The American Red Cross publishes a list of what a first aid kit for a family of four should hold, item by item: 19 lines, from two large compress dressings to a breathing barrier and a set of first aid instructions. In the UK, St John Ambulance and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publish their own lists, which agree on most of it. The full Red Cross checklist is below.
The catch is that no ready-made kit we found matches it exactly. Kits are sold on piece count, and a “300 piece” kit is mostly small adhesive bandages. The items that matter most in a real emergency, such as large dressings, an emergency blanket and a breathing barrier, are the ones most often missing. So we read the published contents list of every kit below, line by line, against the Red Cross list, and say what each one lacks. Then, and only then, it also had to be well rated by buyers on Amazon.
The short version
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Best value in the US
First Aid Only 298-Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit (FAO-442)Covers most of the Red Cross list. Add a blanket, a CPR face shield and hydrocortisone. Full review
$18.42 on Amazon Amazon Price as of Oct 31, 11:09 AM UTC -
Best in the UK
St John Ambulance Medium Workplace First Aid Kit (BS 8599-1:2019)Built to the British Standard by St John Ambulance, with large dressings, a resuscitation mask and foil blankets. Full review
Each pick shows only in the country where we could check it: right now that is one kit in the US and one in the UK. We will add more as kits with a published contents list pass both checks.
The Red Cross checklist
This is the American Red Cross list for a family of four, as it publishes it. Use it to check a kit you already own, to top up a ready-made one, or to build your own.
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 in) | 2 |
| Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes | 25 |
| Adhesive cloth tape (10 yd x 1 in) | 1 roll |
| Antibiotic ointment packets (about 1 g) | 5 |
| Antiseptic wipe packets | 5 |
| Aspirin, 81 mg | 2 packets |
| Emergency blanket | 1 |
| Breathing barrier, with one-way valve | 1 |
| Instant cold compress | 1 |
| Non-latex gloves, size large | 2 pairs |
| Hydrocortisone ointment packets (about 1 g) | 2 |
| Gauze roller bandage, 3 in wide | 1 |
| Roller bandage, 4 in wide | 1 |
| Sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 in) | 5 |
| Sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 in) | 5 |
| Oral thermometer (non-mercury, non-glass) | 1 |
| Triangular bandages | 2 |
| Tweezers | 1 |
| Emergency first aid instructions | 1 |
The Red Cross adds three pieces of advice that matter as much as the list. Keep a kit in your home and another in your car. Add your own items, such as medicines and emergency phone numbers, or anything your healthcare provider suggests. And check the kit regularly, replacing anything used or past its expiration date.
A note on the aspirin
Aspirin is on the Red Cross list, but it is not for everyone. The NHS says not to give aspirin to children aged 15 or under, because it can cause a rare but serious condition called Reye’s syndrome. The NHS also says it is not suitable for everyone, so check before you take it.
For UK readers: St John Ambulance and the HSE
UK lists use different names for the same things: plasters rather than adhesive bandages, sterile wound dressings rather than compress dressings, and conforming bandages for roller bandages. They also add a few items the Red Cross list does not:
- St John Ambulance lists sterile wound dressings, sterile eye pads, plasters, roller bandages of several kinds, triangular and tubular bandages, disposable gloves, a face shield or pocket mask, cleansing wipes, gauze pads, adhesive tape, scissors, pins and clips, and an aluminium (foil) blanket.
- The HSE, writing for low-risk workplaces, suggests a minimum of a first aid leaflet, individually wrapped sterile plasters, sterile eye pads, triangular bandages, safety pins, large and medium sterile wound dressings and disposable gloves. If you are buying a kit, it says to look for British Standard BS 8599, though a kit does not have to meet it by law.
Neither UK list includes medicines, and most UK kits do not either. If you want medicines in your kit, add them yourself.
What ready-made kits usually miss
Reading kit after kit against the Red Cross list, the same gaps came up again and again:
- Large dressings. The Red Cross wants two 5 x 9 inch compress dressings. Many kits have one, and some have none, only small gauze pads.
- An emergency blanket and a breathing barrier. Common in UK kits, often missing from US ones.
- Hydrocortisone. Rarely included in any kit.
- A real thermometer. Kits that have one often include a single-use strip rather than the reusable oral thermometer the Red Cross lists.
- Enough gloves. Two pairs is the Red Cross minimum; one pair is common.
Piece count tells you none of this. The only way to know is to read the contents list, which is why every card below links to one.
The picks
First Aid Only 298-Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit (FAO-442)
A soft-case kit from First Aid Only, the company that also makes the American Red Cross branded kits. Its full contents are listed in the FDA device database: a trauma pad, gauze pads in three sizes, a gauze roll, tape, a triangular bandage, a cold pack, tweezers, scissors, gloves, a thermometer and a first aid guide, plus more than 160 adhesive bandages and small packets of aspirin, ibuprofen, antibiotic ointment and burn cream.
