logical-sector · shipping · also logical block (storage)

Logical sector

A logical sector is the addressable data unit selected by a logical block address at a storage interface.

Its size describes the addressed interface, not the application's write size. In 512e it is 512 bytes; in 4Kn it is 4096 bytes.

Relations

related

physical-sector, 512e, 4kn-native, block-storage, partition-alignment

Advantages

• Explicit logical-sector sizes let software interpret address and transfer units without assuming 512 bytes. [1]

Limitations

• The addressing unit can be smaller than the physical sector. [1]

Citations

1. Microsoft: File buffering, alignment and file access requirements (accessed 2026-10-12)
2. Hesela: 512e, 4Kn and alignment: geometry is not durability (accessed 2026-10-12)

JSON: /data/terms/logical-sector.json