# Unattached Block Volume (non-boot) | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unattached-block-volume-non-boot Block volumes that are not attached to any instance continue to incur charges. By: PointFive Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Unattached Block Volume (Non-Boot) The short version Block volumes that are not attached to any instance continue to incur charges. PointFive Research Cloud cost research at PointFive OCI service [OCI Block Volume](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/oci-block-volume) Category [Storage](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/storage) Reference CER-0208 Type Idle or Unused Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. These often accumulate after instance deletion or reconfiguration. Unlike boot volumes, unattached data volumes may be harder to track if not labeled or tagged clearly. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Charged per GB-month of provisioned storage plus volume performance units (VPUs per GB-month; 10 VPUs per GB at the default Balanced level, none at the Lower Cost level), regardless of attachment or usage state. ## How to detect 2 checks to find it in your estate. - Volume lifecycle state is "AVAILABLE" (attached volumes also report AVAILABLE, so state alone is not enough) - No volume attachment in ATTACHED state references the volume (check with ListVolumeAttachments filtered by volume ID) ## How to fix 3 ways to remove the waste. - Delete unattached block volumes that are no longer needed, taking a backup first if the data may be required later - Enable Detached Volume Auto-tune so volumes that stay detached are adjusted to the Lower Cost performance level (0 VPUs/GB) after 14 days - Tag volumes with owner and purpose, and periodically audit the Block Volumes service for orphaned resources ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Overview of Block Volume docs.oracle.com](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Block/Concepts/overview.htm) - [Listing Attachments for a Block Volume docs.oracle.com](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Block/Tasks/list-compute-volume-attachment.htm) - [Block Volume Performance docs.oracle.com](https://docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Block/Concepts/blockvolumeperformance.htm) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - OCI Block Volume CER-0199 ### [Unattached Boot Volume](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/unattached-boot-volume) When a Compute instance is terminated in OCI, the associated boot volume is not deleted by default. If the termination settings don't explicitly delete the boot volume, it persists and continues to generate storage charges. Because boot... Storage - OCI Block Volume CER-0550 ### [Overprovisioned OCI Block Volume Performance Level](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/overprovisioned-oci-block-volume-performance-level) OCI Block Volume bills performance separately from capacity. Each block or boot volume is charged per GB-month for storage plus a number of volume performance units (VPUs) per GB-month set by its performance level: 0 for Lower Cost, 10 for... Storage - OCI Block Volume CER-0551 ### [Excessive OCI Block Volume Backup Retention](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/excessive-oci-block-volume-backup-retention) OCI Block Volume backups are stored in Object Storage and billed at Object Storage prices for as long as they are retained. The Oracle-defined Bronze, Silver and Gold backup policies are a one-click choice, but their retention is fixed and... Storage --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.