The Cisco Catalyst C9300-24U is a 24-port UPOE access switch, and Cisco publishes a higher PoE budget for it than for the 48-port C9300-48U. On the default 1100 W supply that figure is 830 W against 822 W, which is not what port count alone would predict. The relationship holds on that supply, though it reverses above it.
Ports, uplinks and stacking
Access ports on the C9300-24U are 24 ports of 1G copper carrying Cisco UPOE at 60 W per port. That rating is the reason to be on this model rather than a PoE+ one: a PoE+ port is rated at 30 W, so the tier decides which endpoints can be fed from the switch at all rather than merely how many of them fit inside a budget.
Uplinks sit outside the access count and arrive on a removable network module, so uplink speed is set at order and can be changed later. Stacking is StackWise-480 at 480 Gbps across up to eight members, with Cisco requiring every member to sit at the same network stack license level.
| Specification | C9300-24U |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 24 x 1G copper, Cisco UPOE |
| PoE budget | 830 W on the default 1100 W supply |
| Per-port rating | Cisco UPOE, 60 W |
| Maximum PoE | 1440 W |
| 802.3bt Type 3 | All ports |
| 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 |
| Rack height | 1RU |
| Weight | 16.63 lb |
PoE budget: what this switch can actually power
On its default 1100 W power supply Cisco publishes an 830 W PoE budget for the C9300-24U, higher than the 822 W it publishes for the 48-port C9300-48U. Both figures come from the same table and the same supply, which is what makes them comparable, and the comparison is the single most useful thing on this page because it contradicts the assumption almost everyone brings to it.
The qualifier is not optional. Above the default supply the ordering reverses: a 1900 W primary takes the 48-port model to 1622 W, while this switch caps at 1440 W. So the honest sizing rule is that the 24-port model carries more budget where both are ordered as they ship, and less where both are pushed to their limits. Anyone speccing large supplies needs the second half of that sentence.
Reading the budget itself follows Cisco's own footnote: delivery is limited by port number and port rating, so at the UPOE rating of 60 W a port, thirteen ports drawing their full class account for 780 W of the 830 W available. That thirteen-port figure is our arithmetic on Cisco's published inputs rather than a Cisco specification, but it is the sum a closet has to do before it commits.
Full Type 3 coverage, which the 48-port model does not have
Cisco states the UPOE rating and its 802.3bt scope together: 60 W per port, with IEEE 802.3bt Type 3 on all ports for the 24-port switch, or up to 30 ports for the 48-port switch. On a C9300-24U, Type 3 therefore covers every access port on the chassis.
That is the second reason a 24-port UPOE switch is not simply half of a 48-port one, and it points the same way as the budget figure. Where a deployment needs Type 3 on every port it touches, this model delivers it across the whole chassis, and two of these switches provide something a single 48-port switch cannot regardless of which power supply is fitted.
Stacking: what this switch can and cannot join
A Cisco Catalyst C9300-24U stacks over StackWise-480 at 480 Gbps with up to eight members. Cisco's boundary is stated 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.
Two of these switches in a stack is a common answer to a UPOE requirement, and it is worth understanding what that does and does not give. It gives full Type 3 coverage across 48 access ports and two independent power budgets. It does not give one pooled budget, because stacking shares switching fabric rather than power, and every member has to sit at the same network stack license level.
Uplinks: modular module or fixed ports
Uplinks on the C9300-24U come from a network module rather than the chassis. 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, ordered as a separate line and changeable later.
No 100G module exists for the base Catalyst 9300, because those parts belong to the 9300X. Where 1G copper access has to meet much faster uplinks, a Nexus 9348GC-FXP reaches that from the data centre side, which is a different platform and a different answer to the same floor plan.
Where the C9300-24U sits in the 9300 line
The C9300-24U is the 24-port UPOE member of the modular-uplink Catalyst 9300 family. Its two useful comparisons run in different directions: against the 48-port UPOE model on density and budget, and against the 24-port PoE+ model on tier.
| Specification | C9300-48U | C9300-24U | C9300-24P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access ports | 48 | 24 | 24 |
| PoE tier | Cisco UPOE | Cisco UPOE | PoE+ |
| Per-port rating | 60 W | 60 W | 30 W |
| PoE budget on the default supply | 822 W on 1100 W | 830 W on 1100 W | 445 W on 715 W |
| Maximum PoE | 1800 W | 1440 W | 720 W |
| 802.3bt Type 3 | Up to 30 ports | All ports | Not applicable |
| Switching capacity | 256 Gbps | 208 Gbps | 208 Gbps |
| Stacking | StackWise-480, up to 8 | StackWise-480, up to 8 | StackWise-480, up to 8 |
Set against the C9300-24P the difference is the tier and everything that follows it: Cisco UPOE at 60 W per port on its default 1100 W supply against PoE+ at 30 W per port on a default 715 W supply, and 830 W of budget against 445 W, while the switching capacity is identical at 208 Gbps. Same ports, same fabric, a different power stage.
Buying refurbished while Cisco still ships new
Cisco still sells the Catalyst 9300 new, so the refurbished argument on this page is price and availability rather than lifecycle. The part number and the hardware are the same, and the unit ships from stock rather than being scheduled, which matters when a UPOE requirement has arrived with a set of endpoints that are already on site.
Whole systems carry a 2 year Enterasource warranty, and freight is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states. Every unit is tested before it ships. The wider Cisco switching range is on the Cisco networking pages.
Condition, testing and what ships with the switch
Each unit passes through the same sequence, which we state rather than summarise: inbound test on receipt, disassemble, clean, inventory, pick, assemble, configure, and an outbound test before the switch ships. Supplies beyond the one fitted, network modules, stacking cables and stack kits are quoted as separate line items and are 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
Why does the C9300-24U have a higher PoE budget than the C9300-48U?
On the default 1100 W power supply Cisco publishes 830 W for the 24-port model and 822 W for the 48-port one. Both figures are Cisco's and both are measured on the same supply, so the comparison is a fair one. It does not hold above that supply: with a 1900 W primary the 48-port model reaches 1622 W while this switch caps at 1440 W, so the ordering reverses once the supplies are upgraded.
What is the PoE budget of a C9300-24U?
Cisco publishes 830 W on the default 1100 W power supply, with 1440 W as the maximum for the model. Both are totals shared across the 24 access ports rather than per-port guarantees. At the Cisco UPOE rating of 60 W per port, thirteen ports drawing their full class account for 780 W of the 830 W available, which is the sum worth doing before the endpoints are chosen.
What uplinks does a C9300-24U take?
A removable network module. 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. No 100G module exists for the base Catalyst 9300, so a 100G uplink requirement means a different platform rather than a different module in this chassis.
Can a C9300-24U be stacked 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. Within the line the rule is generous: any combination of Catalyst 9300 models can form a stack, so this switch stacks with PoE+ and data-only members, provided every member shares the same network stack license level.
What is the difference between a C9300-24U and a C9300-24P?
The power tier and the supply that feeds it. Both carry 24 ports of 1G copper and both deliver 208 Gbps of switching capacity, so the switching side is identical. The 24U runs Cisco UPOE at 60 W per port with 830 W of budget on a default 1100 W supply; the 24P runs PoE+ at 30 W per port with 445 W of budget on a default 715 W supply.
Does a refurbished C9300-24U include a Cisco license?
Licenses and subscriptions are not included unless the listing says so. The UPOE tier is fixed in the hardware and tells you nothing about the network stack level, which is a separate entitlement recorded in the part number and governs routing and management features instead of power. Tell us which level the network needs and we will confirm in writing what the specific unit being shipped carries.
