Paper shredders
Paper shredders for home and office: cross-cut, mini-cut and micro-cut models, hand-fed or with an AutoMax auto-feed tray. Choose by security level P-2…P-5, sheets per pass and bin capacity.
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Why you need a shredder
Bills, bank letters, contracts and anything with a name, address or personal ID code should not go into the bin in one piece. A shredder cuts documents into strips or small particles that cannot be put back together. In an office it is also the easiest part of meeting data protection rules.
Cut type and security level
Security levels P-1 to P-7 come from the DIN 66399 standard and describe how small the paper is cut.
- Cross-cut, usually P-3 or P-4. Each sheet becomes short pieces. A good choice for home and small offices — bills and letters.
- Mini-cut, P-4 or P-5. Even smaller particles. For documents with personal data, at least P-4 is usually recommended.
- Micro-cut, P-5 and up. Paper turns into near-confetti: confidential contracts, payslips, health records.
The smaller the particle, the fewer sheets per pass and the faster the bin fills — pick the security level you need rather than the maximum.
Hand feed or auto feed
A standard shredder is fed by hand, 5–20 sheets at a time. AutoMax models have a tray: load 80, 150, 200 or even 450 sheets, close the lid and the machine works through the stack on its own — paper clips and staples are no problem. In a paper-heavy office that saves hours.
What else to check
- Bin capacity. 11–20 litres suits a home or one person; 30 litres and up suits a shared office.
- Cards and discs. Most models also shred bank cards, and some take CDs and DVDs.
- Jam protection and duty cycle. Fellowes 100% Jam Proof and SafeSense stop the machine when too many sheets go in or a hand gets too close to the slot.
Related categories
For the office see also printers, all-in-one printers, paper and label printers.
Frequently asked questions
Which security level is right for home? For bills and letters a P-3 or P-4 cross-cut is enough.
Does a shredder need maintenance? Oil the blades of cross-cut and micro-cut models now and then with shredder oil or oil sheets — the machine runs quieter and jams less.
Do I have to remove staples? According to the maker, most Fellowes models handle paper clips and small staples; take off large metal binder clips.
How is AutoMax different from a regular shredder? AutoMax takes a whole stack and shreds it by itself; a regular one has to be fed by hand.