Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the widest paper it will take?
Sixteen inches at the feed opening. That covers 11 x 17 tabloid fed either way, 14 x 17 ledger, and most folded larger formats. It does not cover a full 24-inch or 36-inch plan sheet unfolded - those still need one fold. If wide-format is your main input, the width is the specification to check first, and 16 inches is the largest Dahle offers in this oil-free line.
Why does it take fewer sheets than the 50514?
Because the same drive has to turn a cutting cylinder set spanning 16 inches instead of 12. Dahle rates the 50564 at 22 sheets on 20 lb bond and the 50514 at 26. If your paper is all letter-width, the 50514 is the more productive machine. The 50564 wins whenever you would otherwise have to fold.
Is 54 dB loud?
It is the loudest of the three department and office 504xx/505xx machines here, but only two decibels above the 52 dB models and well below the 60 dB of the desk-side 52214. It is a copy-room or corridor machine rather than something to put beside a desk. The 46 dB Dahle 50414 is the quiet option if placement is the constraint.
How often will a 45-gallon bin need emptying?
Dahle publishes volume, not a sheet count, because fill rate depends on how much air the cross-cut particles trap. As the largest bin in this range paired with a P-4 cut, it is the longest-running configuration Dahle offers in the oil-free line. The bin-full auto-off stops the machine when it is time, so you will not overfill it by accident.
Which shred bags fit?
Dahle shred bags item #20726, rated for 31-55 gallon bins and sold in boxes of 100. Bags are supplied separately and are not included with the machine. This is a different part number from the #20725 bag used by the 30-gallon office models, so a site running both the 50564 and, say, a 50414 needs both on the supply order. The 50514 and the CleanTEC 41534 also take the #20726.
Does it shred CDs, credit cards and staples?
Yes. Dahle lists CDs/DVDs, credit cards, staples and paper clips for the 50564 and rates it O-3 for optical media alongside P-4 for paper. Stapled files do not need to be stripped first. Discs should be fed singly rather than mixed into a paper stack, because a disc fractures instead of shearing and the fragments are what cause most jams. Binder clips, ring binders and laminated sheets are not on Dahle's list.
Why choose this over the CleanTEC line if I want less dust?
Because Dahle does not offer CleanTEC dust filtration on the 505xx department chassis at all. The widest-throat CleanTEC machine is the high-security 41534 at 12 inches and 8 sheets per pass, which is a completely different class of shredder at a completely different price. If you need a 16-inch throat, this is the only Dahle model that provides it, filter or no filter.
What is involved in siting a 155-pound machine?
It is 20 x 29 inches on the floor and 38 inches tall, on lockable casters. Once unpacked it rolls, but unpacking it and clearing a threshold needs two people. Leave clear space in front for the bin drawer and above for feeding wide sheets - the 16-inch throat is only useful if you can actually present a full-width sheet to it.