Cisco Catalyst 9400 Switch Buying Guide: C9404R, C9407R, C9410R

By M&F Collaboration · Published October 5, 2026 · Last updated October 7, 2026

Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series switches are modular campus chassis—supervisor engines plus mix-and-match line cards—not fixed 1RU cores like the Catalyst 9500 and not stackable access switches like the 9300/9200. Choose chassis size (C9404R, C9407R, or C9410R), supervisor bandwidth, and line-card media before you lock the BOM.

This guide covers our live Cisco Catalyst 9400 Switches catalog: four-slot C9404R, seven-slot C9407R= / C9407R-RF, ten-slot C9410R-RF, the 96-port UPOE Advantage-class bundle C9407R-96U-BNDL-A, plus line cards C9400-LC-24S and C9400-LC-48HN. For series selection across Catalyst lines, start with the Cisco Switch Buying Guide.

What is the Cisco Catalyst 9400, and what is it not?

Cisco positions the Catalyst 9400 as its lead modular enterprise switching platform on IOS XE—built for campus access, distribution, and smaller core roles where you want dual-supervisor high availability, field-replaceable line cards, and high-density PoE including Cisco UPOE and UPOE+. Per Cisco’s datasheet, a single chassis scales to 384 access ports with up to 480 Gbps per line-card slot when paired with C9400X-SUP-2XL, side-to-side airflow, and ~16-inch depth for wiring closets.

It is not a fixed-configuration 1RU core/aggregation switch (that is the Catalyst 9500) and it is not the stackable access switch you put under desks (see Catalyst 9300 and 9200). Stay on 9400 when you need modular density, supervisor redundancy, and mix-and-match copper/fiber/mGig PoE cards in one chassis.

How do the C9404R, C9407R, and C9410R chassis compare?

The three Catalyst 9400 chassis all take two supervisors and differ in line-card slots, port ceiling, and height: C9404R has 2 line-card slots (up to 96 ports, 6 RU), C9407R has 5 (up to 240 ports, 10 RU), and C9410R has 8 (up to 384 ports, 13 RU). Pick the smallest chassis that covers your port count plus growth.

Dedicated supervisor slots are fixed by chassis (C9404R: slots 2–3; C9407R: 3–4; C9410R: 5–6)—line cards do not go in supervisor slots. Bandwidth per slot depends on the supervisor: Cisco documents 80 Gbps/slot with C9400-SUP-1 on all three chassis. C9400-SUP-1XL and C9400-SUP-1XL-Y give 240 Gbps/slot on C9404R, 120 Gbps/slot on C9407R, and 80 Gbps/slot on C9410R. C9400X-SUP-2 gives 240 Gbps/slot and C9400X-SUP-2XL gives 480 Gbps/slot on all three chassis. We also list C9400-SUP-1 and C9400-SUP-1XL as separate products. Marketplace copy that promises “480 Gbps” without naming the supervisor is incomplete—put the SUP PID on the RFQ.

Which Catalyst 9400 chassis do we stock?

C9404R is the four-slot modular chassis (listed in new condition): two line-card slots, two supervisor slots, up to 96 front-panel ports, and four power-supply bays in 6 RU. Use it when rack space is tight but you still want dual-SUP modular HA instead of stacking fixed access switches.

The seven-slot family is our densest listing set. C9407R= is the new spare chassis PID (the “=” marks a Cisco spare). C9407R-RF is the same chassis refurbished—spell out -RF = refurbished on every quote and confirm Smart Account entitlements separately from the hardware. Both are 10 RU with five line-card slots and eight PSU bays.

C9410R-RF is the refurbished ten-slot chassis: eight line-card slots, two supervisor slots, eight PSU bays, 13 RU, and up to 384 ports—choose it when you are refreshing a large IDF/MDF and want room to grow without replacing the backplane.

