LTO-8 price · updated October 2026
As of 23 October 2026, a new LTO-8 tape (12 TB native) costs $70.25 to $84.36, or $5.85 to $7.03 per TB; internal drives $4,850 to $8,985 and external drives $7,300 to $10,433. LTO-8 is the previous mainstream generation. Media and new half-height drives are in stock at several sellers, and drive prices vary widely between them for similar SAS models.
Cartridge listings
New single LTO-8 data cartridges (12 TB native), sorted by price. Range: $70.25 to $84.36, or $5.85 to $7.03 per native TB.
| Part number | Seller | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22932600 (Maxell) | Tape4Backup | $70.25 | Limited stock |
| 16551221 (Fujifilm) | Tape4Backup | $70.75 | In stock |
| Any LTO-8 cartridge | Contact us | Volume discount | Tell us how many cartridges you need and we will send you a special discount. |
| 16551221 (Fujifilm) | TapeandMedia | $70.75 | In stock (ships same business day) |
| MR-L8MQN-01 (Quantum) | Tape4Backup | $71.55 | In stock |
| MR-L8MQN-01 (Quantum) | TapeandMedia | $71.60 | Out of stock; not counted in the range |
| 01PL041 (IBM) | LTO World | $72.25 | Sale; in stock |
| Q2078A (HPE) | Tape4Backup | $72.75 | In stock |
| Q2078A (HPE) | LTO World | $72.75 | Sale; in stock |
| 16551221 (Fujifilm) | LTO World | $72.90 | In stock |
| 01PL041 (IBM) | TapeandMedia | $72.90 | Out of stock; not counted in the range |
| MR-L8MQN-01 (Quantum) | LTO World | $73.25 | Sale; in stock |
| Q2078A (HPE) | TapeandMedia | $73.25 | In stock (ships same business day) |
| 01PL041 (IBM) | Tape4Backup | $73.95 | Limited stock |
| 16551221 (Fujifilm) | BackupWorks | $75.50 | |
| Fujifilm LTO-8 single | DatacenterDisk | $77.99 | Amazon listing |
| 16551221 (Fujifilm) | MagStor | $78.47 | In stock |
| Q2078A (HPE) | BackupWorks | $80.00 | |
| 01PL041 (IBM) | BackupWorks | $81.00 | |
| MR-L8MQN-01 (Quantum) | BackupWorks | $81.00 | |
| Q2078A (HPE) | MagStor | $84.36 | Sale; in stock |
| 01PL041 (IBM) | MagStor | $130.00 | In stock; not counted in the range |
Prices checked on 23 October 2026. Sale prices change often; confirm at the seller before ordering.
Bulk buying
Packs are not always cheaper per cartridge than a single tape on sale, so compare the per-unit price.
| Part number | Seller | Pack price (per cartridge) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16551221-5 Pack (Fujifilm 5-pack) | TapeandMedia | $353.75 ($70.75 each) | |
| MR-L8LQN-BC (Quantum 20-pack labeled) | Tape4Backup | $1,450.00 ($72.50 each) | |
| LTO-8 packs of any size | Contact us | Volume discount | Tell us how many cartridges you need and we will send you a special discount. |
| Q2078AN (HPE 20-pack) | Tape4Backup | $1,460.00 ($73.00 each) | |
| Q2078A-5 Pack (HPE 5-pack) | TapeandMedia | $369.25 ($73.85 each) | |
| MR-L8MQN-20 (Quantum 20-pack) | DatacenterDisk | $1,499.99 ($75.00 each) | |
| 01PL054 (IBM 20-pack) | BackupWorks | $1,560.00 ($78.00 each) | |
| 01PL054 (IBM 20-pack) | DatacenterDisk | $1,639.99 ($82.00 each) | |
| NP-L8-10PK (MagStor NanoPure 10-pack) | MagStor | $899.99 ($90.00 each) |
Write once media
WORM (write once, read many) cartridges cannot be overwritten, which is why they are used for compliance and ransomware-resistant copies. Range: $96.10 to $170.00.
