DatacenterDisk
HPE

LTO-9 Ultrium Single 18TB

Q2079A
LTO-9archiveBaFe18TBLTO-9Tape
$5.44/TB
$97.99
newIn Stock
Updated Mar 25, 2026, 05:51 AM
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Quick Verdict

The HPE 18TB LTO tape cartridge is the cheapest storage medium available at $5.44/TB - ideal for cold archive and compliance. Best used in LTO tape libraries for automated backup and archiving.

Specifications

Capacity18TB
Form FactorTape
InterfaceLTO-9
Recording TechBaFe
Sector Size—
Workload Rating—
Warranty—
ASINB09HTLMPH9

90-Day Price History

$5$6$603/2304/2906/05
How it compares - 18TB LTO-9
#1HPE LTO-9 Ultrium Single 18TBTHIS DRIVE
$5.44/TB
#2Fuji LTO-9 Ultrium 10-Pack 18TB
$49.99/TB
#3Quantum LTO-9 Ultrium 20-Pack 18TB
$105.50/TB

Compare to similar 18TB LTO-9 drives

Fuji
LTO-9 Ultrium 10-Pack 18TB
$49.99/TB
$899.90
new
Quantum
LTO-9 Ultrium 20-Pack 18TB
$105.50/TB
$1,899.00
new

Frequently Asked Questions

This LTO-9 cartridge requires a compatible LTO-9 tape drive. LTO-9 drives can also read the previous LTO generation.

BaFe (Barium Ferrite) tape media has an archival life of 30+ years when stored in controlled conditions (18-26°C, 20-50% humidity). Store tapes vertically and avoid magnetic fields.

Yes. LTO is an open standard. This cartridge works in any LTO-9-compatible standalone drive or automated tape library regardless of manufacturer.

Use Case Scenarios

🏢
Compliance & Regulatory Archive
Financial, healthcare or legal firm requiring 7-10 year data retention.
✓ Excellent fit
LTO tape is the standard for compliance archiving. Air-gapped, immutable, and at ~$5/TB the most cost-effective medium for long retention. At 18TB per cartridge a handful covers a full year of records.
🎬
Media & Entertainment Archive
Post-production studio archiving raw footage and deliverables long-term.
✓ Excellent fit
Tape is the M&E industry standard for long-term preservation. BaFe media offers 30+ year archival stability at a fraction of cloud cold storage cost.
🔒
Ransomware-Proof Offline Backup
Air-gapped backup tier immune to ransomware encryption.
✓ Excellent fit
Offline tape cannot be encrypted by ransomware. The 3-2-1 backup rule (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite) works best with tape as the offline copy.

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Maintenance Checklist

On installLabel cartridge with barcode and date
Use LTO barcode labels for library automation. Record initialization date for rotation tracking.
MonthlyVerify backup completion logs
Check backup software logs for write errors or incomplete jobs. A single undetected error can corrupt a restore.
QuarterlyTest restore from tape
A backup you have never tested restoring is not a backup. Restore a sample of files quarterly and verify integrity.
AnnuallyClean tape drive heads
Use a manufacturer-approved cleaning cartridge. Dirty heads cause read errors and premature media wear.
Every 2-3 yearsRotate media to fresh cartridges
LTO tape has a rated life of ~3,000 passes. For archival data over 10 years old, migrate to fresh media.

Troubleshooting Guide

Cause: Dirty read/write heads, incompatible media generation, or damaged cartridge.
Fix: Run a cleaning cartridge first. Verify generation compatibility (LTO-9 drive reads LTO-8 and LTO-9 only). Inspect cartridge for physical damage.