--- title: "CW&T Pen Type-A: Size, Scales, Refill & Price" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-a/" description: "CW&T Pen Type-A explained: a stainless steel pen in a ruler or architect's scale sleeve, 125 mm long, 124 g, Hi-Tec-C cartridge, Vermont-made, price." category: "Pens" type: "Gel pen" published: 2026-10-31 updated: 2026-10-31 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 2 products: - name: "CW&T Pen Type-A (stainless steel, ruler and architect's scale sleeves)" brand: "CW&T" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "United States" material: "300 and 400 series stainless steel; black Cerakote version" released: "2012" price_band: "$$$$ (over $75 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "CW&T" model: "Pen Type-A" sku: "PTA001" url: "https://cwandt.com/products/pen-type-a" --- # CW&T Pen Type-A: Size, Scales, Refill & Price > The CW&T Pen Type-A is a stainless steel pen that slides into a magnetic sleeve engraved with a ruler or architect's scale. CW&T lists the pen at 125 mm and 50 g and the sleeve at 120 mm and 74 g, 124 g in all. It takes a Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm cartridge, is Vermont-made, and listed from US$190. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-a/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-31 - Updated: 2026-10-31 ![CW&T Pen Type-A pen and ruler sleeve drawn to scale, 125 mm and 120 mm long](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/cwandt-pen-type-a-illustration-16x9.png?v=3a6d559f) *The Type-A pen and ruler sleeve, drawn to scale from CW&T's 125 and 120 mm lengths.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | CW&T Pen Type-A (stainless steel, ruler and architect's scale sleeves) | CW&T | United States | United States | 300 and 400 series stainless steel; black Cerakote version | 2012 | $$$$: over $75 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (CW&T Pen Type-A (stainless steel, ruler and architect's scale sleeves)): United States. CW&T's Pen Type-A page lists origin as USA and says the pen is machined at a multi-generation, family-run machine shop in Vermont. It also says the first 6,000-plus pens, in its first year of manufacturing, were made in China. We read it on October 31, 2026. Source: https://cwandt.com/products/pen-type-a ### CW&T Pen Type-A (stainless steel, ruler and architect's scale sleeves) colors - Body colors (2 standard, 0 special edition): Classic Stainless Ruler (glass bead stainless); Black Ruler (black Cerakote, a ceramic polymer coating that wears over time to show the stainless steel). - Per CW&T Pen Type-A product page (https://cwandt.com/products/pen-type-a), checked 2026-10-31. CW&T lists four variants: Classic Stainless Ruler, Black Ruler, and Architect's Scale in imperial or metric. Its copy names the finishes as glass bead stainless and black Cerakote for the Classic variant; it does not name the finish of the architect's scale versions. We drew no tints. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - CW&T lists the pen at 125 mm long and 9.8 mm across (50 g) and the sleeve at 120 × 12 mm (74 g); its spec box gives 124 g for the set. - Four variants: Classic Stainless Ruler, Black Ruler, and Architect's Scale in imperial or metric. - The pen ships with a black Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm cartridge, and a magnet holds it in the sleeve. - CW&T says its Kickstarter was funded on August 15, 2011 with 4,049 backers, and that the Type-A joined the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum's permanent collection in 2023. - CW&T says it is made in Vermont; its first year's 6,000-plus pens were made in China. ## What is the CW&T Pen Type-A? **The Pen Type-A is a stainless steel pen that stores in a ruler.