Eligibility Requirements

To ensure the safety of both patients and donors, these are some of the requirements donors must meet to be eligible to donate blood based on their donation type. To explore a list of eligibility information, Search by Keyword or Browse All.

Now, more people can donate blood. Learn about recent eligibility changes for those who spent time in Europe, and the elimination of questions based on gender and sexual orientation in our Eligibility FAQs. More information also on our LGBTQ+ Donors page.

Whole Blood Donation

• Donation frequency: Every 56 days, up to 6 times a year*
  
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• You must be at least 16 years old in most states
• You must weigh at least 110 lbs

Power Red Donation

• Donation frequency: Every 112 days, up to 3 times/year*
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• Male donors + must be at least 17 years old in most states, at least 5'1" tall and weigh at least 130 lbs
• Female donors + must be at least 19 years old, at least 5'3" tall and weigh at least 150 lbs

Platelet Donation

• Donation frequency: Every 7 days, up to 24 times/year*
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• You must be at least 17 years old in most states
• You must weigh at least 110 lbs

AB Elite Plasma Donation

• Donation frequency: Every 28 days, up to 13 times/year*
• You must have type AB blood
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• You must be at least 17 years old
• You must weigh at least 110 lbs

Common Reasons People Can't Donate

If you don’t feel well on the day of your donation, please call to cancel. We’ll be happy to see you 24 hours after your symptoms pass.

Most medications will not disqualify you from being able to donate blood, but may require a waiting period after your final dose.

If you were unable to donate due to low iron, you may still be able to donate in the future. The Red Cross recommends taking steps to help increase your iron level.

You may be deferred from donating blood or platelets if you have lived in or traveled to a malaria-risk country in the past three years.

Other Ways to Help

This list is not complete. Specially trained technical staff are available at each blood collection center and details of each donor’s health and activities are discussed in a confidential setting prior to blood donation. The majority of donor eligibility rules are specified by the Food and Drug Administration for every collection center in the country. Other rules are determined by the medical professionals at specific blood centers, or with other regulatory bodies. Therefore, rules may differ between programs. Donor eligibility rules are intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion. The criteria listed are provided as guidelines to assist you in determining whether you may be eligible to be a blood donor. The final determination of eligibility is made at the time of donation. The guidelines listed below were last revised on 08/01/17. There may have been some changes to these criteria since the last revision date. The most up-to-date eligibility information can be obtained by contacting the Donor Client Support Center at 1-866-236-3276.

*The number of allowable donations per year may be lower due to red cell and plasma loss limit guidelines. Final eligibility will be determined by the American Red Cross at the time of donation.

** Healthy means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes, healthy also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control. If you are not feeling well on the day of your donation, please contact us to reschedule.

+ Please note higher requirements may apply in certain cases. Check with your donor center to confirm.