The three main considerations when buying a shredder are the types of materials you will be shredding, the volume of shredding the machine will be handling, and the security level your company needs to ensure privacy.

Materials
Most shredders are designed to handle paper, with the occasional paper clip or staple thrown in. If you plan to shred computer printouts, you will want to find a shredder with a throat (or opening) wide enough to allow the paper to be fed directly into the machine. There are also shredders that can handle crumpled paper through a hopper design.

Some shredders can handle more than just paper. Objects like credit cards, videocassettes and computer diskettes can be munched by these specialty shredders.

Shred Volume
The volume of paper the shredder will be handling is a second major purchase consideration. Key characteristics to consider include the unit's paper capacity, or how much paper can be fed at once, as well as its shredding speed. Since shredders are not designed to operate at its maximum paper capacity at all times, you will want to look for a shredder than can handle about 25% more pages than you need to shred at a time to avoid early breakdown.

Shred Type
In terms of security, most businesses find a basic strip-cut shredder adequate for meeting their security needs. These machines cut paper into ribbon-like strips, varying in width from 1/12" to 1". Generally, you will want a shredder that cuts paper into a minimum 1/4" strip.

However, for more confidential documents, cross cut shredders are preferred. These machines cut both lengthwise and widthwise, turning a page into 500-800 confetti-like pieces of paper. For the highest security requirements (such as military contractors), there are high security particle cut models that can shred a page into more than 1,500 pieces.