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10 Best Cross Cut Paper Shredders 2025 in the United States

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Our Top Picks

#1

Winner

Amazon Basics 18 Sheet Cross Cut Paper, CD, and Credit Card Shredder, Black

Rating
9.8
Chosen by1,111
Sheet Capacity
Security Level
Noise Level

Most important from
64084 reviews

Sheet Capacity
The shredding power is impressive, handling up to 12 sheets at a time without jamming.
Security Level
Shreds paper into small, finely shredded pieces, providing good security.
Noise Level
The shredder is fast, quiet, and feels durable, making it a great replacement for older models.

The Amazon Basics 18 Sheet Cross Cut Paper, CD, and Credit Card Shredder is designed to handle various shredding tasks efficiently. It can shred up to 18 sheets of paper at once, including staples and small paper clips, and also destroy CDs, DVDs, and credit cards through a dedicated slot. This makes it versatile for office use. The shredder meets security level P-3 standards, turning paper into small confetti-like pieces for decent security protection.

It features a run time of 30 minutes followed by a 10-minute cool down period, which is sufficient for moderate use but might be limiting for heavy-duty tasks. The automatic shut-off feature prevents overheating, enhancing the shredder's durability. The 6-gallon bin capacity is quite generous, reducing the frequency of emptying the bin, and the window helps monitor the bin's fill level.

Additional features such as LED status indicators, user-friendly push-button controls, and casters for mobility add to the convenience. Weighing 24.4 pounds, it is relatively heavy but stable. The shredder has undergone quality testing, ensuring reliability but might arrive with some paper shreds from testing. While it excels in functionality and convenience, the cooldown time might be a drawback for users with continuous shredding needs.

Rating
9.8
Chosen by1,111
Sheet Capacity
Security Level
Noise Level

Most important from
64084 reviews

Sheet Capacity
The shredding power is impressive, handling up to 12 sheets at a time without jamming.
Security Level
Shreds paper into small, finely shredded pieces, providing good security.
Noise Level
The shredder is fast, quiet, and feels durable, making it a great replacement for older models.
#2

Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder and Credit Card Shredder - Black

Rating
9.6
Sheet Capacity
Security Level
Bin Capacity

Most important from
64086 reviews

Sheet Capacity
It handles up to 8 sheets at a time and shreds quickly without jamming, ensuring efficient operation.
Security Level
The cross-cut feature provides good security for shredding sensitive documents, making it an excellent choice for home or small office use.
Bin Capacity
The bin is spacious enough for multiple shredding sessions, and the compact design doesn’t take up much space.
Noise Level
It hums along like it's auditioning for the office ASMR channel—loud enough to know it’s working, quiet enough to not annoy the neighbors.
Additional Features
It shreds credit cards with ease, adding to its versatility.

The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder offers a reliable solution for home or small office use. With the ability to shred up to 8 sheets of paper at once, it meets the basic needs for document destruction, and it can also handle credit cards, staples, and small paper clips. Its cross-cut technology ensures a decent security level (P-4), making it suitable for confidential documents as it turns them into small pieces of 0.2 x 0.7 inches.

The shredder has a modest run time of 3 minutes before needing a 30-minute cool down, which might be a limitation if you need to shred large volumes of documents in one go. The 3.7-gallon bin is easy to empty and can hold a reasonable amount of shredded material before requiring disposal. The device operates with a control switch and has LED indicators to notify you of its status, such as power on, overheat, and overload conditions, which are very user-friendly features.

The shredder is relatively compact, with dimensions of 12.8 x 7.32 x 14.9 inches, making it easy to fit in small spaces. However, it can be a bit noisy, so it might not be the best choice for very quiet environments. One standout feature is its overheating protection, which helps prevent damage to the machine by shutting it off automatically if it gets too hot. Given its competitive price point and the quality assurance provided by Amazon Basics, this shredder is a dependable choice for everyday shredding needs.

Rating
9.6
Sheet Capacity
Security Level
Bin Capacity

Most important from
64086 reviews

Sheet Capacity
It handles up to 8 sheets at a time and shreds quickly without jamming, ensuring efficient operation.
Security Level
The cross-cut feature provides good security for shredding sensitive documents, making it an excellent choice for home or small office use.
Bin Capacity
The bin is spacious enough for multiple shredding sessions, and the compact design doesn’t take up much space.
Noise Level
It hums along like it's auditioning for the office ASMR channel—loud enough to know it’s working, quiet enough to not annoy the neighbors.
Additional Features
It shreds credit cards with ease, adding to its versatility.
#3

Bonsaii 12-Sheet Paper Shredder for Home Office Use, 10-Minute Cross Cut Shredder with 5.5 Gallons Bin, P-4 High Security Heavy Duty Office Shredder Shred CD/Credit Card

Rating
9.3
Sheet Capacity
Run Time and Cool Down Time
Bin Capacity

Most important from
6187 reviews

Sheet Capacity
Even stapled documents are no problem – it shreds 3-4 pages at a time effortlessly and handles larger stacks without overheating.
Run Time and Cool Down Time
The Bonsaii shredder is incredibly durable, running for an hour without overheating and making shredding almost therapeutic.
Bin Capacity
The shredder's design is ergonomic, holding more paper and requiring less frequent emptying, making it a great fit for home offices.

