Storage Calculator
Estimate your storage needs based on file count and size. Perfect for planning your next storage upgrade or new system.
Usage Tips
How to estimate average file size
For an accurate estimate, take a representative sample of your files and calculate their average size. For example, for photos, an average size of 5-10 MB is common.
Redundancy factor
The redundancy factor depends on your RAID configuration or backup strategy. Choose the level that matches your data security needs.
Safety margin
It is recommended to add a margin of 20-30% to the calculated capacity to account for future growth and unexpected needs.
Quick Examples
Photo Collection
- Average file size: 0.005 GB (5 MB)
- Number of files: 10,000
- Total size: ~50 GB
Video Library
- Average file size: 1 GB
- Number of files: 100
- Total size: ~100 GB
About This Tool
The Storage Calculator is a comprehensive tool for accurately planning your storage infrastructure needs. It helps you determine the exact capacity requirements based on your file types, quantities, and desired redundancy levels, ensuring optimal storage investment decisions.
Key Features:
- Precise calculations based on actual file sizes and counts
- RAID redundancy factor integration for all major configurations
- Growth planning recommendations with safety margins
- Real-time capacity calculations in GB and TB units
Perfect for: System administrators planning server storage, photographers managing media libraries, businesses calculating NAS requirements, and home users building personal storage solutions.
How it helps you:
- Budget Planning: Calculate exact storage needs before purchasing
- RAID Selection: Compare different redundancy levels and their capacity impact
- Capacity Planning: Avoid over or under-provisioning storage
- Future Proofing: Plan for data growth with safety margins
- Cost Optimization: Balance protection needs with storage costs
- Infrastructure Design: Design storage systems that meet your requirements
Technical Considerations:
Our calculator accounts for file system overhead, RAID parity requirements, and metadata storage. It provides realistic capacity estimates that consider real-world storage efficiency factors and redundancy requirements for professional storage planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate storage requirements?
Multiply average file size by number of files, then apply redundancy factors based on your RAID configuration.
What's the difference between RAID levels?
RAID 0: no redundancy (100% capacity). RAID 1: mirroring (50% capacity). RAID 5: parity (75-80% capacity). RAID 10: mirroring + striping (50% capacity).
How much overhead should I plan?
Add 20-30% beyond calculated requirements for file system overhead, temporary files, and future growth.
What file sizes should I use?
Use realistic averages: Photos (5-10MB), Videos (1-5GB), Documents (1-10MB). Sample your actual files for accuracy.
When to choose different RAID levels?
RAID 0 for performance. RAID 1 for simple redundancy. RAID 5/6 for balanced protection. RAID 10 for high-performance critical data.
How to plan for storage growth?
Analyze past growth rate, project 2-3 years forward, add 20-30% buffer for unexpected growth.
Explore Our Other Storage Tools
Discover more tools to help you manage and optimize your storage solutions.
RAID Calculator
Calculate RAID configurations, capacity, and redundancy for optimal storage performance.
Backup Time Calculator
Calculate backup time estimates for full, incremental, and differential backups.
Transfer Time Calculator
Estimate file transfer times based on data size and connection speed.
Cost per GB Calculator
Compare storage costs and find the most cost-effective storage solutions.
Power Consumption Calculator
Calculate power usage and estimate electricity costs for storage systems.
View All Tools
Discover our complete collection of storage and data management tools.