Aim DNA isolation from frozen plasma may be necessary to determine inherited vs. non-inherited umbilical cord blood (UCB) maternal HLA haplotypes. Our aim was to determine if DNA isolated from frozen plasma can yield high quality DNA that could consistently be used in HLA class I and II rSSOP typing for hematopoietic UCB transplant donors. Methods Plasma was collected from 26 recipients and healthy donors then frozen to mimic future storage conditions. 20 samples were previously typed. Samples were thawed and isolated using the DNA Purification from Blood and Body Fluids Spin Protocol as described in the QIAamp DNA Mini and Blood Mini Handbook . Four samples were eluted in 50 μL and 200 μL of AE buffer. The remaining 22 samples were eluted in 50 μL of AE buffer. The concentration and purity (260/280 ratio) of all samples were determined using a NanoDrop ™ 1000 spectrophotometer. All 26 samples eluted in 50 μL were typed using the LABType® SSO methodology at HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQB1, and DQA1 loci. For samples with less than optimal purity, additional adjustments were made in an attempt to improve purity, using higher concentrations of protease during lysis, as well as alcohol precipitations. Results DNA was obtained from all samples. Purity differences between samples eluted in 50 μL versus 200 μL AE buffer were negligible; however the concentrations were considerably higher in 50 μL eluted samples. The concentrations ranged from 2.83 to 39.95 ng/μL (Average: 10.65 ng/μL). The 260/280 ratios ranged from 1.32 to 2.71 (Average: 1.72). The increased protease isolations and alcohol precipitations did not improve purity. 9/26 (34.6%) samples yielded complete typing results at all 6 loci. 10/26 (38.5%) samples yielded a complete typing for class I loci. 22/26 (84.6%) samples yielded a complete typing for class II loci. 160 assignments across all loci could be compared to previous typing results. 2/160 (1.3%) were mistyped due to allele dropout, both were HLA-C alleles. Conclusion DNA isolated from plasma using the QIAamp DNA Blood kit can be used in rSSOP HLA typing methods. However the isolated DNA does not yield quality template consistently enough to replace traditional sources of DNA in HLA labs for typing at HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQB1, and DQA1 loci by rSSOP methods. Additional methods should be tested for reliable DNA isolation from this source.