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Storage media are the materials or physical devices on which information is recorded or stored. The term can include magnetic tape and disks, optical discs, semiconductor memory and drives—and, in broader definitions, paper and film. There is no single standard that governs every kind of storage medium: each standard has a defined subject and purpose.
What does “storage media” mean?
In a broad technical sense, a medium is a material or object that carries recorded information. NIST’s SP 800-88 Rev. 2 glossary includes paper, punched cards, film, magnetic tape, magnetic disks, solid-state devices and optical discs. A related standards-derived definition describes media as physical devices or writing surfaces on which information is recorded, stored or printed.
When referring specifically to devices that hold digital data, “information storage media” is more precise. NIST describes these in terms of devices that hold bits and bytes. Its media-sanitization guideline names examples including hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM, ROM, optical disks, magnetic tape, flash memory, phones, mobile computing devices, networking devices and office equipment. These examples reflect the guideline’s sanitization context, not a complete inventory of every possible storage medium.
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What are the main categories of storage media?
Storage media can be grouped by how information is recorded and by physical form. The categories are useful for organizing the subject, but they are not rankings of speed, capacity, cost or reliability.
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Magnetic media
Magnetic media include disks and tape. The ISO International Classification for Standards (ICS) separates magnetic storage devices in general from magnetic disks, magnetic tapes, and tape cassettes and cartridges.
Optical media
Optical storage devices include optical discs, such as CDs, as well as magneto-optical devices. ISO ICS places them in a distinct category from magnetic disks and tape.
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Semiconductor and flash media
Solid-state devices and flash memory store information electronically. NIST’s examples include SSDs, RAM, ROM and flash-memory devices. The technology category does not by itself determine whether a device is fixed in a system or removable.
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Some broad definitions include information carriers such as paper, punched cards and film. These are physical media, but they are not digital storage devices in the narrower sense of devices holding bits and bytes.
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How does the ISO classification organize storage-device standards?
ISO ICS 35.220 provides a subject classification for data-storage-device standards. The codes help locate standards by topic; they do not establish that a particular product meets a technical requirement.
| ISO ICS code | Subject area |
|---|---|
| 35.220.01 | Data storage devices in general |
| 35.220.10 | Paper cards and tapes |
| 35.220.20 | Magnetic storage devices in general |
| 35.220.21 | Magnetic disks |
| 35.220.22 | Magnetic tapes |
| 35.220.23 | Magnetic tape cassettes and cartridges |
| 35.220.30 | Optical storage devices, including CD and magneto-optical devices |
| 35.220.99 | Other data storage devices |
What is removable media?
NIST’s CSRC glossary defines removable media as a “Portable data storage medium that can be added to or removed from a computing device or network.” Its examples include optical discs, external or removable HDDs and SSDs, magnetic or optical tapes, flash-memory devices, flash-memory cards and other external or removable disks.
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Removability describes how a medium connects to or is used with a system, not how it records data. For example, magnetic tape is a recording technology and tape in a cassette or cartridge can be removable; an SSD is semiconductor storage and can be either internal or external.
What does a storage-media standard cover?
Read a standard by its stated material, purpose and intended use. A standard for caring for one kind of medium should not be treated as a universal rule for all storage technologies or all data-retention needs.
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Example: ISO 18943 for magnetic hard drives used for image storage
ISO 18943:2014, Imaging materials — Magnetic hard drives used for image storage — Care and handling, addresses care and handling of magnetic hard drives and recommends practices intended to maximize the effective life of data on those drives. ISO says the recommendations apply when extended-term retention is the desired result. ISO also states that the edition was reviewed and confirmed in 2024 and remains current.
This scope is specific to magnetic HDDs used for image storage. It does not establish care requirements for SSDs, optical discs or every other retention scenario.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to interpret a definition or standard
- Check what “media” means in context. A source may mean all physical information carriers, or only digital information-storage devices.
- Identify the technology and form. Magnetic, optical and semiconductor describe recording approaches; fixed, external, disc, tape and card describe forms or connection arrangements.
- Read the scope and intended outcome. A document may address classification, care and handling, retention, security or sanitization. Those purposes are not interchangeable.
- Do not treat a classification code as certification. The ISO ICS code identifies a subject area, not product conformity.
The NIST OSAC Lexicon, quoting ANSI/ASTM E1732, gives a concise forensic-science definition: “objects on which data can be stored.” The lexicon identifies the source as ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, ASTM International, 2025. That wording is useful in its forensic-science context; the broader terminology and classification above show why the applicable definition still depends on the standard and use case.
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