Objective To produce an adequate tool for identifying patient needs for home palliative cancer care and to verify its psychometric properties. Methods Following a supportive care framework, the scale was constructed based on qualitative research, Delphi expert consultation and small sample test. Psychometric properties of the scale were verified in a group of 425 advanced cancer patients from five hospitals in Shandong province who scheduled for discharge and expressed preference for home palliative care. Results The final scale was produced that contained 39 items grouped into 6 domains:daily living care needs, symptom management needs, psychological care needs, self-determination needs, social support needs and spiritual care needs. Exploratory factor analysis identified six main factors explaining 79.742% of the total variance, and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 39-item six-factor structure of the scale fitted well to the dataset. Cronbach′s α coefficient for the entire scale was 0.962, split-half reliability was 0.921, and test-retest reliability was 0.945. Content validity index of the total scale (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.982. Conclusion The results of tests on the psychometric properties of the scale showed at least satisfactory validity and reliability, and it can be employed to assess the needs for home palliative care in advanced cancer patients.