What is a donated refrigerator worth?
A refrigerator is the highest-value appliance most households ever donate, and the one a charity is quickest to decline, because a unit that does not hold temperature costs them money to haul away.
- Typical value, good condition
- $175
- Published range, good condition
- $140 to $205
What a donated refrigerator 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $205 to $260 | $140 to $205 | $80 to $140 | Source 1 for Standard |
| Compact / Mini Fridge | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 4 for Compact / Mini Fridge | ||
| Standard | $80 to $100 | $50 to $80 | $25 to $50 | Source 1 for Standard |
| Chest Freezer | $80 to $100 | $50 to $80 | $25 to $50 | Source 1 for Chest Freezer |
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-donation-value-guide "Refrigerator (Working)" $78.00-$259.00; habitat-restore-twin-cities-valuation-guide "Refrigerator" $100.00-$525.00. 2 primary sources consolidated by lower median. L*=$78.00, H*=$259.00; tiers per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6. Both sources price a working unit; The Salvation Army labels the row "Refrigerator (Working)". Published rows are unqualified, so they back the Standard leaf only; more specific types below are unsourced. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): kokomo-rescue-mission-valuation-guide "Refrigerator" $10.00-$250.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged. EDITION 2026-08-05: re-derived from the CURRENT edition of the Twin Cities Habitat ReStore "Donation Value Guide", revised 2023-09-19. The superseded 2017/2019 PDF edition printed "Refrigerator" $50.00-$350.00; the PDF is registered separately as habitat-restore-twin-cities-valuation-guide-2017 and now backs only the rows the current edition does not re-print. See CITATIONS.md 7.1. Only L* moved: ReStore's low crossed above The Salvation Army's $78.00, so the lower median of the two lows is now the Salvation Army figure. H* is unchanged, because the lower median of the two highs is still The Salvation Army's $259.00.
- 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 refrigerator
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Cooling is the whole appliance. A unit that holds temperature in both compartments, cycles normally, and does not run continuously sits in the upper half of its band. Anything else is a repair. Compressor noise, a freezer that frosts over within days, and a fresh-food side that never quite gets cold are the three symptoms that turn a donation into a disposal cost for the charity, which is why intake staff usually plug a fridge in before they accept it.
Then it is the parts that break in transit or never came along: the glass shelves, the crisper drawers, the door bins, and the wire freezer shelf. These are expensive to replace individually and specific to the model, so a fridge missing two drawers is visibly worth less than the same fridge complete. Door gaskets are the other tell. A gasket that no longer grips a sheet of paper closed lets the unit run constantly, and a torn or hardened seal is the difference between the middle tier and the bottom one.
Configuration and age shape the resale rather than the guide range. Ice makers and water dispensers add appeal only when the line is included and the unit is not leaking, water-through-the-door models that have been disconnected for years often need a new valve, and older high-consumption units resell slowly because the running cost is the buyer's problem. Compact and mini fridges carry no published range in our sources at all, so they are a comparable-sales item.
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.
Plug it in the day before pickup, let it run, and photograph the interior with the shelves and drawers installed and the light on. Photograph the model and serial plate, which is usually on the inside wall near the crisper, because that plate dates the unit. Clean it out and prop the doors open after it is emptied, and keep the charity's pickup receipt, which for large appliances generally names the item specifically.
Like new for a refrigerator generally means a recent unit with every shelf and drawer, no dents on the doors, and a clean gasket. Good means it cools correctly and shows normal wear. Fair means it works but is dated, dented, missing a bin, or the gasket is tired. A unit that does not hold temperature is not Fair, it is not a deduction, and passing it to a charity that has to scrap it costs them money.
Items people log as a refrigerator by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Standalone or chest freezer
Priced on its own row and generally below a refrigerator. Chest freezers in particular sell to a narrow buyer, and a unit that has thawed and been left closed is usually beyond saving.
Compact or mini fridge
Our sources publish no range for one, so it carries an honest blank rather than a number. Dorm-size units are cheap new, which keeps used values low and variable, so comparable sales are the evidence to keep.
Built-in or counter-depth units
The guides price freestanding refrigerators, and a built-in has installation and cabinet fit attached to it. Start from the standard range, then support any departure with recent sales of the same model.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the appliances section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Refrigerator
- Other$175, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the appliances valuation guide.
- ValuesAppliances donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much is a donated microwave worth?What a donated microwave is generally worth by condition, including over-the-range units and toaster ovens, with the published source shown on every range.
- ValuesWhat is a donated vacuum cleaner worth?Donation values for used vacuum cleaners, stick and handheld units, shop vacuums, and carpet cleaners, by condition tier, with the source cited on each range.
- ValuesHow much is a donated washer and dryer worth?What donated washers and dryers are generally worth by condition, why a matched pair is two line items, and where the published guides stop covering large appliances.
- ValuesHow much is a donated pair of jeans worth?What a donated pair of jeans is generally worth, why denim is priced above other pants, and how to tell like new from good on a pair you actually wore.
- 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 refrigerator
Will a charity take a used refrigerator?
Does a missing crisper drawer really change the value?
How do I value a refrigerator I bought recently?
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 (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 .
- 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 .
- Donation Value Guide
Hope Village for Children (Hope Village Thrift Store, Meridian, Mississippi)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. 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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