Degaussing Service

Degaussing applies a powerful alternating magnetic field to magnetic storage media — hard disk drives, LTO tapes, DLT, reel-to-reel — that scrambles the magnetic domains where data is stored. When the field exceeds the media's coercivity rating, every bit on the drive is rendered unreadable in a single pass. NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 classifies degaussing as a 'Purge' sanitization technique for magnetic media, equivalent in assurance to physical destruction for HDDs and tapes.

No. Solid state drives, NVMe, USB flash, and any other media that stores data in NAND chips are unaffected by magnetic fields. NIST 800-88 explicitly excludes flash media from degaussing as a valid sanitization method. For SSDs, use cryptographic erase ('Purge') or physical shredding to ≤2 mm ('Destroy') — see our dedicated SSD destruction service.

No. Degaussing destroys not only user data but also the servo tracks the drive's read/write heads use to find data. After degaussing, the drive is permanently inoperable and must be recycled. This is by design — NIST classifies degaussing as a terminal sanitization method, which is why it satisfies the 'Purge' assurance level required for regulated data.

Coercivity is the magnetic field strength required to demagnetize a piece of media, measured in oersteds (Oe). Modern enterprise HDDs and LTO tapes have coercivity ratings between 2,500 and 5,000 Oe, and NIST-listed degaussers must generate a field strong enough to exceed the rating of the specific media being sanitized. Phoenix ITAD operates NSA/CSS EPL-listed degaussers rated for the highest-coercivity drives currently shipping.

Yes. Every degaussed drive or tape is logged by serial number before sanitization and listed individually on a serial-level Certificate of Destruction. The CoD references NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2 'Purge' for magnetic media, names the degausser model and its EPL listing, and is signed by a NAID AAA Certified operator. We also bundle degaussing with physical shredding when the media classification or chain-of-custody policy requires belt-and-suspenders destruction.

Phoenix ITAD degausses magnetic hard disk drives (2.5" and 3.5", SATA, SAS, FC), LTO and LTO-Ultrium backup tapes (LTO-1 through LTO-9), DLT and SDLT cartridges, AIT, DAT/DDS, 8 mm and 4 mm tape, reel-to-reel tape, and floppy media. Optical media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray) and any flash-based storage must be shredded instead — magnetic fields cannot sanitize them.

Both methods satisfy federal sanitization standards for magnetic HDDs; the right choice depends on your compliance framework and operational constraints. Degaussing is faster (seconds per drive), generates no physical waste at the destruction step, and is required for some classified-data programs. Physical shredding is irreversible, visible to witnesses, and is required by many HIPAA, PCI, and GLBA chain-of-custody policies. Many regulated programs combine both: degauss to 'Purge,' then shred for terminal destruction.

Yes. Phoenix ITAD's mobile destruction unit carries an NSA/CSS EPL-listed degausser alongside HDD and SSD shredders. Authorized staff can witness every drive and tape being degaussed, and Certificates of Destruction are delivered before the truck leaves your site. On-site degaussing is commonly required by DoD, federal, and financial-services chain-of-custody programs.