Covalently bound protein kinase inhibitors have been frequently designed to target noncatalytic cysteines at the ATP binding site. Thus, it is important to know if a given cysteine can form a covalent bond. Here we combine a function-site interaction fingerprint method and DFT calculations to determine the potential of cysteines to form a covalent interaction with an inhibitor. By harnessing the human structural kinome, a comprehensive structure-based binding site cysteine data set was assembled. The orientation of the cysteine thiol group indicates which cysteines can potentially form covalent bonds. These covalent inhibitor easy-available cysteines are located within five regions: P-loop, roof of pocket, front pocket, catalytic-2 of the catalytic loop, and DFG-3 close to the DFG peptide. In an independent test set these cysteines covered 95% of covalent kinase inhibitors. This study provides new insights into cysteine reactivity and preference which is important for the prospective development of covalent kinase inhibitors.