# Underutilized provisioned IOPS on an EBS volume Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underutilized-provisioned-iops-on-an-ebs-volume An EBS volume has provisioned IOPS levels that consistently exceed the actual I/O requirements of the workload it supports. By: Taylor Houck Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Underutilized Provisioned IOPS on an EBS Volume The short version An EBS volume has provisioned IOPS levels that consistently exceed the actual I/O requirements of the workload it supports. [Taylor Houck](https://www.linkedin.com/in/twhouck/) Cloud FinOps Specialist @ PointFive AWS service [AWS EBS](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-ebs) Category [Storage](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/storage) Reference CER-0049 Type Overprovisioned Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. This can happen when performance buffers are estimated too high, usage patterns change over time, or default settings are left unadjusted. Provisioned IOPS (every IOPS on io1 and io2, or IOPS above the free 3,000 baseline on gp3) generate ongoing charges that may not reflect actual utilization, resulting in avoidable cost. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. EBS volumes with configurable IOPS are billed based on both provisioned storage (per GB-month) and provisioned IOPS (per IOPS-month). gp3 includes 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s at no extra cost and bills only IOPS and throughput provisioned above that, while io1 and io2 bill every provisioned IOPS (io2 at tiered rates above 32,000 IOPS), regardless of whether they are used. Charges accumulate continuously for any overprovisioned IOPS that exceed actual workload demand. ## How to detect 4 checks to find it in your estate. - Review actual IOPS usage over a representative time window (e.g., 14-30 days) - Compare provisioned IOPS to peak and average demand to assess excess capacity - Confirm whether performance requirements or bursty workloads justify the current configuration - Validate with workload owners whether the IOPS level can be reduced without affecting performance ## How to fix How to remove the waste. Reduce the provisioned IOPS to a level more consistent with observed usage. Ensure that baseline performance remains sufficient for the workload's needs, and consider whether standard burstable performance is acceptable. If needed, reconfigure both IOPS and throughput settings to optimize cost-performance alignment. Reassess regularly to avoid regression. ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Amazon EBS volume types docs.aws.amazon.com](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ebs/latest/userguide/ebs-volume-types.html) - [EBS Pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/pricing/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - AWS EBS CER-0178 ### [Overprovisioned EBS Volume](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/overprovisioned-ebs-volume) EBS volumes often remain significantly overprovisioned compared to the actual data stored on them. Because billing is based on the total provisioned capacity - not actual usage - this creates ongoing waste when large volumes are only... Storage - AWS EBS CER-0154 ### [Delete-on-Termination Disabled for EBS Volume](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/delete-on-termination-disabled-for-ebs-volume) When EC2 instances are provisioned, each attached EBS volume has a \`DeleteOnTermination\` flag that determines whether it will be deleted when the instance is terminated. If this flag is set to \`false\` - often unintentionally in custom... Storage - AWS EBS CER-0162 ### [Outdated Provisioned IOPS Volume Type for High-I/O Workloads](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/outdated-provisioned-iops-volume-type-for-high-i-o-workloads) Many environments continue using io1 volumes for high-performance workloads due to legacy provisioning or lack of awareness of io2 benefits. io2 volumes provide equivalent or better performance and durability with reduced cost at scale.... Storage --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.