C9407R-96U-BNDL-A is a C9407R-based bundle aimed at a 96-port UPOE starting configuration (commonly described as chassis + supervisor + two C9400-LC-48U 48-port UPOE cards + Switching Advantage–tier licensing). Treat marketplace “Layer 2 only” wording carefully—the Catalyst 9400 platform is a modular Layer 2/3 campus switch. Always confirm which supervisor, which Cisco Networking Subscription tier and term, and how many power supplies ship with the specific unit before cutover.

Which Catalyst 9400 line cards do we stock: 1G fiber or multigig UPOE+?

C9400-LC-24S is Cisco’s 24-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet SFP line card (IOS XE 16.8.1 or later). Site titles that say “10G SFP+” are wrong—the 10G SFP+ card is C9400-LC-24XS, Cisco’s 24-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ line card (IOS XE 16.6.2 or later), which we list separately. Use LC-24S for fiber-to-the-desktop, 1G fiber aggregation, or non-blocking 1G SFP density (24/48/120/192 ports min/max depending on chassis fill).

C9400-LC-48HN is the 48-port 5G/2.5G multigigabit RJ-45 card with full Cisco UPOE+ (IEEE 802.3bt, up to 90W per port), plus 1G/100M fallback (IOS XE 17.5 or later). It is built for Wi-Fi 6/6E access points and other high-power endpoints—not a wireless AP itself and not a 10G mGig card (that would be C9400-LC-48HX). Size PoE budget and power-supply count with Cisco’s power calculator; concurrent full-90W density is supervisor- and chassis-dependent.

Choosing the access points those UPOE+ ports will power? Our Cisco wireless access point buying guide covers AP selection for offices and warehouses.

How do you read Catalyst 9400 part numbers?

Catalyst 9400 PIDs tell you the chassis size, condition, bundle contents, and line-card media. Decode them before you compare quotes, because a missing suffix or a marketplace title can change what actually ships.

Which supervisors, licenses, and accessories complete the BOM?

Chassis SKUs alone do not forward packets—you still need a supervisor (SUP-1, SUP-1XL, SUP-1XL-Y, or SUP-2/2XL), a matching fan tray, and enough 2100W/3200W AC (or DC) supplies for N+1 or N+N. Dual supervisors enable SSO/NSF and ISSU-style upgrades. Cisco StackWise Virtual can pair two 9400 chassis into one logical system—plan identical software trains and SVL optics, and license both chassis at the same Cisco Networking Subscription tier (Switching Essentials or Switching Advantage) for the feature set you need. Older units may instead carry perpetual Network Essentials/Advantage with a matching Cisco DNA Essentials/Advantage term, which Cisco still offers as a separate licensing option.

Complete every quote with optics from Cisco Transceivers, fiber or copper cable assemblies, and redundant modules from Cisco Power Supplies.

What should a Catalyst 9400 RFQ include?

Use this checklist before you request a quote so the chassis, supervisor, line cards, licensing, and power arrive as one working system.

• Role: modular chassis (9400) vs fixed core/agg (9500) vs stackable access (9300/9200)
• Chassis size: C9404R (96 ports / 6 RU), C9407R (240 / 10 RU), or C9410R (384 / 13 RU)
• Supervisor PID and target Gbps/slot; dual-SUP and StackWise Virtual plans
• Line cards: 1G SFP (LC-24S or LC-48S), 10G SFP+ (LC-24XS), 1G RJ-45 (LC-48T, PoE+ LC-48P, UPOE LC-48U), UPOE with 24×10G mGig + 24×1G (LC-48UX), or 5G mGig UPOE+ (LC-48HN)—state media and PoE class
• License: Cisco Networking Subscription tier (Switching Essentials or Switching Advantage) and term; Cisco’s standard minimum for a new subscription is 36 months
• Condition: new vs refurbished (-RF); Smart Account / license transfer on RF units
• PSU count and wattage, fan tray, optics, cables, rack kits, quantities, cutover date

Cisco Catalyst 9400 FAQ