Cross-Cut Shredders for Home & Office Use

If you want a secure yet affordable paper shredder, you are looking for a cross-cut shredder. These shredding machines cut your documents diagonally in both directions. Therefore cross-cut shredders are also known as confetti-cut or particle-cut shredders. What is a cross-cut shredder used for?

Cross-cut shredders are getting used to cut confidential paper documents into small unreadable particles. The P-3 or P-4 security level of cross-cut shredders gives them the ideal security level for destroying private personal information or general confidential documents at work.

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A cross cut shredder shreds your confidential documents in DIN P-3 or P-4 particles.

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What is a cross-cut shredder?

What does cross-cut shredding mean? A cross-cut shredder is also known as a confetti-cut, particle-cut, criss-cross cut, or diamond-cut shredder because of the small paper particles the machine produces after shredding.

These types of paper shredders cut documents diagonally from both corners. The result after shredding your documents is small paper particles that are barely readable. This is why cross-cut shredders offer more security than a strip-cut paper shredder, but not quite as much as micro-cut shredders.

A cross-cut shredder sits between a strip-cut shredder (low security) and a micro-cut shredder (high security). A micro-cut shredder is an advanced type of cross-cut shredder that shreds each document in even smaller ‘micro-cut’ particles.

Cross-cut shredders provide you enough security for shredding common confidential documents at home or in the office. For extra security, opt for a micro-cut shredder.

So, which one is better for you? Read this post about the difference between a cross-cut shredder or a micro-cut shredder.

Is a cross-cut shredder secure?

Although there are more secure shredders out there than cross-cut shredders, they are relatively secure. They will do the job if you are shredding day-to-day confidential or private information. The shredder cuts the paper diagonally into very small pieces, making it nearly impossible to puzzle back together. Cross-cut shredders are much more secure than strip-cut shredders, where the paper pieces are easy to reconstruct and read.

In short, yes. Cross-cut shredders are very secure if you are shredding normal confidential documents with them.

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Pros and cons

Pros:

• Shreds documents in small particles
• Wide choice of cross-cut shredders
• Particles are more condensed than strips
• Documents are hard to reconstruct
• Shreds faster than micro-cut shredders

Cons:

• Needs maintenance and oiling
• Not recommended for highly confidential documents
• Generally slower than strip-cut shredders

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Do you need a cross-cut shredder?

If you have data on paper that is confidential or private and want to discard it without risking that someone else gets access to it, you need to make this paper unreadable. One method to do this is to shred it. Therefore, we recommend having a shredder if you are ever in a situation where you want to discard important private information printed on paper.

Why does it need to be a cross-cut shredder? It doesn’t. However, do keep in mind that strip-cut shredders are not sufficiently secure to ensure that your data is safe. On top of that, micro-cut shredders will do the job.

Still, these machines tend to be more expensive because they are for businesses that regularly shred large amounts of confidential information.

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Which security level is cross-cut?

A cross-cut shredder sits under security level P-3 and/or P-4, according to the official DIN 66399 standard for paper destruction and other media.

Some manufacturers claim that a P-4 shredder is called micro-cut, while others classify P-4 as a cross-cut shredder. Since it is prevalent that a P-4 shredder is called ‘micro-cut’ or ‘high security,’ we also use this term for P-4 classified shredders.

What does cross-cut paper shredding look like?

The paper particles of cross-cut shredders look like narrow and short paper strips.

Use a cross-cut shredder for:

• Medium level of security
• For shredding sensitive documents
• Short and narrow paper shreds
• Cuts diagonally from both corners
• Approximately 400 particles per shredded document (size: A4)
• Security level: DIN P-3, DIN P-4

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How does a cross-cut shredder work?

A cross-cut shredder contains two counter-turning cutting blades with v-shaped edges. It is because of these v-shapes the shredder cuts the document diagonally from both corners. This results in diamond-shaped paper strips or particles.

It depends on the security level of how small these particles will get. In comparison with a strip-cut shredder, a cross-cut shredder has a more advanced shredding mechanism. A strip-cut shredder only cuts documents vertically. This is why a strip-cut shredder produces the familiar long strips.

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Which shredder type is the best for you?

Are you in doubt about a cross-cut, strip-cut or micro-cut shredder? What is the difference and what is the best option for you?

Crosscut or strip-cut shredder?

A strip-cut shredder produces long narrow strips that are still easy to read or puzzle together. The advantage of strip-cut shredders is that these shredders are pretty fast because of the simple strip shredding.

A cross-cut shredder shreds documents in small particles, which demands more power from the shredder machine. Therefore these shredders are generally a bit slower. We recommend it for shredding confidential documents to use a cross-cut shredder and not a strip-cut paper shredder.

Cross-cut or micro-cut shredder?

A cross-cut shredder offers a medium level of security for your confidential documents. This means that shredded documents are not readable anymore, and it is difficult to reconstruct a full document. Therefore, a cross-cut will do for everyday confidential information. But it might be possible that some particles still contain some information, such as a snippet of a number, word, or an image.

If you want extra security, you might consider a micro-cut shredder. These types of shredders offer more protection because the particles are even smaller in size. However, keep in mind that a cross-cut shredder is quicker than a micro-cut shredder and doesn’t need to be lubricated with shredder oil as much.

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Maintenance of a cross-cut shredder

To keep your cross-cut paper shredder run smoothly, it is recommended to oil the shredder regularly. We recommend lubricating your shredder each time after intensive use or every time that you empty the waste bin of your shredder.

You can find in the user manual further instructions about how to oil your paper shredder. You can use official shredder oil, or you can use lubricant sheets to lubricate the paper shredder’s blades.

TIP: Read more about how to oil your shredder.

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Shredder guide

What to look for when buying a shredder? Read our Paper Shredder Guide.