The width of the opening through which paper is fed into the shredder. It is usually a false economy to purchase a machine with a throat width that is narrower than the material which is usually shredded (eg wide computer printout) as otherwise the material is folded. This effectively increases the number of sheets being shredded per pass, reduces the effective shred speed and subjects the cutter heads to unnecessary extra work.

Some office machines shred other items besides paper, such as CDs, DVDs and credit cards. Shredders which are designed for this purpose often have a separate entry through which such items are fed and even a separate set of cutter heads. Some large machines also have tables or hoppers which feed the waste material into the mouth of the shredder.

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