CD-R Life

What about CD-Rs? They haven't been around that long. How do we know how long they'll last?

As is the case with video tape, we have only theoretical answers. According to Kodak's Digital & Applied Imaging division, (quoted at www.cd-info.com):

"with 95% confidence, 95% of the population of KODAK Writable CD Media will have a data lifetime of greater than 217 years if stored in the dark at 25°C, 40% Relative Humiditiy" (sic) "after being recorded in a KODAK PCD Writer 200." They also note that "If the industry standard specification of BLERmax less than or equal to 220 had been used as the end-of-life criteria, then this same analysis would predict that with 95% confidence, 95% of the population of Kodak Writable CD discs will have a data life of greater than 12,000 years." (emphasis mine).

Well, I don't know about you, but I don't store my CD-Rs in the dark at 25°C, 40% Relative Humidity. So how long will my CD-Rs last? The same Kodak report says:

"We predict the lifetime of KODAK Photo CD, and KODAK Writable CD Media with InfoGuard Protection System, under normal storage conditions in an office or home environment, should be 100 years or more."

While this report was based on a study of a particular type of Kodak CD media, it was written in 1995; expected lifetimes for other high-quality CD-R media today are probably as good or better. According to www.cd-info.com, another paper by CD-R manufacturer TDK reports that:

"TDK rates the archival lifespan of its cyanine-based CD-R discs at 70 years (based on accelerated aging tests). This paper presents data that reflect TDK's decade-long research and development efforts in the field of optical recording media."

What can be learned from these reports? It appears that high-quality CD-R, properly recorded (and verified!) and stored in a normal environment can be expected to last 70 or more years. But it is important to make sure you get both good media and a good recording.

The Kodak report notes in its conclusions that:

"Poor recording or poor playback equipment can drastically reduce the apparent lifetime of the media. (The obvious extreme: a broken recorder can create unreadable discs; lifetime appears to be 0.)"

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