How long do CD-Rs last?
Amkette CD-Rs come with a protective Durashield coating. The shelf life of an unrecorded Amkette disc is estimated at between 5 and 10 years. Once the disc has been written it can last upto 75 – 100 years. Exposing the disc to excessive heat, humidity, or to direct sunlight will greatly reduce the lifetime. Thus, leaving a CD-R in a hot car isn’t good for the disc and will probably shorten its effective life. In general, CD-Rs are far less tolerant of environmental conditions than pressed CDs, and should be treated with greater care.
The age of an unwritten disc can be anywhere from 6 weeks to 100 years. Different manufacturers have different life spans. Taiyo Yuden media has a life span of 100 years. This is a good factor in determining which media is best for you. However, you probably wont using CDs in 100 years, but the fact that they will last that long adds to credibility and quality. This life span is also assuming the CD-R is kept in a safe and cool environment. Exposure to excessive heat, humidity, or direct sunlight will reduce their life span.
The manufacturers claim 75 years (cyanine dye, used in “green” discs), 100 years (phthalocyanine dye, used in “gold” discs), or even 200 years (“advanced” phthalocyanine dye, used in “platinum” discs) once the disc has been written. The shelf life of an unrecorded disc has been estimated at between 5 and 10 years. There is no standard agreed-upon way to test discs for lifetime viability. Accelerated aging tests have been done, but they may not provide a meaningful analogue to real-world aging. Exposing the disc to excessive heat, humidity, or to direct sunlight will greatly reduce the lifetime. In general, CD-Rs are far less tolerant of environmental conditions than pressed CDs, and should be treated with greater care. The easiest way to make a CD-R unusable is to scratch the top surface. Find a CD-R you don’t want anymore, and try to scratch the top (label side) with your fingernail, a ballpoint pen, a paper clip, and anything else you have handy. The results may surprise you. Keep th
