Cross-Cut vs Micro-Cut Shredders: What P-4 and P-5 Actually Mean

DIN 66399 is the European standard that rates how thoroughly a shredder destroys a document, on a scale from P-1 to P-7. For offices, the decision is almost always between P-4 cross-cut and P-5 micro-cut. Here is what separates them, and which HP OneShred model fits each case.

A cross-cut shredder rated P-4 slices paper in two directions, producing particles small enough that reassembly is impractical for ordinary purposes. This is the standard for everyday commercial documents: invoices, internal correspondence, printed emails, delivery notes. The HP OneShred 8CC, 12CC, 15CC, 18CC and 24CC all sit at this level.

A micro-cut shredder rated P-5 cuts far finer — roughly 2 x 12 mm particles. Reconstruction becomes unrealistic even with effort and equipment. This is the level you want for genuinely confidential material: employee records, patient files, financial statements, contracts, anything covered by a data-protection obligation. The HP OneShred 12MC and 16MC are the micro-cut models in the range.

Sheet capacity is the second axis, and it is about patience rather than security. The number in each model name is its capacity: the OneShred 8CC takes 8 sheets per pass, the 24CC takes 24. A one-person desk rarely needs more than 8 to 12. A shared office bin fed by a whole floor should start at 18 and go up.

Bin volume follows capacity. Smaller machines carry roughly 15 litres; the larger models reach 34 litres. It is an unglamorous specification that decides how often somebody has to empty it — which, in practice, decides whether the shredder actually gets used.

The honest summary: if the documents would embarrass you in a competitor’s hands, cross-cut P-4 is enough. If they would expose a person — their salary, their health, their identity — buy micro-cut P-5. The price difference is smaller than the cost of getting that call wrong.

TWO STEPS supplies all seven HP OneShred models across Dubai and the UAE through Amazon.ae and Noon. Offices standardising on a single model across multiple floors can request bulk pricing on WhatsApp, with a quote returned within 24 hours.