresser" $25-$25. L*=$20 H*=$60 by lower median; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4. EDITION 2026-08-05: the CURRENT edition of the Twin Cities Habitat ReStore "Donation Value Guide", revised 2023-09-19, re-prints this row unchanged at "Dresser" $25-$100, so no shipped figure moved. See CITATIONS.md 7.1.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this dresser in the value tool.
- Like new
- No visible wear, every drawer glides and closes flush, all pulls and hardware present.
- Good
- Light surface wear, square and stable, drawers work, all parts present.
- Fair
- Visible scratches or a sticking drawer, still stable and usable.
What drives the value of a donated dresser
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Pull one drawer out and turn it over. A drawer box with dovetailed or doweled corners, a solid bottom that sits in a groove, and wooden runners or metal glides that still roll is furniture that will be resold. A box stapled together at the corners with a thin panel bottom that has begun to bow is flat-pack, and it usually does not survive being carried down a staircase, which is why intake staff check this first and so should you.
The base is the second tell. Laminate over particle board swells and lifts wherever water has touched it, most often at the bottom edge and around the back corners, and once swollen it cannot be repaired. Solid wood takes rings and scratches that sand out. That difference is what separates a piece in the middle of its band from one at the bottom.
The mirror row is a different number for a reason: a dresser with an intact mirror and the hardware that mounts it is a complete bedroom piece, and one with a missing, cracked, or unmountable mirror is a plain dresser. Check that the mirror supports and screws came with it. Missing drawer pulls have a similar effect on a smaller scale, since a matched set of pulls is rarely replaceable.
What Goodwill, Salvation Army and Habitat list for a dresser
Charity guides print one band per row that covers every condition, so their ceilings look higher than ours. We take the lower median of the published lows and highs and split it into three condition tiers, which puts a typical dresser at about $41. Why our values can look lower explains the method.
| Guide | Row | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Dresser with mirror | $21 to $104 |
| Salvation Army | Chest | $26 to $99 |
| Salvation Army | Wardrobe | $21 to $104 |
| Goodwill Northern New England | Dresser | $20 to $80 |
| Habitat ReStore Twin Cities | Dresser | $25 to $100 |
| Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona | Dresser with mirror | $20 to $100 |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | Dresser, all conditions | $20 to $60 |
Which row is your dresser?
A 3 or 4 drawer chest under about 40 inches wide, or any tall narrow piece, goes on chest of drawers. A wide 6 to 9 drawer double or triple dresser goes on dresser. A dresser that still has its mirror and mounting hardware goes on dresser with mirror. An armoire or wardrobe has its own row, and a highboy or lingerie chest goes on other.
Antique or designer pieces are not thrift-band items. Value them from comparable sales under IRS Publication 561, and above $5,000 a qualified appraisal applies.
Selling it vs donating it
At a 22% marginal rate, a $41 deduction is worth about $9 in tax, and only if you itemize. A solid-wood dresser in good condition often sells locally for more than that. Donating wins on convenience: a free pickup and no strangers at the door. Run your own numbers in the tax savings calculator.
Will they take it?
The usual refusals are a swollen particle-board base, a missing drawer and a broken mirror. Pickup crews generally need the dresser emptied and the mirror detached. Policies vary by location, so ask when you book.
Donating a whole bedroom set
A complete bedroom set is $530 to $805 in good condition, which crosses the $500 line for Form 8283 Section A on its own. A dresser with mirror and a bed frame in good condition come to $145 to $220, the load the counter on this page starts with. Similar items given in one year are added together for the thresholds, as a group of similar items.
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 the dresser from the front with every drawer closed and level, then with one drawer pulled out to show the box construction, then the top surface at an angle so wear and rings are visible. If it has a mirror, photograph it mounted rather than leaning. Note the maker's stamp inside a drawer or on the back panel, which is the starting point for any later question about what the piece actually was.
Items people log as a dresser by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
A chest of drawers
A tall, narrow chest is published above the wide dresser row in these sources. Height and footprint decide which it is, not how many drawers it has.
A nightstand
Bedside tables carry no published range here at all, so a nightstand donated with a dresser is a custom-valued item rather than a small dresser. Enter your own figure for it.
A wardrobe or armoire
A hanging-storage cabinet is its own row above the plain dresser. It is also the piece most likely to have been disassembled for the move, and missing hardware matters more on a wardrobe than on anything else in the bedroom.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the furniture section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesFurniture donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much is a donated bed worth?A donated full, queen or king bed frame is worth about $95 to $140 in good condition. Add the mattress and box spring, compare sizes, and log it for taxes.
- ValuesHow much is a donated mattress worth? 2026 values by sizeA donated twin mattress is worth about $16 to $36, a full $13 to $80, and a queen set $25 to $150 by condition. Cited sources, plus what charities will accept.
- ValuesHow much is a donated desk worth? 2026 values by desk typeA donated desk in good condition is generally worth $38 to $50. Values for computer, secretary, standing and L-shaped desks, and why Salvation Army lists $145.
- ValuesHow much is a donated dining table worth?A donated dining table in good condition is generally worth $65 to $110. Total your chairs, buffet or full dining room set in one step, with every source cited.
- 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 dresser
Does solid wood get a higher value than laminate?
What if the mirror is broken?
Is a dresser with sticking drawers still deductible?
How much is a 6-drawer dresser worth donated?
Is a dresser with a mirror worth more?
What value does Goodwill or Salvation Army put on a dresser?
Can I deduct a dresser I gave to a friend or family member?
Do I need a receipt for a donated dresser?
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.
- 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 .
- 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 .
- 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 .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- 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 .
- 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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