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TB vs TiB: why displayed capacity changes

Convert TB to TiB and understand why a 4 TB drive equals about 3.638 TiB before formatting.

Quick answer

Does a 4 TB drive have less space in TiB?

A 4 TB drive equals approximately 3.638 TiB. The unit changes, not the byte count: TB is decimal and TiB is binary. Formatting, reserves or RAID may further reduce usable space.

Converting TB to TiB

Multiply TB by 10¹² and divide by 2⁴⁰. To convert TiB to TB, multiply by 2⁴⁰ and divide by 10¹². Do not mix GB with GiB when adding capacities.

Comparison example
ItemValue
1 TB0.909 TiB
4 TB3.638 TiB
12 TB10.914 TiB

Calculated examples; rounded values.

Interpreting system displays

Check the unit used by each application before comparing figures. Some interfaces use ambiguous labels. Conversion explains the numerical difference, but does not measure free space or subtract files.

Frequently asked questions

Why not always subtract a fixed percentage?

Changing units is an exact conversion. System reserves, formatting, snapshots and redundancy are separate concepts that depend on configuration.

Sources and method

NIST — units and binary prefixes · Methodology