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4x 12TB RAID 6 NAS Calculator | Usable TB

Estimate usable TB, parity overhead, and fault tolerance for 4x 12TB in RAID 6. Includes reserve planning for NAS and homelab arrays.

Capacity Snapshot

Raw Capacity

48.00 TB

Usable Capacity

21.60 TB

Fault Tolerance

2 drives

Efficiency

50.0%

Safer for larger arrays with dual parity, at the cost of one extra parity disk. This scenario applies a 10% filesystem reserve.

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Alternative Mode Comparison

Mode Usable Tolerance Efficiency
RAID 5 32.40 TB 1 drive 75.0%
RAID 6 21.60 TB 2 drives 50.0%
RAID 10 21.60 TB 1 drive per mirror pair* 50.0%
RAID-Z1 32.40 TB 1 drive 75.0%
RAID-Z2 21.60 TB 2 drives 50.0%

NAS Cluster Guides

NAS Hub RAID Level Compare RAID Capacity Matrix Planning Quick Sheet RAID Selector NAS FAQ

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Sequential Long-Tail Navigation

← Previous: 4x 12TB RAID 5 NAS Calculator | Usable TB Next: 4x 12TB RAID 10 NAS Calculator | Usable TB →

FAQ

How many disk failures can RAID 6 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 4-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.

Why include a 10% reserve when planning NAS available space?

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

How much effective storage does 4x 12TB RAID 6 provide?

This NAS planning scenario estimates 21.60 TB usable after a 10% reserve from 48.00 TB raw.