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The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), who together form the specialized system for worldwide standardization, have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC, in the field of information technology. In August of 2018, ISO/IEC JTC internationally standardized the German Institute for Standardization’s DIN 66399 terms and principles for destruction of information technology data carriers. This standard, ISO/IEC 21964, is now being referenced by organizations on an international level when referring to data destruction requirements. The materials referred to in security levels are identical to those referenced in DIN 66399 and are as follows:

P — information in original size such as paper, film, and printing plates

F — information in miniaturized form such as microfilm and microfiche

O — information on optical data carriers such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs

T — information on magnetic data carriers such as floppy discs, ID cards, magnetic tape cassettes, mag stripe cards, and CAC IDs

H — information on hard drives with magnetic data carriers such as rotational hard drives

E — information on electronic data carriers such as memory sticks, RFID chip cards, solid state drives, and mobile communication equipment

P-7, shown above, is the standard for the destruction of classified material on paper

The ISO/IEC 21964 limits for particle sizes also have not changed from the DIN 66399 standard and remain as follows:

Paper Media

P-1: Particle size ≤ 2,000mm²or strip width ≤ 12mm x unlimited strip length
P-2: Particle size ≤ 800mm²or strip width ≤ 6mm x unlimited strip length
P-3: Particle size ≤ 320mm²or strip width ≤ 2mm x unlimited strip length
P-4: Particle size ≤ 160mm²and for regular particles: strip width ≤ 6mm, such as our Model 5141P
P-5: Particle size ≤ 30mm²and for regular particles: strip width ≤ 2mm
P-6: Particle size ≤ 10 mm²and for regular particles: strip width ≤ 1mm
P-7: Particle size ≤ 5 mm²and for regular particles: strip width ≤ 1mm or dissolved with particle size ≤ 5mm²or shredded ash with particle size ≤ 5mm² such as with our Model 244/4

NSA listed DVD shredder — O-6, shown above, is the standard for the destruction of classified material on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.

Optical Media

O-1: Particle size ≤ 2,000mm²
O-2: Particle size ≤ 800mm²
O-3: Particle size ≤ 160mm²
O-4: Particle size ≤ 30mm²
O-5: Particle size ≤ 10mm², such as with a Model 0201.
O-6: Particle size ≤ 5mm²or shredded ash ≤ 5mm²or melted compound, such as with a Model 0200 OMD/SSD with Cabinet Kit
O-7: Particle size ≤ 0.2mm²or shredded ash ≤ 0.2mm²or melted compound

Magnetic Media

T-1: Medium physically unusable
T-2: Medium broken into several parts and particle size ≤ 2,000mm²
T-3: Particle size ≤ 320mm²
T-4: Particle size ≤ 160mm²
T-5: Particle size ≤ 30mm²
T-6: Particle size ≤ 10mm²
T-7: Particle size ≤ 2.5mm²or shredded ash ≤ 2.5mm²or melted compound, such as a Model DS-400

H-3, shown above, is an approved method of destruction of classified material found on rotational hard drives, as long as the hard drive has been previously degaussed in an NSA listed degausser.

Hard Drive Media

H-1: Hard drive physically/electronically unusable
H-2: Data carrier damaged
H-3: Data carrier deformed, such as with a Model 0101 Crusher
H-4: Data carrier broken into several pieces and deformed and particle size ≤ 2,000mm², such as with a Model 0305
H-5: Data carrier broken into several pieces and deformed and particle size ≤ 320mm²
H-6: Data carrier broken into several pieces and deformed and particle size ≤ 10mm²
H-7: Data carrier broken into several pieces and deformed and particle size ≤ 5mm²or heated above Curie temperature

ssd shredder — A 2mm particle, shown above, falls under the E-5 category and is the standard for the destruction of classified material on solid state drives and devices.

Electronic Media

E-1: Medium physically/electronically unusable
E-2: Medium broken into pieces, such as with a Model 0101 with SSD Kit
E-3: Medium broken into pieces and particle size ≤ 160mm², such as a Model 0304 Combo Shredder
E-4: Data carrier (chip) broken into pieces and particle size ≤ 30mm², such as a Model 0205
E-5: Data carrier (chip) broken into several pieces and particle size ≤ 10mm², such as a Model 2SSD
E-6: Data carrier (chip) broken into several pieces and particle size ≤ 1mm²or shredded ash ≤ 1mm²
E-7: Data carrier (chip) broken into several pieces and particle size ≤ 0.5mm²or shredded ash ≤ 0.5mm², such as with a Model SSD1-HS

Film Media

F-1: Particle size ≤ 160mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 480mm²in size.
F-2: Particle size ≤ 30mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 90mm²in size.
F-3: Particle size ≤ 10mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 30mm²in size.
F-4: Particle size ≤ 2.5mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 7.5mm²in size.
F-5: Particle size ≤ 1,0 mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 3.0mm²in size.
F-6: Particle size ≤ 0.5mm²or shredded ash ≤ 0.5mm²where 10% of the material may exceed the specified particle size, but shall not be more than 1.5mm²in size.
F-7: Particle size ≤ 0.2mm²or shredded ash ≤ 0.2mm²or dissolved. The particle size shall not be exceeded.

For more information, please visit our DIN 66399 (ISO/IEC 21964) page here.

State and local governments all know the importance of personal information security. Items such as paper, computers, and phones all have varying degrees of sensitive information that need to be destroyed. But what about license plates?

Think of what a license plate actually does. According to Wikipedia…… “The purpose of a license plate, also known as vehicle registration plates or tags, is to identify the car and its owner as well as to show that the car is registered with the government and has been through specific tests to ensure the car is safe to drive”. Because of potential security risks associated with license plates when they become damaged or unable to be read, DMV’s typically require that they be returned the state before a replacement is issued. But once returned, what happens to them?

What Happens to Old License Plates?

The unfortunate truth is that many are simply uncertain on what to do with them. They typically end up stockpiling in basements or storage warehouses. As the saying goes, “out of site / out of mind”? So the million dollar question is “How can licenses plates be disposed of in an efficient and effective manner?

License Plate Destruction Solutions:

A very popular solution for state and local governments is to shred them. Security Engineered Machinery (SEM) offers a variety of effective shredding solutions. The SEM Models 0300, 0304, and 0305 are capable of shredding license plates. These low speed, high torque shredders use specially designed saw tooth hook cutters to chew up plates down to a 1.5 inch wide particle size, with smaller sizes of 1” or .75” are also available. These units range from 1.0 HP to 20 HP and can shred between 300-3,000 plates per hour. They are easy to use, quiet and can discharge the shredded material into a variety of waste collection containers.

If you are a state or local DMV and need to destroy anything from licenses, parking stickers or even license plates, SEM has a solution to meet your volume and price requirements. Contact us today to discuss your needs.

SEM Shred

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DIN 66399 Globally Standardized to ISO/IEC 21964