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What are the different types of Shredders?

There are three main cut types for you to consider, listed here from most basic to most advanced.

Strip-cut Shredders

These shredders offer a basic level of security, slicing your documents into a long, vertical strips. For everyday documents or mail that contains no sensitive information.

Cross-cut Shredders

With a cross-cut shredder, paper is cut both lengthways and crossways, adding an extra layer of security. They’re ideal for personal information of a non-sensitive nature.

Micro-cut Shredders

For secure destruction of sensitive information such as medical or financial documents, pick a micro-cut shredder. Paper is cut into a confetti-like particle, significantly reducing the chance of your documents being reassembled.

What are the shredder security ratings?

Security ratings represent how hard it would be for someone to reassemble your documents from your shredder’s output. Shredder security levels range from P-1 to P-7, and represent a decreasing size of the shredded particles.

Low Security Level (P-1 and P-2)

Generally, a strip-cut shredder will have a security level of P-1 or P-2, cutting your document into ribbons. For P-1, those ribbons can be up to 12 mm in width, whereas with P-2, they can be up to 6 mm. This means that they’re suitable for basic day-to-day use in your home or workspace and can be used to shred non-sensitive data. This might include things like everyday files and general documents, non-sensitive invoices, printouts and photocopies. They’re also suitable for paper volume reduction and large scale paper recycling schemes such as disposing of newspapers, phone books and junk mail.

Medium Security Level Shredders (P-3)

P-3 shredders use a cross-cut shredding pattern for added security, presenting a significant level up from strip cutters. Particles are cut two ways, creating shorter strips, although a strip length maximum is not specified for this security level. However, the particles must be a maximum of 2 mm in width with a maximum surface area of 320 mm2. P-3 is ideal for documents that might contain sensitive details like addresses.

High Security Level (P-4 and above)

Micro-cut shredders fall into the security level of P-4 and above, with strips measuring a maximum of 160 mm2 in area. A P-4 shredder is suitable for bank statements, while you might opt for P-5 where sensitive personal or commercial data is involved.

A P-5 shredder create particles with a maximum of 30 mm2 surface area, and is best suited to sensitive financial, business, or personal data.

P6 shredders have a maximum surface area of 10 mm2 and are suitable for legal documents, and medical data, while P7 has a maximum surface area of 5 mm2 and is suitable for military, government, and otherwise highly sensitive information.

Duty cycle

Shredders, like all of us, sometimes need a break to cool down. Look for a longer run time and a shorter rest time if you need to shred documents multiple times a day – or if your shredder will be in a shared workspace where it will have shorter times between uses. There are even shredders with continuous run cycles, which are ideal for shared workspaces where the shredder might not have time to rest between uses.

Auto-Feed

If you’re not thrilled by the prospect of manually feeding sheets into a shredder all day, you might opt for a shredder with an auto-feed option. These shredders often work much like a printer, where you input paper into a tray, and it is fed through the machine automatically. If you’re regularly shredding a large volume of documents, or simply want an easy option for when you do, and auto-feed shredder is an ideal choice.

Capacity

If you’re frequently disposing of a high volume of documents, it goes without saying that having to empty the bin less frequently will be a helpful choice. With shredder bin sizes from under 10 to 80 and above, you’ll be sure to find a size that meets your needs within our range.

Shredding non-paper items

Many shredders can easily process things like staples and paperclips, helping you save time preparing your documents. Some shredders can also destroy bank cards, CDs and DVDs, too, helping you keep all kinds of private data out of the wrong hands.