The Cisco Catalyst C9300-24T is a 24-port data switch that is bought by the stack rather than by the chassis. Cisco publishes 24 ports of 1G copper on this model, no PoE, and StackWise-480 stacking rated at 480 Gbps across up to eight members. The chassis is one member of a stack of eight, meaning capacity is added a member at a time.
Ports, uplinks and stacking
Stacking is the reason to look at a 24-port switch at all. StackWise-480 runs at 480 Gbps and supports up to eight members, so the managed unit a network operator actually administers is the stack, not the box. Eight members of this model is 192 ports of 1G copper under one configuration, one management address and one software image.
Cisco attaches a condition that is easy to miss and expensive to discover late: stack members have to sit at the same network stack license level. A switch bought at one level will not join a stack built at the other, so the level is a compatibility property of the stack rather than a line item that can be settled afterwards.
Access ports on the C9300-24T are 24 ports of 1G copper, described by Cisco as data only. Uplinks sit outside that number and come from a removable network module, so uplink speed is chosen at order and can be revisited later without replacing the switch.
| Specification | C9300-24T |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 24 x 1G copper, data only |
| PoE | None |
| Uplinks | Modular network module, 1G / mGig / 10G / 25G / 40G |
| Stacking | StackWise-480, 480 Gbps, up to 8 members at the same license level |
| Switching capacity | 208 Gbps, 688 Gbps stacked |
| Forwarding rate | 154.76 Mpps |
| Default power supply | 350 W, PWR-C1-350WAC-P |
| Rack height | 1RU |
| Weight | 16.03 lb |
Capacity is a property of the stack, not the chassis
Switching capacity on the C9300-24T is 208 Gbps, and stacked capacity is 688 Gbps. Those two figures are the argument for reading this model as a stack member. The chassis number describes what one box can move between its own ports; the stacked number describes what the group can move between all of them, and a closet that will hold four switches is sized on the second one.
Forwarding rate on this model is 154.76 Mpps. It is worth quoting alongside the capacity figure because the two answer different questions: capacity is bandwidth and forwarding rate is packets, and a network moving many small packets runs into the second limit long before the first. Both are Cisco figures for this part number and neither is derived from the other here.
Why this model has no PoE budget
Cisco's power table reads no PoE for the C9300-24T in every column. There is no budget to divide, no per-port rating to plan against and no larger supply to specify for powered endpoints. A data-only switch is chosen where the endpoints bring their own power, and it removes an entire class of sizing error from the build.
The default supply is a 350 W PWR-C1-350WAC-P, and Cisco records 715 W and 1100 W as ordering options on this row. Neither turns the switch into a PoE switch. They exist for redundancy and headroom, which is a different requirement and one worth stating separately on a specification so nobody reads a bigger supply as a powered port.
Stacking: what this switch can and cannot join
A Cisco Catalyst C9300-24T stacks over StackWise-480 at 480 Gbps with up to eight members. Cisco's rule on what may join is written plainly: you cannot stack fixed uplink models, which are the C9300L SKUs, with modular uplink models, which are the C9300 SKUs, or with other Catalyst switches such as the 3850 and 3650 Series. Any combination of Catalyst 9300 Series models can form a stack, and separately, any combination of Catalyst 9300L models can form a stack.
Read positively, that is permission rather than restriction. A 24-port data switch, a 48-port data switch and a PoE model from the same line can sit in one stack together, which is how a mixed closet is built without buying identical hardware. The boundary is the line itself, plus the license level every member has to share.
Uplinks: modular module or fixed ports
Uplinks on the C9300-24T arrive on a network module, and Cisco publishes five of them: C9300-NM-4G for four 1G ports, C9300-NM-4M for four mGig ports, C9300-NM-8X for eight 10G ports, C9300-NM-2Q for two 40G ports and C9300-NM-2Y for two 25G ports. The module is ordered separately and is not fixed to the chassis for the life of the switch.
There is no 100G module for the base Catalyst 9300. Those modules belong to the 9300X, so a 100G uplink plan is a platform decision and not a module decision. Against the fixed-uplink alternative the difference is stark: a C9300L-48P-4X has its four 10G uplinks built into the chassis and cannot be moved off them.
