LTO-10 is the latest generation of Linear Tape-Open technology, developed by the LTO Program (HPE, IBM and Quantum). It brings the largest capacity increase in the history of the format, and a clean break from backward compatibility to make it possible. Here are the key specifications.
LTO-10 specifications at a glance
Capacity
The standard LTO-10 cartridge stores 30TB native, 67% more than LTO-9’s 18TB. In November 2025 the LTO Program announced a 40TB LTO-10 cartridge that uses an advanced Aramid base film, allowing a longer tape in the same shell. It works in the same LTO-10 drives. With the standard 2.5:1 compression ratio, that means up to 75TB and 100TB per cartridge respectively.
Compressed capacity depends on your data. Text, logs and databases often compress well. Video, images and data that is already compressed or encrypted will get close to native capacity.
Performance
LTO-10 drives transfer data at up to 400MB/s native. That is the same as LTO-9, or about 1.44TB per hour per drive. With compressible data, the LTO Program quotes up to 1,200MB/s on drives with 32Gb Fibre Channel interfaces. SAS drives are typically rated lower. To shorten backup windows, add drives. Libraries scale throughput almost linearly with the number of drives.
LTO-10 also brings a new tilted head design. It removes the need for the one-time media optimisation that LTO-9 cartridges go through on first load, so new cartridges can be used immediately.
Backward compatibility
The LTO Program chose to drop backward compatibility because supporting older media would have forced major trade-offs in LTO-10 capacity. An LTO-10 drive reads and writes only LTO-10 cartridges (30TB and 40TB).
To keep access to LTO-9 or LTO-8 data, keep an LTO-9 drive in service, or migrate the older media to LTO-10. See LTO-9 vs LTO-10 for migration strategies.
Security
- Hardware encryption: AES-256 in Galois/Counter Mode at full speed, with a key exchange that is ready for post-quantum cryptography.
- WORM: write-once cartridges for immutable, tamper-evident archives.
- Air gap: cartridges stored offline cannot be reached by network-based attacks.
LTFS and partitioning
LTO-10 supports media partitioning and the Linear Tape File System, so cartridges can be mounted and used like a large removable drive for data interchange and archive.
Physical characteristics
LTO-10 cartridges share the standard LTO Ultrium form factor of 102.0 × 105.4 × 21.5 mm, so they fit the same library slots, magazines and TeraPacks as earlier generations. Your library still needs LTO-10 drives and firmware that supports LTO-10 media.
Archive life
LTO-10 media is rated for up to 30 years of archive life when stored between 16 and 25°C at 20–50% relative humidity. In practice, most organisations migrate archives every few generations to keep them on supported drives.
What’s next?
The refreshed LTO roadmap sets LTO-11 at 70TB native and continues to LTO-14 at 365TB native. See the full LTO roadmap.