| Part number | Seller | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16551233 (Fujifilm) | TapeandMedia | $96.10 | Special order |
| MR-L8MQN-02 (Quantum) | TapeandMedia | $99.65 | Out of stock; not counted in the range |
| Any LTO-8 WORM cartridge | Contact us | Volume discount | Tell us how many cartridges you need and we will send you a special discount. |
| MR-L8MQN-02 (Quantum) | LTO World | $100.77 | Sale; in stock |
| 01PL042 (IBM) | TapeandMedia | $101.60 | Out of stock; not counted in the range |
| Q2078W (HPE) | TapeandMedia | $103.25 | In stock (ships same business day) |
| Q2078W (HPE) | LTO World | $103.54 | Sale; in stock |
| 16551233 (Fujifilm) | LTO World | $104.00 | In stock |
| 01PL042 (IBM) | LTO World | $105.54 | Sale; in stock |
| Q2078W (HPE) | BackupWorks | $115.25 | |
| MR-L8WQN-BC (Quantum) | BackupWorks | $139.00 | |
| Q2078W (HPE) | Tape4Backup | $139.95 | Limited stock |
| 01PL042 (IBM) | Tape4Backup | $140.00 | Limited stock |
| MR-L8MQN-02 (Quantum) | Tape4Backup | $140.00 | Limited stock |
| 16551233 (Fujifilm) | Tape4Backup | $170.00 | Limited stock |
Hardware
New standalone SAS drives. You also need a SAS HBA in the host, and backup software that supports the drive.
| Part number | Seller | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC022A (HPE StoreEver LTO-8 Ultrium 30750 internal) | StoragePartsDirect | $4,849.95 | New, 90-day warranty, 2 in stock |
| SAS-HL8i (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS internal) | LTO World | $5,039.10 | New, 2-yr warranty option; out of stock; not counted in the range |
| TD-L82AN-BR (Quantum LTO-8 HH SAS) | LTO World | $6,629.99 | New, in stock |
| TD-L82AN-BR (Quantum LTO-8 HH SAS bare) | BackupWorks | $6,763.00 | New |
| TD-L82AN-EY (Quantum LTO-8 HH SAS kit) | BackupWorks | $6,888.00 | New |
| SAS-HL8i (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS internal, 3-yr warranty) | LTO World | $7,899.99 | New, sale (regular $8,299); in stock |
| SAS-HL8i (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS internal) | MagStor | $7,899.99 | New, sale (regular $8,299); in stock |
| SAS-HL8i (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS internal) | BackupWorks | $8,099.00 | New |
| BC022A (HPE StoreEver LTO-8 Ultrium 30750 internal) | TapeandMedia | $8,985.00 | New, ships in 3-14 days |
| Part number | Seller | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAS-HL8-8644 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | LTO World | $5,309.10 | New, 2-yr warranty option; out of stock; not counted in the range |
| BC023A (HPE StoreEver LTO-8 Ultrium 30750 SAS external) | StoragePartsDirect | $7,299.95 | New sealed spare, 1-yr warranty, 3 in stock |
| TD-L82BN-AR (Quantum LTO-8 SAS desktop) | LTO World | $7,659.99 | New, in stock |
| SYSAS-DS1L8HH1-BT (Symply LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | BackupWorks | $7,806.00 | New, sale price |
| TD-L82BN-AR (Quantum LTO-8 SAS tabletop kit) | BackupWorks | $7,811.00 | New |
| SYSAS-DS2L8H2B-CT (SymplyLTO XTH LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | BackupWorks | $8,197.00 | New |
| SAS-HL8-8644 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop, 3-yr warranty) | LTO World | $8,249.99 | New, sale (regular $8,649); in stock |
| SAS-HL8-8644 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | MagStor | $8,249.99 | New, sale (regular $8,649); in stock |
| SAS-HL8-8644 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | TapeandMedia | $8,425.00 | New, ships in 2-5 business days |
| SAS-HL8-8088 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | BackupWorks | $8,441.00 | New |
| SAS-HL8-8644 (MagStor LTO-8 HH SAS desktop) | BackupWorks | $8,441.00 | New |
| BC023A (HPE StoreEver LTO-8 Ultrium 30750 SAS external) | TapeandMedia | $10,433.00 | New, ships same business day |
Price history
Each row links to the archived snapshot it came from. Earlier snapshots used rounded guide ranges, and the March 2026 drive figures were estimates rather than seller listings, so compare directions rather than exact dollars.
