Hardware

Microfilms, microfiches and old tapes: archive media from earlier times

22 May 2026 · 7 min read · DeSnipperaar

In company archives with more than 25 years of history they are still around: microfilms in metal cans, microfiches in fiche folders, old DAT and VHS tapes with board recordings, sometimes a collection of 8 mm films from an opening or jubilee. All pre-digital media with content that can still be sensitive. Disposal is fine, but not into the paper or general waste bin. This article describes how to destroy these media in line with DIN 66399.

What is what?

Microfilm

A roll of photographic film on 16 mm or 35 mm, with documents sequentially reduced in size. A 30-metre roll holds 600 to 2,400 pages. Mainly used by banks, municipalities, law firms and archive services in the 1960s to 1990s.

Microfiche

A flat plastic card of 105×148 mm with a grid of reduced documents. A fiche can hold 60-98 pages, sometimes more.

Magnetic tape (older formats)

• DAT (Digital Audio Tape): compact cassette for backup, from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
• QIC and DLT: older backup tapes from data centre environments.
• VHS / Betacam: board or training videos.
• U-matic and older formats: broadcast archive.
• Early-generation LTO: still magnetic tape; read about cleaning up LTO tapes for the newer generations.

DIN 66399 for pre-digital media

The standard sets out an F scale (Film, for microfilm and microfiche) and a T scale (Tape, for magnetic tape) for these media.

• F-3: particles < 0.2 mm². For general films with personal data.
• F-4: < 0.1 mm². For special personal data.
• F-5 and higher: finer particles for classified material.
• T-3: tape destroyed to fragments < 320 mm².
• T-4: < 30 mm².
• T-5: < 10 mm².

For most company archives F-3 for films and T-3 for tapes is sufficient. For healthcare, banking or legal archives choose F-4/T-4.

Microfilm is especially fine: a 30-metre roll contains enough readable material that even half fragments still allow partial reconstruction. Do not underestimate it.

Method: not through the paper shredder

Important: microfilm, microfiche and magnetic tape do not belong in a paper shredder. Three reasons:

1. Different material. Films are celluloid or polyester, not paper. Tapes are polyester with a magnetic coating. A paper shredder does not process them reliably.
2. Particle fineness. The DIN F standard requires particles below 1 mm²; paper shredders cannot reach that.
3. Contamination. Magnetic tape and celluloid do not mix with the paper recycling stream.

We use a dedicated E/F/T shredder or a combined hard-media shredder that processes these materials to the right fineness.

Step by step

1. Inventory: number of microfilm rolls, number of microfiche folders, number of tapes.
2. Sorting per type: films separate from fiches separate from tapes.
3. Delivery in locked boxes or bags.
4. Mobile destruction on site or at our facility, depending on volume.
5. Certificate with the number of items per type and DIN classification.

Special media

Glass plates and negatives

Some archives still contain glass plates (old photo archives) or negatives from pre-digital photography. Glass plates are fragile and not shreddable; they are mechanically ground or routed via a separate dry process stream.

Punch cards

In organisations with pre-1990 IT history you will occasionally come across a collection of punch cards. These follow the same route as regular confidential paper (P-3 suffices, P-5 for sensitive records).

Old floppy disks

3.5 and 5.25 inch floppy disks fall under DIN T classification (magnetic tape equivalent). They can be mixed with other magnetic media on the same run; separate processing is not necessary.

Digitise first or not?

For archives you may want to consult later, digitising before destruction can be useful. Microfilm-to-PDF services exist; bear in mind fading and adhesive issues with old films. For archive material that is demonstrably no longer needed (old correspondence, obsolete files), direct destruction is often the right route.

For the retention test, see the GDPR retention periods cheatsheet.

What does it cost?

Pre-digital media are typically a small part of a total clean-up, but more expensive per kilo than paper because of the separate processing. For most clients it is sensible to take this stream along with a larger paper or hardware run; the extra cost stays limited and the chain remains tight.

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Unsure which DIN classification fits your old archive? Email us via desnipperaar.nl with a photo or description.