Matchbooks
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Medical & Assistance Devices · CPSC Code 1728
Down 95% over 5 years
The verdict
Matchbooks carry a danger score of 20/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 61 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 95% over the last five years.
- 20/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 61
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.2%
- end in hospital admission
- 45-54
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1728 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 20/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for matchbooks - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume61 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.2%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-95%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Matchbooks (CPSC product code 1728, in the Home Medical & Assistance Devices category) generate an estimated 61 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 797 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 20/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 95% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2015 (171 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2024 (1 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for matchbooks is burns, thermal to the hand, accounting for approximately 242 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the eyeball (90 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 186 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 9.2% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 1 consumer incident report filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how matchbooks fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 45 | 15 | |
| 5-14 | 170 | 0 | |
| 15-24 | 106 | 6 | |
| 25-34 | 0 | 141 | |
| 35-44 | 15 | 0 | |
| 45-54 | 114 | 72 | |
| 55-64 | 0 | 14 | |
| 65-74 | 0 | 32 | |
| 75+ | 0 | 68 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Finger | Burns, Thermal | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Upper Arm | Other | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Upper Trunk | Burns, Thermal | |
| Face | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Not Stated/unk | Other | |
| Pubic Region | Burns, Thermal | |
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Upper Leg | Burns, Thermal |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
48YOM USING A MATCH TO GET WAX FROM EAR AND BROKE. + ETOH, BAC UNK
70YOF WAS WEARING NASAL CANNULA AND ATTEMPTED TO BLOW OUT A MATCH, DX FLASH BURN TO FACE, NO F.D. ATTENDANCE STATED
9YM PLAYING C MATCHES IN HIS *** BAG&HAD BIKING GLOVE ON HAND WHICH CAUGHT ON FIRE BURNING FINGERS, MOM WAS ABLE TO PUT IT OUT>>BURN
40YM WAS STRIKING A MATCH TO LIGHT A CIGARETTE&THE SPARK HIT EYE>>CORNEAL ABR
32 YO F PT WAS LIGHTING A MATCH AND BURN LT THUMB REDNESSDX BURN LT THUMB
13 YO M PT WAS PLAYING WITH MATCHES WHEN HE LIT RUBBING ALCOHOL ON FIREBURNING RT HAND6/10 PAINFUL, DX 1ST DEGREE BURN RT HAND NO FD
21YOM LIT A MATCHED AND ACCIDENTLY FLICKED IT INTO OWN EYEDX: CORNEAL AB
8 YO M PLAYING WITH A BOOK OF MATCHES BURNED HIS HANDDX BURN RT HAND. NO FD
A 53YOM TRIED TO JUMP OVER TURNSTYLE AT TRAIN STATION, FELL, LACERATIONTO CHIN WITH ETOH ABUSE
15YOF-PT & FRIEND LIGHTING INCENSE FRIEND WAS WAVING LIT MATCH PT ACCIDSPILLED RUBBING ETOH ON ARM WHEN SLEEVE CAUGHT ON FIRE.DX-BURNS
52YOM HAS SOMEONE THROW A MATCHBOOK & IT STRUCK EYEEYE PAIN
22 MONTH OLD MALE FOUND WITH WHOLE BOOK OF MATCHES IN MOUTH
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
"Always Save" Book matches, "proudly distributed by Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc." Kansas City, KS, 66106. The red ignition heads of these cardboard matches have been reduced in size-likely a cost/profit margin decision. Although any match may, A, fail to light when moved across the strike plate and, B, come apart, sending a small spark outward and away from the match body, B was generally a problen with the wood matches and almost never happened to paper matches). The Always Save brand, however, now fail to light more than 40% of the time, light only on one side and-and this is my concern-send flaming sparks out and away from the match body. This is such a frequent occurrence with these matches, I can envision a fire occurring even with the most safety conscious user.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to matchbooks on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are matchbooks?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, matchbooks have a danger score of 20/100 (low risk). An estimated 61 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from matchbooks?
The most common injury is burns, thermal to the hand, accounting for approximately 242 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from matchbooks increasing or decreasing?
Down 95% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for matchbooks injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 186 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by matchbooks?
Of all ER visits involving matchbooks, approximately 9.2% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (90.8%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with matchbooks?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Medical & Assistance Devices
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 20/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 45-54 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
