Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the intimus 45 CP4 shred staples and paper clips?
Yes. intimus rates the cutting cylinders for paper with staples and paper clips, so you can feed stapled reports and clipped invoice bundles straight in. It also handles CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, plastic cards and foil. Heavy binder clips, ring binder mechanisms and bulldog clips are a different matter and should be removed — they are outside the rated material list and are the most common cause of avoidable cutting-cylinder damage on a machine this size.
How many people can share this shredder before it bottlenecks?
Realistically one to four people with ordinary confidential paper. Seventeen sheets a pass at 80 g/m2 will clear a file folder in a few passes, and the 45-litre bin holds roughly 920 sheets of P-4 waste, so a small team empties it about once a week. If a whole department is feeding it, the queue and the emptying frequency both become the problem before the motor does. That is the point at which the intimus 175 CP4 is the right machine.
Will legal or tabloid paper fit?
Letter and legal both fit. The throat is 235 mm (9.25 in) wide, and both sizes are 8.5 in on the short edge, so they feed portrait without folding. Tabloid and ledger sheets are 11 in wide and will not fit — you would have to fold or tear each one, which halves your effective sheet capacity. If tabloid is a regular part of your workload, the intimus 175 series has a 405 mm (16 in) throat that takes it flat.
Is P-4 secure enough for personal data?
For most organisations, yes. DIN 66399 P-4 caps particles at 160 mm2; the 45 CP4 produces 114 mm2 particles, so it clears the level with margin. P-4 is the level commonly specified for documents containing personal data such as names, addresses, account numbers and HR records. If your policy calls out especially sensitive personal data, or you handle classified material, you need P-5 or P-7 instead — the 45 CP5 and 45 CP7 are the same cabinet at those levels.
How often does the shredder need oiling?
Regularly, and it is not optional. intimus North America's warranty document states that all cross-cut shredders require lubrication of the cutting cylinders and that failure to perform that maintenance may void the warranty. The practical rule for a machine in this class is to oil at every bin change, applying cutting-block oil across the width of the feed opening and then running a short reverse cycle. Oil is bought separately; intimus sells it in 100 ml, 1 litre, 2 litre and 5 litre containers.
What bin liner fits the intimus 45 CP4?
The bin is 45 litres, roughly 12 US gallons. intimus lists item 83079, a reusable collecting bag for small shredders, as the recommended accessory for the intimus 45. Liners are not supplied with the machine. If you use a generic liner, size it to the 45-litre bin rather than to a gallon figure printed on the box, and check that the collar sits over the bin lip — an undersized bag slips and dumps cross-cut particles into the cabinet.
What warranty does this model carry?
Under intimus North America's terms, commercial shredders such as the 45 CP4 carry two years on parts and 90 days on labour, with a lifetime limited warranty on the cutting cylinders against fracture. Normal wear items are excluded — intimus names cutters, gears, belts, chains, PC boards and optics. Worth knowing: the high-security P-7 version of this cabinet drops to one year on parts and one year on the cutting cylinders, because NSA-listed machines sit in a different warranty class.