diff --git a/app/model.go b/app/model.go
index c4d172d..ce86541 100644
--- a/app/model.go
+++ b/app/model.go
@@ -190,6 +190,9 @@ func (instance *Instance) RebuildVolume(host *Node, volid string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	voltype := AnyPrefixes(volid, VolumeTypes)
+	volume.Type = voltype
+
 	instance.Volumes[VolumeID(volid)] = volume
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/app/types.go b/app/types.go
index 5e6c62d..c4e9bfd 100644
--- a/app/types.go
+++ b/app/types.go
@@ -48,8 +48,18 @@ type Instance struct {
 	configHostPCIs map[string]string
 }
 
+var VolumeTypes = []string{
+	"sata",
+	"scsi",
+	"ide",
+	"rootfs",
+	"mp",
+	"unused",
+}
+
 type VolumeID string
 type Volume struct {
+	Type    string   `json:"type"`
 	Storage string   `json:"storage"`
 	Format  string   `json:"format"`
 	Size    uint64   `json:"size"`
diff --git a/app/utils.go b/app/utils.go
index 3ca4afd..85eeff9 100644
--- a/app/utils.go
+++ b/app/utils.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func GetConfig(configPath string) Config {
 	return config
 }
 
-// returns if a device pcie bus id is a super device or subsystem device
+// checks if a device pcie bus id is a super device or subsystem device
 //
 // subsystem devices always has the format xxxx:yy.z, whereas super devices have the format xxxx:yy
 //
@@ -44,3 +44,16 @@ func GetConfig(configPath string) Config {
 func DeviceBusIDIsSuperDevice(BusID DeviceID) bool {
 	return !strings.ContainsRune(string(BusID), '.')
 }
+
+// checks if string s has one of any prefixes, and returns the prefix or "" if there was no match
+//
+// matches the first prefix match in array order
+func AnyPrefixes(s string, prefixes []string) string {
+	for _, prefix := range prefixes {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(s, prefix) {
+			return prefix
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}