---
name: "xfs_estimate"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "xfsprogs"
version: "7.2.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/xfs_estimate"
---

# xfs\_estimate(8)

estimate the space that an XFS filesystem will take

## NAME

xfs\_estimate - estimate the space that an XFS filesystem will take

## SYNOPSIS

```
xfs_estimate [ -h ] [ -b blocksize ] [ -i logsize ]
		   [ -e logsize ] [ -v ] directory ...
xfs_estimate -V
```

## DESCRIPTION

For each *directory* argument, *xfs\_estimate* estimates the space that directory would take if it were copied to an XFS filesystem. *xfs\_estimate* does not cross mount points. The following definitions are used:

-

  KB = \*1024

-

  MB = \*1024\*1024

-

  GB = \*1024\*1024\*1024

The *xfs\_estimate* options are:

- **-b** *blocksize*

  Use *blocksize* instead of the default blocksize of 4096 bytes. The modifier **k** can be used after the number to indicate multiplication by 1024. For example,

  	***xfs\_estimate -b 64k /***

-

  requests an estimate of the space required by the directory / on an XFS filesystem using a blocksize of 64K (65536) bytes.

- **-v**

  Display more information, formatted.

- **-h**

  Display usage message.

- **-i, -e** *logsize*

  Use *logsize* instead of the default log size of 1000 blocks. **-i** refers to an internal log, while **-e** refers to an external log. The modifiers **k** or **m** can be used after the number to indicate multiplication by 1024 or 1048576, respectively.

-

  For example,

  	***xfs\_estimate -i 1m /***

-

  requests an estimate of the space required by the directory / on an XFS filesystem using an internal log of 1 megabyte.

- **-V**

  Print the version number and exits.

## EXAMPLES

```

% xfs_estimate -e 10m /var/tmp
/var/tmp will take about 4.2 megabytes
        with the external log using 2560 blocks or about 10.0 megabytes
```

```

% xfs_estimate -v -e 10m /var/tmp
directory                     bsize   blocks    megabytes    logsize
/var/tmp                       4096      792        4.0MB   10485760
```

```

% xfs_estimate -v /var/tmp
directory                     bsize   blocks    megabytes    logsize
/var/tmp                       4096     3352       14.0MB   10485760
```

```

% xfs_estimate /var/tmp
/var/tmp will take about 14.0 megabytes
```