LTO-9 tape: high capacity with LTO-8 compatibility
LTO-9 tape stores 18 TB native and up to 45 TB compressed per cartridge — 50% more than LTO-8 — at a native transfer rate of 400 MB/s. Crucially, LTO-9 drives also read and write LTO-8 tapes, making LTO-9 the natural upgrade for organisations with an existing LTO-8 tape estate.
LTO-9 remains one of the most popular LTO tapes for backup, disaster recovery and archive, with a broad choice of drives, autoloaders and libraries and excellent value per terabyte.
LTO-9 tape specifications
| Specification | LTO-9 Ultrium |
|---|---|
| Native capacity | 18 TB |
| Compressed capacity (2.5:1) | 45 TB |
| Native transfer rate | 400 MB/s (≈1.44 TB/hour) |
| Compressed transfer rate | 1,000 MB/s |
| Drive compatibility | Reads and writes LTO-9 and LTO-8 |
| Encryption | Hardware AES-256 |
| WORM | Yes — LTO-9 WORM cartridges available |
| LTFS & partitioning | Yes |
| Media | Barium ferrite (BaFe) |
| Archive life | Up to 30 years |
LTO-9 tape part numbers
Genuine LTO-9 Ultrium data cartridges from every major manufacturer. All brands are fully interchangeable in any LTO-9 drive.
| Brand | Product | Part number | Capacity (native / compressed) | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPE | LTO-9 Ultrium data cartridge | Q2079A | 18 TB / 45 TB | Quote |
| IBM | LTO-9 Ultrium data cartridge | 02XW568 | 18 TB / 45 TB | Quote |
| Quantum | LTO-9 Ultrium data cartridge | MR-L9MQN-01 | 18 TB / 45 TB | Quote |
| Fujifilm | LTO-9 Ultrium data cartridge | 16659047 | 18 TB / 45 TB | Quote |
| Spectra Logic | LTO-9 BaFe MLM certified media (TeraPack of 10) | Ask for pack options | 10 × 18 TB | Quote |
All media supplied new and sealed. Single cartridges, 5-packs, 20-packs and pre-labelled library packs available — ask for volume pricing.
Need immutable retention? See LTO-9 WORM tape (HPE Q2079W, Quantum MR-L9MQN-02).
LTO-9 media optimisation
LTO-9 introduced media optimisation: the first time a new LTO-9 cartridge is loaded, the drive characterises the tape to maximise data reliability over its life. It is a one-off process that averages around 40 minutes per cartridge. In autoloaders and tape libraries, schedule new media to be initialised in advance so it doesn’t delay your first backup window.
Benefits of LTO-9 tape
- Protects your LTO-8 investment — read and write existing LTO-8 tapes in the same drive.
- 50% more capacity than LTO-8 for fewer cartridges and lower cost per terabyte.
- Proven ecosystem — broad support across backup software, autoloaders and tape libraries.
- Air-gapped security with AES-256 encryption and WORM options.
LTO-9 vs LTO-8 vs LTO-10
| Generation | Native capacity | Compressed | Native speed | Compressed speed | Drive compatibility | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTO-10 | 30 TB / 40 TB | 75 TB / 100 TB | 400 MB/s | up to 1,200 MB/s | LTO-10 only (no backward compatibility) | 2025 |
| LTO-9 | 18 TB | 45 TB | 400 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | Reads & writes LTO-8 | 2021 |
| LTO-8 | 12 TB | 30 TB | 360 MB/s | 900 MB/s | Reads & writes LTO-7 (incl. LTO-7 Type M) | 2017 |
Compressed figures assume 2.5:1 for LTO-6 onwards and 2:1 for LTO-1 to LTO-5. LTO-10 compressed speed up to 1,200 MB/s on 32Gb Fibre Channel drives.
Planning a brand-new archive? Compare with LTO-10 tape, which offers 30–40 TB native per cartridge but no backward compatibility.
LTO-9 drives, autoloaders and libraries
We supply LTO-9 tape drives (SAS, Fibre Channel and Thunderbolt), 8-slot and 24-slot LTO-9 autoloaders holding 144–432 TB native, and LTO-9 tape libraries scaling to many petabytes.
LTO-9 tape FAQ
What is the capacity of LTO-9 tape?
LTO-9 stores 18 TB native and up to 45 TB compressed (2.5:1) — 50% more than LTO-8.
Can an LTO-9 drive read LTO-8 tapes?
Yes. LTO-9 drives read and write LTO-8 cartridges. They cannot read LTO-7 or earlier, and LTO-7 Type M (M8) cartridges are not supported in LTO-9 drives.
Why does a new LTO-9 tape take longer the first time it is loaded?
LTO-9 introduced media optimisation: the first time a new cartridge is loaded the drive characterises the tape to maximise reliability. This one-off process averages around 40 minutes per cartridge and can occasionally take up to two hours, so libraries should be configured to pre-initialise new media before backups are scheduled.
Should I choose LTO-9 or LTO-10?
Choose LTO-9 if you have an existing LTO-8 tape estate or want the lowest entry cost for drives. Choose LTO-10 for maximum capacity per slot, lower cost per terabyte and longer runway — especially for new archives and large libraries where slot count is expensive.
Get an LTO-9 tape quote
HPE, IBM, Quantum or Fujifilm — single cartridges, 5-packs and pre-labelled 20-packs. Same-day quotes.