If you’ve noticed hard drive prices creeping up, you’re not imagining it.
HDD prices have been under pressure, and it’s something security installers need to keep an eye on, particularly when quoting larger CCTV jobs.
So what’s causing it?
What’s Driving HDD Prices Higher?
Data centres are buying huge amounts of storage
AI and cloud data centres are consuming enormous amounts of storage. That demand is putting pressure on hard drive manufacturers, particularly for high-capacity enterprise drives.
According to TrendForce, supply shortages pushed lead times for some enterprise HDDs beyond 52 weeks in 2025.
Manufacturers can’t increase production overnight
There are only a handful of major HDD manufacturers worldwide. Increasing production capacity takes time and significant investment.
With major data centre customers securing large volumes of drives, there’s less flexibility in the market.
Hard drive prices have already increased
In October 2025, TrendForce reported average HDD prices moving from approximately US$0.012–0.013 per GB to US$0.015–0.016 per GB.
That’s roughly a 24% increase based on the midpoint of those ranges.
These are broader industry figures, not a specific 24% increase in surveillance HDD pricing, but they show what’s happening across the storage market.
What Does This Mean for CCTV Installers?
Surveillance drives aren’t identical to the high-capacity enterprise drives used by data centres. However, pricing and supply pressures in the wider HDD market can affect surveillance storage too.
For a small four-camera installation, a price increase might not make much difference.
But if you’re quoting a commercial project with multiple NVRs, several 10TB or 16TB drives and 30–90 days of recording retention, those increases can quickly eat into your margin.
And if you’re quoting now for a job being installed in two or three months, your HDD buy price could change before you place the order.
What Should Installers Do?
A few simple precautions:
- Check current HDD pricing before sending larger CCTV quotations.
- Put a validity period on quotes, especially when storage is a significant cost.
- Confirm availability before committing to a project.
- Calculate storage properly so you’re not overspending on unnecessary capacity.
- Stick with suitable surveillance drives. Saving a few dollars isn’t worth a return visit because of storage problems.
Will Prices Come Back Down?
Possibly, but there’s no reliable timeframe.
Demand for data storage remains strong, and increasing HDD production isn’t something manufacturers can do quickly.
For now, it’s sensible to check pricing rather than assume your previous buy price still applies.
The Bottom Line
Hard drive pricing is worth watching, especially for larger CCTV projects.
Our advice: check your storage costs before locking in a quote. A small increase across several drives can make a noticeable difference to your job margin
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