What is a Shredder?

Shredders take materials (usually paper) that are fed into them and shred them into much smaller bits. Shredders are used to shred or cut documents, credit cards, CDs, DVDs, or other materials into particles or strips. Organizations and businesses use shredders to destroy sensitive information, which prevents the information from falling into the wrong hands. By shredding confidential information, there is less of a chance of identity theft or data breaches. The most secure shredder shreds materials into tiny pieces that cannot be put back together. Some industries that use shredders are financial institutions, healthcare, government and public sectors, legal firms, corporate offices, schools, and the manufacturing industry.

Here are the three main types of shredders:

1. Strip-Cut Shredders: Strip-cut shredders are the most basic type of shredder, and they cut materials into long strips. These shredders provide a low level of security since the strips can be reconstructed to form the document. They are best for disposing documents in non-sensitive environments. Our HSM Securio P44 1/4" Strip Cut Shredder can shred documents into 1/4" strips of paper, and makes 38 strips for each page that is destroyed. It can shred up to 78 sheets of paper at a time.

2. Cross-Cut Shredders: Cross-cut shredders cut materials into confetti-like pieces by cutting materials horizontally and vertically. This style of cutting is more secure than strip-cut shredders since the materials are harder to reconstruct. Our MBM Destroyit 2604 Cross Cut Shredder can shred documents into 3/16” x 1-1/2" particle sizes, and has a shred speed of 24 feet per minute. This shredder has a Level 3/P-4 security level. It can shred up to 25 sheets of paper at once, and it can shred paper clips, staples, credit cards, and CDs.

3. Micro-Cut Shredders: Micro-cut shredders provide the highest level of security. Their finely serrated blades cut materials into mini, unreadable particles. These shredders are suited for highly sensitive documents and data destruction. Our Fellowes Microshred 99MS Micro-Cut Shredder is great for destroying data, and shreds each sheet of A4 paper into over 2000 particles – which is ideal for highly confidential documents.