To help explain what the various terms mean when buying a paper shredder, we thought it would help if we put together this glossary of shredder terminology:
Auto-Oiling A shredder that features an automatic oiling system – it will automatically detect when the cutters need oil and apply it.
Auto-Reverse A feature that puts the shredder into reverse to help clear paper jams.
Confetti-Cut Another term for cross-cut shredder (see below).
Cross-Cut A shredder that shreds material into short narrow pieces (also known as a confetti-cut shredder).
Cut Style Refers to the cut style of the shredder – either strip-cut or cross-cut.
DIN Level Indicates the size of the pieces that your shredder will shred material into. DIN levels range from 1-7 with 1 being the biggest pieces and 7 being the smallest. Therefore, a shredder with DIN level 7 is considered to provide more secure shredding then DIN level 1.
Jam Proof A jam-proof shredder will detect whether you are over-feeding the shredder, e.g. by putting too much paper through it in one pass.
Micro-Cut Micro-cut shredders cut material even finer than cross-cut shredders therefore offering an even higher level of security. These shredders are typically only used for the most highly confidential material.
Ribbon-Cut Another term for strip-cut shredder (see below).
Safe Sense Technology A shredder safety feature that comes with select Fellowes shredders. Stops the shredder when the throat area is touched.
Sheet Capacity How many sheets of paper can be fed into the shredder at a time.
Strip-Cut A shredder that shreds material into long, narrow strips (also known as a ribbon-cut shredder). This is one of the more basic shredder types as in theory the material could be pieced back together again, much easier than material which is cross-cut.
Thermal Overload Protection A feature that protects the shredder motor from overheating.
