Crosscut Paper Shredder

Crosscut paper shredders cut documents both vertically and horizontally, reducing them to confetti like pieces of paper.

Compared to a standard strip cut shredder which cuts a document into long strips of paper, crosscut shredders are more secure.

The size of the "confetti" varies, and the smaller the better. Cross cut shredders which produce very small pieces are sometimes called particle-cut, micro-cut, or high security shredders. For example, a regular crosscut shredder might produce pieces that are 5/32 x 1 3/8 inch rectangles where a particle cut shredder might product pieces that are 5/64 x 5/16 inch rectangles (2x8mm).

Although crosscut paper shredders are certainly more secure than strip cut shredders and particle-cut paper shredders are even more secure, don't be lulled into a false sense of security. The pieces can be reassembled by a determined person or organization.

My friends in the FBI tell me they can reassemble a document shredded quite finely in 45 minutes. Now your business competitors or a common (identity) thief will typically neither have the expertise nor the inclination to reassemble your shredded documents, but be aware that it is possible. For extremely sensitive documents you may want to take additional steps, perhaps burning the shreds and then dissolving them in acid before disposing of them.

Crosscut shredders are not necessarily expensive today, and you can find plenty of sub 100 dollar models, but you get what you pay for. Inexpensive models may not be very durable and may overload and burn out easily.

Crosscut paper shredders also have another advantage over strip cut shredders; the shredded documents are more compressed and take less space. This can be an issue when shredding lots of documents, or even at home where you are too lazy to empty the shredder bin often like I am.