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12x 6TB RAID-Z2 NAS Calculator | Usable TB

Estimate usable TB, parity overhead, and fault tolerance for 12x 6TB in RAID-Z2. Includes reserve planning for NAS and homelab arrays.

Capacity Snapshot

Raw Capacity

72.00 TB

Usable Capacity

54.00 TB

Fault Tolerance

2 drives

Efficiency

83.3%

Popular TrueNAS default for medium arrays; dual-parity with good safety margin. This scenario applies a 10% filesystem reserve.

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Alternative Mode Comparison

Mode Usable Tolerance Efficiency
RAID 5 59.40 TB 1 drive 91.7%
RAID 6 54.00 TB 2 drives 83.3%
RAID 10 32.40 TB 1 drive per mirror pair* 50.0%
RAID-Z1 59.40 TB 1 drive 91.7%
RAID-Z2 54.00 TB 2 drives 83.3%

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FAQ

How many disk failures can RAID-Z2 tolerate in this setup?

This setup can tolerate 2 drives. Real-world survivability depends on mirror placement, rebuild stress, and drive health.

Should I optimize this 12-drive plan for storage headroom or resiliency first?

For long-lived NAS pools, resiliency first is usually safer. Capacity can be expanded later, while a risky parity choice can force migration sooner.

Is RAID-Z2 still practical with 6TB drives?

It can be practical, but larger drives increase rebuild windows. Validate parity choice and backup policy before committing to the final layout.

Why include a 10% reserve when planning NAS capacity?

Keeping free space improves filesystem behavior for snapshots, metadata, and write performance. Full arrays often perform worse and rebuild more slowly.