Corporate paper shredders are often associated with hiding fraud or other illegal activities. Just think of all the shredder jokes that surrounded the Enron scandal. However, there is a legitimate need for quality paper shredders in the corporate world. Just think about the amount of sensitive paperwork that passes through a credit union, psychologist’s office or accounting firm. Commercial-grade paper shredders, as they are often called, are manufactured to destroy large amounts of paperwork in a minimum of time. They are built with large motors that can handle stacks of paper at a time, as opposed to personal shredders that can only take one or two sheets.

Selecting a commercial-grade paper shredder involves deciding on what features are most important to the company. Consider first how often the paper shredder will be used. Each shredder will have a maximum running length and once that limit has been met, the machine will need to be turned off and allowed to rest for a specified period of time. For example, higher end shredders may be able to run for 10 to 15 minutes before needing a rest of 20 minutes. Smaller models may only be able to handle 3 minutes of continuous shredding before having to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.