Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the intimus 45 CP5 shred CDs and DVDs?
No, and this is a real difference from its sibling. intimus's datasheet lists the CP5's shreddable materials as paper with staples and paper clips, plastic cards and foil. Optical media is not on that list, whereas it is on the intimus 45 CP4's. The P-5 cutting cylinders are cut to a much finer geometry and feeding polycarbonate discs through them risks damage. If you need to destroy discs and shred to P-5, budget for the CP4 alongside it or use a dedicated media shredder.
Why does this take only 12 sheets when the CP4 takes 17?
Because the particle is roughly a quarter of the area. The CP5 produces a 1.9 x 15 mm particle (28.5 mm2); the CP4 produces 3.8 x 30 mm (114 mm2). Making four times as many cuts through the same stack takes more torque from the same 395 W motor, so intimus derates the pass capacity. Every shredder range behaves this way. If twelve sheets a pass is too slow for your volume, the answer is a larger P-5 machine such as the intimus 175 CP5, not a different setting on this one.
Is 1.9 x 15 mm genuinely P-5, or is it borderline?
It is genuinely P-5, but with little margin. DIN 66399 caps P-5 particles at 30 mm2 and 1.9 x 15 mm works out at 28.5 mm2. That is inside the limit and intimus certifies the machine as P-5 / T-5 / F-2 / E-4 under ISO/IEC 21964. It does mean the cutting cylinders need to stay sharp and well lubricated to keep producing on-spec particles; a neglected P-5 head is the kind that drifts.
How often will the bin need emptying?
The 45-litre bin holds roughly 1,100 sheets of P-5 waste according to intimus's datasheet — more sheets than the CP4's bin because finer particles pack tighter. For a single user shredding a couple of folders a day, that is comfortably a week. For two or three people sharing it, expect to empty it twice a week. Do not let it overfill: cross-cut particles bridge above the bin lip and start packing back into the cutting chamber.
Will legal-size paper fit?
Yes. The throat is 235 mm (9.25 in) and legal stock is 8.5 in on the short edge, so it feeds portrait without folding, exactly like letter. Tabloid at 11 in wide will not fit and would have to be folded, which costs you sheet capacity you cannot spare on a 12-sheet machine. A4 at 210 mm also fits if you handle international documents.
What is the warranty, and does it differ from the P-7 model?
Yes, it differs. The 45 CP5 is covered under intimus North America's commercial shredder terms: two years parts, 90 days labour, and a lifetime limited warranty on the cutting cylinders against fracture. The NSA-listed 45 CP7 falls into the high-security class instead, which is one year parts, 90 days labour and one year on the cutting cylinders. Moving up to P-7 is therefore also a warranty downgrade, which is worth weighing if your requirement genuinely stops at P-5.