DatacenterDisk
HPE

HPE LTO-9 Ultrium Single 18TB

Q2079A
LTO-9archiveBaFe18TBLTO-9Tape
$5.50/TB
$98.99
newIn Stock
Price updated
Price accurate as of Sep 3, 2026, 10:01 PM
Buy on Amazon โ†’

The HPE LTO-9 Ultrium Single 18TB is a 18TB LTO-9 Tape in new condition. It is in stock at $98.99 - $5.50/TB.

Same capacity, other options
DriveInterfaceCond$/TBPrice
Fuji LTO-9 Ultrium 10-Pack 18TBLTO-9New$4.890$879.99Buy
Quantum LTO-9 Ultrium 20-Pack 18TBLTO-9New$5.310$1909.89Buy

All 18TB drives we track, ranked by cost per terabyte.

Model context

Part of the HPE line we track.

Quick Verdict

The HPE 18TB LTO tape cartridge is the cheapest storage medium available at $5.50/TB - ideal for cold archive and compliance. Best used in LTO tape libraries for automated backup and archiving.

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Specifications

Capacity18TB
Form FactorTape
InterfaceLTO-9
Recording TechBaFe
Sector Sizeโ€”
Workload Ratingโ€”
Warrantyโ€”
ASINB09HTLMPH9
Market context

Against every other drive we have an in-stock price for today, this one is cheaper per tb than 60% of them (3 of 5). The cheapest we can currently buy is $4.89/TB; the middle of the market is $6.50/TB.

Compare against every 18TB drive we track โ†’Cheapest per terabyte, all categories โ†’Category price trends โ†’
How it compares - 18TB LTO-9
#1Fuji LTO-9 Ultrium 10-Pack 18TB
$4.89/TB
#2Quantum LTO-9 Ultrium 20-Pack 18TB
$5.31/TB
#3HPE LTO-9 Ultrium Single 18TBTHIS DRIVE
$5.50/TB

Compare to similar 18TB LTO-9 drives

Fuji
LTO-9 Ultrium 10-Pack 18TB
$4.89/TB
$879.99
new
Quantum
LTO-9 Ultrium 20-Pack 18TB
$5.31/TB
$1,909.89
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 (18-26ยฐC, 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

๐Ÿข
Compliance & Regulatory Archive
Financial, healthcare or legal firm requiring 7-10 year data retention.
โœ“ 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.
๐ŸŽฌ
Media & Entertainment Archive
Post-production studio archiving raw footage and deliverables long-term.
โœ“ 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.
๐Ÿ”’
Ransomware-Proof Offline Backup
Air-gapped backup tier immune to ransomware encryption.
โœ“ 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.