Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between P-4 and P-5 in practice?
DIN 66399 caps P-4 particles at 160 mm2 and P-5 particles at 30 mm2, so P-5 is roughly five times finer. This machine produces 28.5 mm2 particles. Commercially, P-4 is accepted for most personal data while P-5 is what you specify when a contract, a client audit or an internal policy asks for something above the baseline. If nobody is asking for P-5 in writing, P-4 will usually serve and will shred faster.
Can it destroy USB sticks?
HSM lists USB sticks among the materials for this article, alongside CDs, DVDs, floppy disks and credit or EC cards, with a T-5 data-carrier class. They go through the same throat as paper. Feed them individually rather than buried in a stack, and be realistic about the class: T-5 is appropriate for commercial data, not for classified solid-state media.
Will A3 and tabloid fit?
Yes, comfortably. The intake is 400 mm wide. A3 short edge is 297 mm and tabloid short edge is 279 mm, so both clear it with a wide margin, as do A4, letter and legal. The extra width over the P40i's 330 mm throat also means thick stacks are less likely to skew as they feed.
How often does the 205 litre bin need emptying?
It depends on your volume and we will not put a number on it. What we can say is that 205 litres is 54.2 US gallons, among the largest containers fitted to a machine of this class, and that P-5 waste packs tighter than strip-cut waste. Most sites running this machine settle on a scheduled empty tied to a cleaning round rather than waiting for the shredder to signal.
Do staples and paper clips need removing?
No. HSM lists staples and office clips among the accepted materials for article 1872121, and the cutting rollers are induction-hardened solid steel. That is worth having at P-5, where a lot of competing machines require hand preparation. Bulldog clips, binder mechanisms, laminated sheets and plastic wallets should still be taken out.
Is it NSA approved?
No. NSA/CSS Specification 02-01 requires a maximum particle of 1 mm x 5 mm and the model to be listed on the NSA Evaluated Products List. At 1.9 x 15 mm this machine is far outside that, and the P44i does not appear on the July 2025 list at all. If you need an NSA-listed machine, look at the SECURIO P40i in its 1 x 5 mm OMDD Combi configuration.
Does the lifetime cutting-roller warranty apply?
Yes. HSM's lifetime warranty on the solid steel cutting rollers covers security levels P-2 to P-5, and this article is P-5. It sits alongside the 3-year SECURIO machine warranty. This is a genuine reason to choose P-5 over P-6 if your policy permits: the P-6 and P-7 versions of these chassis do not carry the lifetime roller element.