← NAS & RAID Calculator

NAS pSEO Landing

8x 6TB RAID 6 NAS Calculator | Usable TB

Estimate usable TB, parity overhead, and fault tolerance for 8x 6TB in RAID 6. Includes reserve planning for NAS and homelab arrays.

Capacity Snapshot

Raw Capacity

48.00 TB

Usable Capacity

32.40 TB

Fault Tolerance

2 drives

Efficiency

75.0%

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

Run Interactive Calculator →

Alternative Mode Comparison

Mode Usable Tolerance Efficiency
RAID 5 37.80 TB 1 drive 87.5%
RAID 6 32.40 TB 2 drives 75.0%
RAID 10 21.60 TB 1 drive per mirror pair* 50.0%
RAID-Z1 37.80 TB 1 drive 87.5%
RAID-Z2 32.40 TB 2 drives 75.0%

NAS Cluster Guides

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

Related Long-Tail Calculators

2x 4TB RAID 1 2x 6TB RAID 1 2x 8TB RAID 1 2x 10TB RAID 1 2x 12TB RAID 1 2x 14TB RAID 1 2x 16TB RAID 1 2x 18TB RAID 1 2x 20TB RAID 1 3x 4TB RAID 1 3x 4TB RAID 5 3x 4TB RAID-Z1 3x 6TB RAID 1 3x 6TB RAID 5 3x 6TB RAID-Z1 3x 8TB RAID 1

Sequential Long-Tail Navigation

← Previous: 8x 6TB RAID 5 NAS Calculator | Usable TB Next: 8x 6TB RAID 10 NAS Calculator | Usable TB →

FAQ

Should I optimize this 8-drive plan for capacity 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.

How much usable storage does 8x 6TB RAID 6 provide?

This NAS planning scenario estimates 32.40 TB usable after a 10% reserve from 48.00 TB raw.

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.

Is RAID 6 still worth deploying 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.