Where the C9300-24T sits in the 9300 line
The C9300-24T is the smaller of the two data-only members of the modular-uplink line. Its natural comparison is the 48-port version of itself, because the choice between them is rarely about features and almost always about how many ports a closet needs behind one power feed.
| Specification | C9300-24T | C9300-48T |
|---|---|---|
| Access ports | 24, 1G copper, data only | 48, 1G copper, data only |
| Switching capacity | 208 Gbps | 256 Gbps |
| Stacked capacity | 688 Gbps | 736 Gbps |
| Forwarding rate | 154.76 Mpps | 190.47 Mpps |
| PoE | None | None |
| Uplinks | Modular network module | Modular network module |
| Stacking | StackWise-480, 480 Gbps, up to 8 | StackWise-480, 480 Gbps, up to 8 |
A C9300-24T carries 24 ports of 1G copper against the C9300-48T's 48, and its switching capacity is 208 Gbps against 256 Gbps, but both stack to the same 480 Gbps StackWise-480 fabric across up to eight members, so the stack rather than the chassis sets the port count. Where powered ports are needed on the same platform, the C9300-24P is the 24-port PoE+ model.
Buying refurbished while Cisco still ships new
The Catalyst 9300 is a current product, so the refurbished argument here is not a lifecycle one. It is availability and price on the same part number and the same hardware, which matters most when a stack is being extended and the new member has to match what is already racked rather than be the newest thing available.
Whole systems ship with a 2 year Enterasource warranty and free FedEx Ground freight to the lower 48 states. Every unit is tested before it leaves. The rest of our Cisco switching, campus and data centre alike, is on the Cisco networking pages.
Condition, testing and what ships with the switch
The process is the same on every unit and is worth stating rather than summarising: inbound test on receipt, disassemble, clean, inventory, pick, assemble, configure, and an outbound test before the switch ships. Network modules, stacking cables and stack kits are separate line items and are quoted explicitly, never assumed to be in the box.
Software licenses and subscriptions are not included unless the listing states otherwise. Cisco sells the Catalyst 9300 in two network stack levels, Network Essentials and Network Advantage, and they are different part numbers with different feature sets rather than a cosmetic suffix. Tell us which level your network needs before you order and we will confirm, in writing, what the specific unit we are shipping carries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Catalyst 9300 switches be stacked to increase port count?
Yes. StackWise-480 runs at 480 Gbps and supports up to eight members, and the stack behaves as one managed unit with a single configuration and a single management address. Eight C9300-24T chassis together present 192 access ports of 1G copper. Cisco requires that every member sits at the same network stack license level, so the stack has to be planned as a set rather than assembled opportunistically.
Can a C9300-24T stack with a C9300L?
No. Cisco states that fixed uplink models, the C9300L SKUs, cannot be stacked with modular uplink models, the C9300 SKUs, or with other Catalyst switches such as the 3850 and 3650 Series. What is allowed is broader than people expect within the line: any combination of Catalyst 9300 models can form a stack, so this switch stacks with 48-port, PoE+ and UPOE members of the same family.
Does a C9300-24T support PoE?
No. Cisco's power table reads no PoE for this part number in every column, which means no budget, no per-port rating and no powered access ports. The powered members of the line are the P and U models instead. Choosing the data-only version deliberately removes the power supply sizing exercise from the build, which is the reason it exists as a separate part number.
What uplinks does a C9300-24T take?
A removable network module. Cisco publishes five: C9300-NM-4G for four 1G ports, C9300-NM-4M for four mGig ports, C9300-NM-8X for eight 10G ports, C9300-NM-2Q for two 40G ports and C9300-NM-2Y for two 25G ports. There is no 100G module for the base Catalyst 9300, so a 100G uplink requirement points at a different platform rather than a different module.
Is one 48-port switch better than two 24-port switches in a stack?
They are not equivalent. One C9300-48T gives 256 Gbps of switching capacity in a single chassis; two C9300-24T chassis give 208 Gbps each and share a 480 Gbps StackWise-480 fabric between them, which changes where traffic between ports has to travel. Two chassis also give two power supplies and two failure domains. The stack answer suits closets that will grow; the single chassis suits closets that will not.
Does a refurbished C9300-24T include a Cisco license?
Licenses and subscriptions are not included unless the listing says so. On this model the level matters twice over, because Cisco requires every member of a stack to share the same network stack level, so a switch bought to extend an existing stack has to match what that stack already runs. Tell us which level the network needs and we will confirm in writing what the specific unit being shipped carries.