- Model
- FAO-442
- Case
- Soft-sided zip case, two layers with clear pockets
- Large dressing
- 1 trauma pad, 5 x 9 in
- Bandages
- Gauze roll (2 in), triangular bandage, 1/2 in tape
- Medicines
- Aspirin, ibuprofen, antibiotic ointment, burn cream
- Also
- Cold pack, tweezers, scissors, disposable thermometer, guide
The proof: American Red Cross kit checklist FDA device database: FAO-442 contents
Best for
A household that wants most of the Red Cross list in one zip case, and is happy to add a few items.
Worth knowing
Most of the 298 pieces are small bandages. Compared with the Red Cross list it has no emergency blanket, no breathing barrier and no hydrocortisone, only one pair of gloves, and smaller gauze, tape and roller bandages than the Red Cross suggests.
This is one of the best-selling kits on amazon.com, and its full contents are on public record in the FDA’s device database, which is where we checked it. Against the Red Cross list it covers the adhesive bandages, antiseptic wipes, aspirin, cold compress, tweezers, a triangular bandage and a first aid guide, and it has a 5 x 9 inch trauma pad and gauze pads in three sizes.
What to add: an emergency blanket, a CPR face shield with a one-way valve, a couple of packets of hydrocortisone, a second pair of gloves, a second large dressing and triangular bandage, a wider roller bandage and a reusable thermometer. All are cheap, and they fit in the case.
St John Ambulance Medium Workplace First Aid Kit (BS 8599-1:2019)
A kit from St John Ambulance, the first aid charity, built to the British Standard for workplace kits. It is strong on the items for serious bleeding and emergencies: seven sterile wound dressings in two sizes, three triangular bandages, two conforming bandages, eye pads, burn dressings, a resuscitation face mask with a valve, two foil blankets and nine pairs of gloves, with scissors, tape and a first aid booklet.
- Standard
- BS 8599-1:2019, medium size
- Dressings
- 4 medium, 3 large, 3 finger, 3 eye pads, 2 burn
- Bandages
- 3 triangular, 2 conforming (7.5 cm)
- Emergency
- Resuscitation mask with valve, 2 foil blankets
- Gloves
- 9 pairs, nitrile
- Case
- Box with wall bracket
The proof: American Red Cross kit checklist St John Ambulance: kit contents
Best for
UK readers who want the dressings and emergency items done properly, from the charity that sets out what a kit should hold.
Worth knowing
Like every workplace kit it contains no medicines, no cold pack, no thermometer and no tweezers, so add those for home use. The listing shows an older St John product code (F30608); the contents on the listing match the current kit.
St John Ambulance is the first aid charity whose list we use above, and this kit is built to BS 8599-1, the British Standard the HSE points to. It covers the serious end of the Red Cross list better than any other kit we checked: seven sterile wound dressings, three triangular bandages, a resuscitation mask with a valve, two foil blankets and nine pairs of gloves. It is sold as a workplace kit, for 25 to 50 people, so it is generous for a home.
What to add for home use: a cold pack, tweezers and a thermometer, plus any medicines you want to keep, since workplace kits deliberately include none.
Keep it ready
A kit only helps if it is complete and you can find it. The HSE notes that many items, particularly sterile ones, carry expiry dates, and says to replace anything out of date. The Red Cross says to check the kit regularly and to replace anything you use. A calendar reminder makes that easy. Keep it somewhere every adult in the house knows about, and keep a second kit in the car, as the Red Cross suggests.
A breathing barrier is only useful if you know how to give rescue breaths. Both the American Red Cross and St John Ambulance run first aid courses, and the training is worth more than any item in the box.
What did not make the list
Several popular kits are missing on purpose:
- American Red Cross Deluxe Family First Aid Kit (9161-RC). Its contents come closer to the Red Cross list than any other kit we read, which is no surprise. But on amazon.com it had too few ratings to pass our bar when we checked. The Red Cross also sells a soft-case version in its own online store.
- Be Smart Get Prepared 110-piece kit. Very well rated, but its contents in the FDA database have no large dressing, roller bandage, triangular bandage, blanket, breathing barrier or thermometer.
- First Aid Only 260-piece kit and most “300 piece” kits. We could not find a full, published contents list for them, so we could not check them against the Red Cross list.
- General Medi, Lewis-Plast and Astroplast kits (UK). All well rated, but their contents are listed only in product photos, not in text we could check line by line.
- Mini First Aid Family First Aid Kit (UK). Well rated, but we could not find a contents list from the maker, and retailers give different counts for some items, so we could not confirm what the box holds.
- The Red Cross 299-piece All Purpose kit. Its published contents have one large dressing and no triangular bandage, breathing barrier or hydrocortisone, and we could not find it sold on Amazon.
What should be in a first aid kit is not a secret: the Red Cross, St John Ambulance and the HSE all publish it. Buy the kit that comes closest, add the handful of items it is missing, and check it regularly.