18TB Leads the Index, 28TB Leads Listings
This week's read: 18TB still leads the index, and its median rose 46.7% since the prior issue. The sharpest named row is Seagate Exos ST28000NM000C 28TB recert at ServerPartDeals for $610.00 ($21.79/TB); capacity tiers explain market shape, while listing rows show what is actually buyable. Data through Jun 12, 2026.
Notable capacity moves
18TB is the lowest current capacity tier in the index at $36.66/TB. No qualified capacity tier got cheaper this week; 12TB had the smallest 30-day increase at +8.2%. The index leader is not the same as the cheapest named listing; use the tier view for market shape and the listing rows for actual buy decisions.
Current best-value drives
Current rows with clear condition data: Seagate Exos ST28000NM000C 28TB recert at ServerPartDeals for $610.00 ($21.79/TB); Seagate Exos ST25000NM000E 25TB recert at ServerPartDeals for $549.00 ($21.96/TB); Seagate ST26000NM000C 26TB recert CMR at ServerPartDeals for $575.00 ($22.12/TB); Seagate Exos ST28000NM000C 28TB refurb at Newegg for $625.00 ($22.32/TB). If recertified or refurbished drives are off the table, compare against Western Digital Gold WD241KRYZ 24TB new CMR at BestBuy for $554.79 ($23.12/TB). These are not interchangeable: condition and recording tech matter before the lowest $/TB row becomes a buyable recommendation.