The amounts, stated plainly: one donation in India takes 350 mL or 450 mL of whole blood — roughly a soft-drink bottle’s worth, from a body that holds about 5 litres and rebuilds every drop.
Which amount you give
- 450 mL bag — the standard for donors at or above about 60 kg
- 350 mL bag — commonly used for donors between 50 and 60 kg, and in some centres by default
- The centre picks the bag at screening; you do not choose. Both are safe, standard, single-use collection units.
How often you can give it
| Donor | Interval | Max per year |
|---|---|---|
| Men | every 90 days | ~4 donations |
| Women | every 120 days | ~3 donations |
That is the NBTC rest standard our register enforces automatically — the system pauses you after you log a donation and brings you back on the right day.
What your body does with it
- Plasma (about 55% of the volume): replaced within roughly 24 hours
- Red cells: rebuilt over the following weeks
- Total blood volume: about 7% of body weight — a 65 kg adult carries roughly 4.5 litres; one donation is under a tenth of it
The ceiling, honestly stated
Three or four donations a year is the safe maximum per person — and it is a genuinely large gift: up to 1.8 litres a year from one registered human. Most patients in Assam never meet their four donors. You could be one of them.