The Cisco Catalyst C9300L-48P-4X is a fixed-uplink campus access switch with 48 PoE+ ports, four 10G uplinks and a 505 W PoE budget. Stacking is StackWise-320, and a C9300L cannot be stacked with a modular-uplink C9300. The uplinks are fixed at four 10G ports, so uplink speed is set at order, and a later module swap is not an option on this line.
Ports, uplinks and stacking
Access ports on the C9300L-48P-4X are 48 PoE+ ports, the same access density as the modular-uplink line, and the difference sits above them. Four 10G uplinks are built into the chassis. There is no network module slot to populate and none to change later, which is the trade the C9300L line exists to make: less flexibility upstream, a simpler and cheaper switch in the closet.
Stacking is StackWise-320, rated at 320 Gbps with up to eight members in a stack. That is a different stack technology from the StackWise-480 used by the modular-uplink C9300, and the difference is not only a number, because the two technologies cannot be joined in one stack.
| Specification | C9300L-48P-4X |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 48 PoE+ |
| PoE budget | 505 W |
| Uplinks | Fixed 4x10G/1G SFP+, dual-rate cages, not modular and not upgradeable |
| Stacking | StackWise-320, 320 Gbps, up to 8 members |
| Stack kit | C9300L-STACK-KIT2 |
| Mixed stacking | Not supported with C9300 modular-uplink models |
PoE budget: what this switch can actually power
A Cisco Catalyst C9300L-48P-4X carries 48 PoE+ ports against a published PoE budget of 505 W. Those are two different quantities and the second one is the constraint. Cisco's PoE footnote sets out how to read a budget: delivery is limited by port number and port rating, so sixteen ports drawing the full 30 W each account for 480 W of the 505 W available.
That arithmetic is ours, worked from Cisco's published budget and Cisco's published per-port PoE+ rating, and the resulting port count is not itself a Cisco specification. It is still the calculation a closet has to do before it commits, because the endpoints that fill a 48-port access switch are rarely all drawing their maximum class at once, and the ones that do are the ones worth counting individually.
Stacking: what this switch can and cannot join
A Cisco Catalyst C9300L-48P-4X stacks over StackWise-320 at 320 Gbps, with up to eight members in a stack. Cisco is explicit about the limit that catches buyers out: you cannot stack fixed uplink models, which are the C9300L SKUs, with modular uplink models, which are the C9300 SKUs. An existing C9300 stack cannot be extended with a C9300L, and the two lines have to be planned as separate stacks from the start.
This is the single most expensive mistake available on this part number, because the switches are close enough in name and in function that a purchasing team can order the wrong line and only discover it at install. Check what an existing stack is built from before adding to it. Where a site is starting fresh, either line is a valid choice; where it is extending, the line is already decided.
The stack kit this switch needs
A Catalyst 9300L stack is quoted as two things, the switches and the stacking kit, and the kit part number has moved. C9300L-STACK-KIT passed its last day to order on 3 November 2025 and carries a last day of support of 30 November 2030 under Cisco notice EOL15646. C9300L-STACK-KIT2 is the live part, and a stacking quote written against the older kit cannot be filled from Cisco.
That milestone belongs to the kit and to nothing else. The switch itself is a current-ship product with no announced hardware end-of-sale, and the two facts should not be read together.
Uplinks: modular module or fixed ports
Uplink speed on the C9300L-48P-4X is a purchase decision rather than an upgrade path. The four 10G ports are part of the chassis, so a site that later needs faster upstream capacity replaces the switch rather than a module. The modular line answers the same requirement differently: a C9300-48P takes a removable network module, and Cisco publishes that module family from 1G through to 40G.
Neither approach is better in the abstract. Four 10G uplinks are ample for an access closet feeding a 10G distribution layer and will stay ample for as long as that distribution layer does; the question worth answering before ordering is whether the distribution layer is likely to move first.
