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Materialklasse H (Festplatten)
In brief
Material class H is, in the DIN 66399 standard, the group for hard drives with a magnetic data carrier, that is, classic HDDs. For them, the standard defines security levels H-1 to H-7, which describe how severely a hard drive must be destroyed. The higher the level, the smaller the permitted fragments and the more laborious the reconstruction of data.
Security levels of material class H
| Level | Requirement |
|---|---|
| H-1 | Data carrier is inoperable |
| H-2 | Data carrier is damaged |
| H-3 | Data carrier is deformed |
| H-4 | Data carrier deformed multiple times and shredded, particles of at most 2,000 mm² |
| H-5 | Particles of at most 320 mm² |
| H-6 | Particles of at most 10 mm² |
| H-7 | Particles of at most 5 mm² |
Which level is appropriate results from the protection class of the data. An overview is given by our guide DIN 66399: Which safety level your hard drives need.
Distinction from other material classes
SSDs, USB sticks and memory cards do not belong to material class H, but to material class E for electronic data carriers. Magnetic tapes and floppy disks fall under T, optical data carriers under O. Because the data on SSDs lies in very small chips, different particle sizes apply there. An overview is given by the entry Material class (DIN 66399).
Second IT destroys hard drives in-house according to DIN 66399, certified for security level H-5, under video surveillance and with a certificate of destruction. More about in-house data carrier destruction.
Frequently asked questions about material class H
Do SSDs fall under material class H?
No. SSDs store data electronically and belong to material class E.
Is H-3 enough for hard drives with personal data?
That depends on the protection class. For personal data, at least H-4 or H-5 is often recommended. The decision belongs in your erasure policy.
What does H-5 mean in practice?
The hard drive is shredded so that no fragment is larger than 320 mm².
Which material classes are there besides H?
SSDs, USB sticks and memory cards belong to material class E for electronic data carriers. Magnetic tapes and floppy disks fall under T, optical data carriers under O. Because the data on SSDs lies in very small chips, different particle sizes apply there.
How small are the fragments at levels H-4 to H-7?
At H-4, particles are at most 2,000 mm² in size, at H-5 at most 320 mm², at H-6 at most 10 mm² and at H-7 at most 5 mm². The higher the level, the more laborious it is to reconstruct data.
Hard drive destruction under DIN 66399, security level H-5 – with certificate.
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