18TB Lowest Index Median, 12TB Best Listing
This week's read: 18TB still has the lowest median $/TB in the capacity index, but the buyable floor moved lower after HGST Ultrastar HUH721212ALE600 12TB new appeared at $18.67/TB. Capacity medians stayed steady; the actionable change is a new named listing below last week's best row. Data through Jun 19, 2026.
Notable capacity moves
18TB is the lowest current median $/TB capacity tier in the index at $36.66/TB. No qualified capacity tier got cheaper this week; 16TB had the smallest 30-day increase at +9.8%. The lowest-median index tier 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: HGST Ultrastar HUH721212ALE600 12TB new CMR at Newegg for $224.00 ($18.67/TB); 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). For new-condition only, compare HGST Ultrastar HUH721212ALE600 12TB new CMR at Newegg for $224.00 ($18.67/TB). These are not interchangeable: condition and recording tech matter before the lowest $/TB row becomes a buyable recommendation.