| Snapshot | Cartridge price | Drive price |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 (current) | $70.25 to $84.36 | Internal $4,850 to $8,985; external $7,300 to $10,433 |
| September 2026 | $69.95-$80.00 | Internal $4,850-$8,099; external $5,309-$8,441 |
| August 2026 | $40-$70 | Not recorded |
| March 2026 | $60-$70 | Internal $3,500-$5,000; external $4,000-$5,000 |
| January 2026 | $65-$68 | Not recorded |
| November to December 2025 | $65-$68 | Not recorded |
| September to October 2025 | $65-$68 | Not recorded |
Compare
| Generation | Native capacity | Cartridge price | Per native TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTO-7 | 6 TB | $62.75 to $79.99 | $10.46 to $13.33 |
| LTO-8 | 12 TB | $70.25 to $84.36 | $5.85 to $7.03 |
| LTO-9 | 18 TB | $92.45 to $129.00 | $5.14 to $7.17 |
LTO-8 media now costs about the same per terabyte as LTO-9. It is still a sensible buy if you already run LTO-8 drives or need to read LTO-7 tapes.
Specifications
| Native capacity | 12 TB |
|---|---|
| Compressed capacity | 30 TB (2.5:1) |
| Native speed | up to 360 MB/s |
| Released | 2017 |
| A LTO-8 drive reads | LTO-7, LTO-8 |
| A LTO-8 drive writes | LTO-7, LTO-8 |
| WORM cartridges | Yes |
| Hardware encryption | AES-256 |
| LTFS | Yes |
LTO-8 cartridges can be read and written in LTO-8 and LTO-9 drives, but not in LTO-10. Half-height drives are often rated below the full-height speed, so check the data sheet of the exact model. See every generation side by side in the LTO capacity chart, how to choose a drive in the LTO tape drive buying guide, and how long cartridges last in LTO tape lifespan. Nearby generations: LTO-7 LTO-9.
Why buyers choose LTO-8
Vendor ecosystems
Because LTO is standardized, buyers can usually source compatible media across vendors, though stock levels and channel pricing still vary between ecosystems.
Budget planning
Evaluation checklist
LTO-8 is often the right choice when your priority is maximizing storage ROI, lowering cost per TB, building large archive environments, or continuing to expand an existing LTO-8 estate without paying the premium of a newer generation.
Method
We loaded seller product pages on 23 October 2026 and recorded the listed price, part number and stock note. Only new items are included unless a note says otherwise. Amazon, B&H, CDW and Connection blocked automated checks or showed no price, so big-box pricing is not included. Sellers used for LTO-8:
Pricebook
Request the latest pricebook to compare LTO-8 media and drives from HPE, IBM, Quantum, Fujifilm and Sony before you buy.
New single LTO-8 cartridges were listed at $70.25 to $84.36 at the specialist US sellers we checked on 23 October 2026, which works out to $5.85 to $7.03 per native terabyte.
New internal half-height SAS LTO-8 drives were listed at $4,850 to $8,985. Prices for similar models differ by several thousand dollars between sellers, so compare the exact part number.
External desktop SAS LTO-8 drives were listed at $7,300 to $10,433.
Yes. LTO-8 WORM cartridges were listed at $96.10 to $170.00, compared with $70.25 to $84.36 for standard data cartridges.
See the LTO-8 price history table on this page, which lists every TapeBackup.org snapshot since September 2025.