The Bonsaii 12-Sheet Paper Shredder is designed for home office use and provides P-4 high security, which translates to fine shredding into 5mm x 30mm particles, making it hard for anyone to reassemble documents. Its 12-sheet capacity is robust, allowing you to shred a reasonable amount of paper in one go, including staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs/DVDs. The 10-minute continuous run time is quite decent, though the 30-minute cool-down period might feel lengthy if you have a lot of shredding to do at once.

The overheat protection feature ensures the longevity of the motor and helps maintain safety by automatically shutting off when necessary. The shredder's 5.5-gallon bin is spacious and can hold up to 250 sheets of shredded paper, which means less frequent emptying. The design is user-friendly with features like a transparent window to monitor waste levels and a handle for easy emptying. Additionally, the 4-mode control switch, along with the auto start/stop and manual reverse functions, makes operation straightforward and dealing with paper jams simple.

Bonsaii offers professional customer support, which is a nice reassurance. This shredder is a solid choice for those needing reliable, secure shredding in a home office environment.

Rating
9.3
Sheet Capacity
Run Time and Cool Down Time
Bin Capacity

Most important from
6187 reviews

Sheet Capacity
Even stapled documents are no problem – it shreds 3-4 pages at a time effortlessly and handles larger stacks without overheating.
Run Time and Cool Down Time
The Bonsaii shredder is incredibly durable, running for an hour without overheating and making shredding almost therapeutic.
Bin Capacity
The shredder's design is ergonomic, holding more paper and requiring less frequent emptying, making it a great fit for home offices.

Buying Guide for the Best Cross Cut Paper Shredders

When it comes to choosing a cross-cut paper shredder, it's important to consider your specific needs and the features that will best meet those needs. Cross-cut shredders are designed to cut paper into small pieces, providing a higher level of security compared to strip-cut shredders. They are ideal for disposing of sensitive documents such as bank statements, personal information, and confidential business papers. To make an informed decision, you should understand the key specifications and how they relate to your requirements.
Sheet CapacitySheet capacity refers to the number of sheets a shredder can handle at one time. This is important because it determines how quickly you can shred a stack of documents. Shredders with a lower sheet capacity (around 5-10 sheets) are suitable for light, occasional use, such as home offices. Medium capacity shredders (10-20 sheets) are better for small businesses or more frequent use. High capacity shredders (20+ sheets) are ideal for larger offices with heavy shredding needs. Consider how often and how much you need to shred to choose the right capacity for you.
Security LevelThe security level of a shredder is determined by the size of the shredded pieces. This is crucial for protecting sensitive information. Security levels are often categorized by the P-rating scale, ranging from P-1 to P-7. P-1 and P-2 offer basic security, suitable for general documents. P-3 and P-4 provide medium security, ideal for confidential documents. P-5 to P-7 offer high security, suitable for highly sensitive information. Choose a security level based on the sensitivity of the documents you need to shred.
Run Time and Cool Down TimeRun time is the amount of time a shredder can operate continuously before needing to cool down. Cool down time is the period the shredder needs to rest before it can be used again. For occasional use, a shredder with a short run time (5-10 minutes) and a longer cool down time (20-30 minutes) may be sufficient. For more frequent use, look for a shredder with a longer run time (15-30 minutes) and a shorter cool down time. If you need to shred large volumes of paper regularly, consider a shredder with continuous run time and minimal cool down.
Bin CapacityBin capacity refers to the amount of shredded paper the shredder can hold before it needs to be emptied. This is important for convenience and efficiency. Smaller bins (1-5 gallons) are suitable for light use and home offices. Medium bins (5-10 gallons) are better for small businesses or moderate use. Larger bins (10+ gallons) are ideal for heavy use in larger offices. Consider how often you want to empty the bin and the volume of shredding you do to choose the right bin capacity.
Noise LevelNoise level is an important consideration, especially if you will be using the shredder in a shared or quiet environment. Shredders are typically measured in decibels (dB). Lower noise levels (below 60 dB) are ideal for quiet environments like home offices or shared workspaces. Medium noise levels (60-70 dB) are acceptable for most office environments. Higher noise levels (above 70 dB) may be disruptive in quiet settings. Consider where you will be using the shredder and choose a noise level that will not be disruptive.
Additional FeaturesAdditional features can enhance the usability and safety of a shredder. Features like auto-feed, which allows you to load a stack of paper and let the shredder do the work, can save time. Safety features like auto shut-off when hands are too close to the blades, or jam-proof systems that prevent paper jams, can provide peace of mind. Consider which additional features are important to you based on your usage and safety needs.

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