Where the C9300L-48P-4X sits in the 9300 line
The C9300L-48P-4X is the fixed-uplink 48-port PoE+ switch in the Catalyst 9300 family. Set against the modular-uplink C9300-48P it matches on access density and diverges on everything upstream of the access ports, which is the comparison most buyers are actually making.
| Specification | C9300-48P | C9300L-48P-4X |
|---|---|---|
| Access ports | 48 PoE+ | 48 PoE+ |
| Uplinks | Modular network module, 1G to 40G | Fixed 4x10G/1G SFP+, dual-rate cages |
| Uplink speed upgradeable | Yes | No |
| Stacking | StackWise-480 | StackWise-320, 320 Gbps, 8 members |
| PoE budget | 437 W on the 715 W supply | 505 W |
| Can these two stack together | No | No |
The two switches carry the same 48 PoE+ ports, but the C9300-48P's uplink speed can be changed by swapping a module and the C9300L-48P-4X's cannot, and neither switch can join the other's stack. Where the requirement is 1G copper access with much faster uplinks than either offers, a Nexus 9348GC-FXP is a different answer to the same floor plan, and the wider Catalyst 9300 range covers the models between them.
Buying refurbished while Cisco still ships new
Cisco still sells the Catalyst 9300L new, so nothing on this page rests on a lifecycle gap. The refurbished case is availability and price on identical hardware: the same part number, the same switch, shipped from stock rather than scheduled from a queue. For a closet build that is already waiting on cabling and access points, that is usually the constraint worth removing.
Every whole system we ship carries a 2 year Enterasource warranty, and freight is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states. 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
Every unit follows the same process, stated rather than summarised: inbound test on receipt, disassemble, clean, inventory, pick, assemble, configure, and an outbound test before the switch ships. Stacking cables and 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
What uplinks does a C9300L-48P-4X have?
Four 10G uplink ports, built into the chassis rather than supplied on a removable module. That is what the 4X in the part number records, and it is fixed for the life of the switch: there is no module to swap and no field upgrade to a faster uplink speed. A site that expects to need more than 10G upstream should be looking at the modular line instead, where the uplink module is a separate order.
Can a C9300L be stacked with a C9300?
No, and Cisco states it plainly: fixed uplink models, which are the C9300L SKUs, cannot be stacked with modular uplink models, which are the C9300 SKUs. The stack technologies differ as well, StackWise-320 on this switch against StackWise-480 on the modular line. Plan the two as separate stacks, and check which line an existing stack uses before ordering a switch to extend it.
Which stack kit does a C9300L-48P-4X use?
C9300L-STACK-KIT2 is the part to quote. The earlier C9300L-STACK-KIT reached its last day to order on 3 November 2025 and carries a last day of support of 30 November 2030 under Cisco notice EOL15646, so an order written against it cannot be filled from Cisco. The kit is a separate line from the switch, and a stack quote that omits it is incomplete.
What is the PoE budget of a C9300L-48P-4X?
Cisco publishes a 505 W PoE budget for this switch, spread across its 48 PoE+ ports. A budget is a total, not a per-port guarantee, so the number that matters is the sum of what the endpoints actually draw: sixteen ports at the full 30 W PoE+ rating account for 480 W of that 505 W. Count the powered endpoints and their real draw class before assuming the budget covers a full switch.
What is the difference between a C9300L-48P-4X and a C9300L-48P-4G?
The uplinks are what separate them. Cisco orders the 4X with fixed 4x10G/1G SFP+ uplinks and the 4G with fixed 4x1G SFP uplinks, so the 4X cage accepts a 10 Gigabit SFP+ as well as the 100 Megabit and 1 Gigabit SFP classes, and the 4G cage accepts the slower two. Both switches carry 48 PoE+ access ports and the same StackWise-320 stacking, and the PoE budget ladder is identical on both, starting at 505 W on the default 715 W supply and rising as a second supply is fitted. Neither uplink set can be changed after purchase, so this is one decision about upstream capacity taken at order.
Does a refurbished C9300L-48P-4X include a Cisco license?
Licenses and subscriptions are not included unless the listing says so. On this line the network stack level is recorded inside a part number that also fixes the uplinks, so one string carries two independent decisions and it is worth separating them on a quote. Tell us which stack level the network needs, and we will confirm in writing what the specific unit being shipped carries.
