CD-R vs CD-RW vs MP3 CD

What is a CD-R?

A CD-R, short for compact disc recordable, is a blank disc you can write to once. Instead of the pressed pits of a store-bought CD, it has a layer of light-sensitive dye. When you burn it, the laser in your CD burner darkens tiny spots in that dye, and a CD player reads those spots the same way it reads a pressed album.

Once a section is written, it stays that way. You can’t delete a song from a burned audio CD or move tracks around, which is why it pays to get the playlist right before you burn. Our guide on how to burn a CD covers the whole process.

What's the difference between a CD-R and a CD-RW?

A CD-R is written once and plays in almost every CD player, while a CD-RW can be erased and rewritten but many older car and home stereos can’t read it. A CD-RW (rewritable) uses a recording layer that can be switched back and forth. That sounds strictly better. For music, it isn’t.

The reason is reflectivity. A CD-RW reflects much less of the player’s laser light than a CD-R or a pressed CD. Players have to be built to handle that weak signal, and many older car stereos and home decks weren’t. A disc that plays fine on your laptop can show “No disc” or “Error” in an older car.

What's the difference between an audio CD, an MP3 CD and a data CD?

An audio CD holds 80 minutes of uncompressed tracks and plays in every CD player; an MP3 CD or data CD holds about 700 MB of files but plays only in computers and compatible players. These are the three ways to burn music onto a CD-R or CD-RW.

What is an MP3 CD?

An MP3 CD is a CD-R filled with MP3 files instead of CD audio tracks. Because MP3s are compressed, one disc holds hours of music. Windows Media Player’s help page puts a data CD at about 700 MB, or roughly 8 hours of music. Many newer car stereos read them and let you skip between folders, but plenty of players, especially older home stereos and portable CD players, don’t.

To make one on a Mac, choose MP3 CD in the Music app’s Burn Playlist to Disc window; every song must already be an MP3 file. On Windows, choose Data CD in Windows Media Player Legacy’s Burn options. Our guides to burning a CD on a Mac and burning a CD on Windows have the steps.

Audio CD vs MP3 CD, in one line: MP3 CDs for long drives in a car you know reads them; audio CDs for everything else, including every gift.

Should you buy 74-minute, 80-minute or longer CD-Rs?

Buy 80-minute / 700 MB CD-Rs. The 80-minute disc is today’s standard, 74-minute discs are the older size, and 90- or 99-minute discs push past the CD standard.

• 80 minutes / 700 MB is the standard CD-R today and what you should buy.
• 74 minutes / 650 MB was the original size. It still turns up in old stock and some bargain packs, so check the label before you burn a long playlist.
• 90- and 99-minute discs exist but push past the CD standard. Many burners and players handle them poorly, so skip them for anything that has to play in a car.

In practice 80 minutes is about 18 to 22 songs. Our page on how many songs fit on a CD breaks it down by song length, and the playlist length calculator checks a real playlist.

Do you need music CD-Rs to burn music?

Music CD-Rs, sold as “music CD-R,” “for music” or “digital audio,” are only needed for standalone consumer CD recorders, not for burning on a computer. They’re made for standalone consumer CD recorders, the decks that sit in a home stereo rack and record without a computer. Those recorders only accept discs marked for music, and the discs cost a little more because a royalty for rights holders is built into the price.

On a computer, a standard CD-R is all you need. A standard data CD-R burns perfect audio CDs in a computer drive. Buy music CD-Rs only if you own one of those standalone decks.

How do you choose blank CDs?

For music, choose 80-minute / 700 MB CD-Rs from a reputable brand, sold by a seller that moves a lot of stock. Blank CDs vary more than the identical packaging suggests. The dye, the reflective layer and the coating all differ between makers, and cheap discs are where failed burns and early fading tend to come from.

• Buy CD-R, 80 min / 700 MB, unless you specifically want to reuse a disc.
• Pick a reputable brand from a seller that moves a lot of stock. Avoid unbranded bulk spindles with no maker’s name on them.
• Spindle or cases? Spindles (discs stacked on a post) are cheaper per disc but come bare. Packs in slim cases cost more and protect each disc. For gifts, a jewel case or a paper sleeve does the same job; our CD sleeve template prints one at home.
• Ignore the top speed on the label. “52x” is the most the disc is rated for. For music, burn at a middle speed anyway.

Only need one disc? Rather than buying a pack of blanks and a burner, have your playlist burned to a CD on a CD-R and test-played before it ships.

How do you store burned CDs so they last?

Store burned CDs upright in a case or sleeve, out of the sun and out of hot cars, because a CD-R’s dye is sensitive to light and heat. The label side is the delicate one, with the data just beneath it. These habits keep a burned CD playing:

• Keep it out of the sun and out of hot cars. A dashboard or seat in summer is the worst place for a burned disc. Use a visor sleeve or the glove box, and take favourites inside.
• Store it upright in a case or sleeve, away from heaters and windows.
• Hold it by the edges and keep fingerprints off the shiny side.
• Write on it with a felt-tip marker, never a ballpoint pen, and skip stick-on labels. A label can peel in heat and jam a slot-loading car player.

Burned CDs have no single lifespan. Good discs stored cool and dark can last many years; cheap ones left in a hot car may fail much sooner. Treat a burned CD as a copy and keep the music files too.