How to buy the right paper shredder

how to choose a commercial business paper shredder

When in doubt on which business paper and document shredder will best suit your needs, please contact OREweb.ca so we can help you determine the best shredder with you!

 call for paper office shredder quote 

Five tips for choosing the right paper shredder...

  

Other Considerations...

 

Buying the right size paper shredder

Buying a shredder which is too small is the most common mistake. The shredder you choose must handle various types and volumes of paper and documents for your office. If a shredder is not easy to use, is not reliable, or can not handle the capacity or volume of shredding your office does, it will not meet your shredding, security level and disposal needs.

The chart on the right will help provide a general guideline for determining most office shredder needs.

Another common mistake is to buy an "off-the-shelf" shredder. Many off-the-shelf shredders can last as little as three months under business level or volume shredding. Some use thin cutting blades instead of a hardended steel cylinder shredding system - and wear out quickly under work-load.

OREweb.ca brands of shredders are commercial business level shredders which can last as long as 20 years because of their design, materials, and quality. By buying the proper shredder from the start, your shred costs can end up only costing pennies a year.

 

Determining your needs

Before choosing a shredder, you first need to know the answer to a few questions: Who will use the shredder? A single person, a small office group, or an entire department? What are the paper sizes and types being shredded (8 1/2" x 11" - 16# or 20# paper, complete file folders, reports, etc?), How much paper in a day will be shredded? Will the shredder meet growth needs in the department?

When you're unsure of all the answers, it is best to buy a shredder with a larger capacity. We do recommend contacing one of our shredder sales specialist to help you determine your needs.

 

Shredder Specifications

When considering a shredder, many users look at horsepower to compare shredders - but that specification is not as important. Shredders have been tested and measured using different material - such as light weight paper.

It is best to consider waste capacity, paper weight / size and how many paper sets you will normally be shredding in your office day to day. How many people will be using your shredder? And, what type of security level you will need?

 

Security level of waste

Shredders often come in several different security levels. What determines the security level is the size of the shredded material waste. For most general office shredding - a strip cut level 1 or 3 shredder will suite your needs. This type of shredder cuts the paper into different size strips.

For higher security and shredding of confidential information - a cross cut shredder will provide a higher level of security from 3 to 6. A cross cut shredder cuts the waste into small confetti like particles. This type of shredding is generally used in Government offices, Accounting Offices, and anywhere else a high level of document sensitivity exists. For Canadian Government Shredder Security ratings, please see below...

  

How much will I be shredding each day?

1-100 Sheets
Personal Shredder

100-400 Sheets
Small Office Shredder

400-2,000 Sheets
Centralized Office Shredder

2,000-8,000 Sheets
Department or MultiMedia Shredder

2,000-12,000 Sheets
Department Shredder

Over 12,000
High Capacity Shredder

Standard Global Ratings (Canadian Standards, see bottom of this page...)

Security Level 1: For shredding general internal documents

Security Level 2: Strip cut particles-For shredding sensitive internal documents

Security Level 3: Cross cut particles. For shredding confidential documents.

Security Level 4: Extremely fine cross cut particles. For shredding highly sensitive documents.

Security Level 5: Espionage safe for extremely high demands of security.

Security Level 6: NSA/CSS 02-01 specification set by DoD (US) for the secure destruction of CI through Tep Secret COMSEC documents

NSA/CSS 02-02: Highest security level for high security disintegrators.

 Canadian / RCMP Security Shredding Standards* - Comparision to a 2" paper clip:

strip cut security level 2 paper shredding cross cut type III b security shredding cross cut type III a security shredding cross cut type II level 6 security shredding

Classification / Use Type Shred Size (max. size) Comments
Protected B General Office Use Type III-A 2 mm x 15 mm  
  Bulk Destruction Type III-B 6 mm x 50mm Type III-B equipment is approved for bulk destruction only
and must not be used for periodic destruction. 
Protected C General Office Use Type II (Level 6) 1 mm x 14.3mm Select Type II (Level 6) equipment where a TRA recommends.
Confidential General Office Use Type III-A 2 mm x 15 mm  
  Bulk Destruction Type III-B 6 mm x 50mm Type III-B equipment is approved for bulk destruction only
and must not be used for periodic destruction. 
Secret General Office Use Type II (Level 6) 1 mm x 14.3mm Select Type II (Level 6) equipment where a TRA recommends.
Top Secret General Office Use Type II (Level 6) 1 mm x 14.3mm Select Type II (Level 6) equipment where a TRA recommends.

*See the SEG for complete table supporting notes. Strip cut shredders are not tested or listed in the SEG. Commercial strip cut shredders are permitted for Protected A and Protected B information (unless a TRA recommends the selection of an approved shredder).