Blood Donor Calculator
Donating blood, while undoubtedly praiseworthy, can also be very confusing. Not all blood types are compatible, so you might find it impossible to donate blood to a particular person. If you are wondering who you can donate blood to or what is the universal blood donor type, look no further than this blood donor calculator.
Blood type compatibility
There are four main blood types: A, B, AB, and 0. Each of them is characterized by a different combination of antigens found on the surface of red blood cells. For example, red cells of the A blood group are covered in only A antigens, while cells of the group AB have both A and B antigens on their outer membrane.
Apart from antigens, human blood contains antibodies. Antigen A is always accompanied by antibody B, and antigen B – by antibody A. Combining antigen A with antibody A or antigen B with antibody B results in an agglutination reaction – clumping of blood particles. Because of that reaction, it's crucial only to transfer blood from a compatible donor.
Our blood type compatibility calculator takes into consideration an additional classification that divides blood into two groups: Rh+ and Rh-. Rh- blood can be received by both Rh+ and Rh- types, but Rh+ blood can only be transferred to other Rh+ types.
💡 We also have a blood type calculator, which gives you the probability that a child will have a certain blood type depending on the blood types of their parents.
Who can I donate blood to?
All of these rules sound complicated and are hard to remember. Luckily, now you can use our blood donor calculator to check whether you can donate or receive blood. If you want a visual aid, though, be sure to check out the blood compatibility chart below.
Recipient ↓ / Donor → | 0+ | 0- | A+ | A- | B+ | B- | AB+ | AB- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0+ | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
0- | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
A+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
A- | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
B+ | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
B- | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
AB+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
AB- | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Universal donor blood type
As shown in the table above, blood type 0 Rh- can be considered a universal donor. This blood type can be transferred to everyone else. Following the same logic, blood type AB Rh+ is a universal recipient.
Blood plasma compatibility
If you want to transfer blood plasma, you need to follow a different set of rules. In essence, plasma compatibility is the inverse of blood compatibility. Additionally, you don't need to consider the Rh+ or Rh- classification.
The blood plasma compatibility chart looks like this:
Recipient ↓ / Donor → | 0 | A | B | AB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A | No | Yes | No | Yes |
B | No | No | Yes | Yes |
AB | No | No | No | Yes |
Are you in search of a calculator to accurately calculate when you can donate blood next? Check out our blood donation due date calculator.
💡 You might also find our fresh frozen plasma dose calculator interesting.