Cross-track density capability is predicted for a large number of writes based on a plurality of erase band width measurements. Over the plurality of erase band width measurements, a number of writes in a series of writes performed as part of an aggressing track sequence is varied. A model of the magnetic track width (MTW) as function of the number of writes employed in the MTW measurements may be generated and an estimate of the erase band width for a large number of writes derived from the model as a prediction of cross-track density capability.