** CW&T, a New York design studio, calls it an homage to its favorite writing utensil, the Hi-Tec-C: it used that pen in its plastic housing for years, then decided the cartridges deserved a more durable home. It has the registered mark in its name, which CW&T prints as Pen Type-A®. The sleeve carries an engraved ruler or architect's scale, and the clean cylindrical pen slides into it and is held by a magnet once seated. There is no visible logo; a tiny CW&T inscription sits hidden under the coin screw. ## CW&T Pen Type-A specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | CW&T | | Pen | 125 mm long, 9.8 mm diameter, 50 g | | Sleeve | 120 mm long, 12 mm wide, 74 g | | Set weight | 124 g (4.4 oz) | | Material | 300 and 400 series stainless steel | | Refill | Black Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm cartridge included | | Made in | United States (Vermont) | ![CW&T Pen Type-A pen and sleeve drawn to scale beside the flat Type-C](https://stationerytimes.com/images/cwandt-pens-sizes.svg?v=bc06e28e) *The Type-A pen and sleeve beside the flat Type-C, at 1 mm = 3.6 px. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## What versions of the Pen Type-A exist? **Four: Classic Stainless Ruler, Black Ruler, and Architect's Scale in imperial or metric.** The Classic has an engraved imperial and metric ruler, in glass bead stainless or black Cerakote. CW&T says the coating is durable but will wear over time and reveal the stainless steel. The imperial architect's scale marks 1"=1', 1/2"=1', 3/4"=1', 3/8"=1', 1/4"=1', 1/8"=1', 3/16"=1' and 3/32"=1'. The metric one marks 1:1, 1:20, 1:25, 1:50, 1:75, 1:100, 1:125 and 1:200. ## Why is the tip exposed? **The stepped tip leaves the contact point visible, so you can see what you are drawing.** CW&T says this suits architects, illustrators and designers. Inside the sleeve a stepped area rests the fine tip against a silicone pad. The pen also makes a slight popping sound leaving the sleeve, which CW&T attributes to tolerances tight enough to act like a pneumatic seal. ## How does the Type-A compare with the Type-B and Type-C? **The Type-A and Type-B share the same pen and sleeve sizes; the Type-A adds the engraved scale and a stainless steel build.** CW&T lists both at a 125 mm pen, 9.8 mm across, in a 120 × 12 mm sleeve. The [Pen Type-B](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-b/) is the logo-free, scale-free version, and comes in brass or titanium as well as steel. The [Pen Type-C](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-c/) is a different shape altogether: flat, 108 × 15 mm and 3.5 mm thick, with a clip rather than a sleeve. The Type-A is the heaviest of the three on CW&T's figures: 124 g for pen and sleeve, against 52 g for the titanium Type-B set and 18 g for the titanium Type-C. ## Which refill does the Pen Type-A use? **A Pilot Hi-Tec-C cartridge; CW&T ships a black 0.3 mm one in every pen.** Unscrew the back with a coin to change it. Our [Pilot Hi-Tec-C guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-hi-tec-c/) explains the pen those cartridges come from, and the [Coleto guide](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-hi-tec-c-coleto/) the system the thinner [Pen Type-C](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-c/) is built around. ## What is the history of the Pen Type-A, and where is it made? **In Vermont, per CW&T, after a first year of manufacturing in China.** CW&T says its Kickstarter campaign was funded on August 15, 2011 with 4,049 backers, which made it the sixth most funded project on Kickstarter at that time, and that over 6,000 pens were made in China that first year. It says the pen entered the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum's permanent collection in 2023. For the plainer, uncoated-brass or titanium sibling, see the [Pen Type-B](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/cwandt-pen-type-b/). ## What does the Pen Type-A sell for? **It sits in our $$$$ band (over $75).** On October 31, 2026 CW&T listed the Classic Stainless Ruler at US$190 and the Black Ruler and both Architect's Scale versions at US$197. For lower-priced pocket pens, see our [best pocket pens](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pocket-pens/) roundup. ## Frequently asked questions ### How big is the CW&T Pen Type-A? CW&T lists the pen at 125 mm long and 9.8 mm across, and the sleeve at 120 mm long and 12 mm wide. Its spec box gives 130 × 12 × 12 mm, which we take to be the set as packed. ### How much does the Pen Type-A weigh? CW&T lists the pen at 50 g (1.75 oz), the sleeve at 74 g (2.6 oz) and 124 g (4.4 oz) in total. ### What are the four Pen Type-A versions? CW&T sells a Classic variant with an engraved imperial and metric ruler in glass bead stainless or black Cerakote, and an Architect's Scale variant in imperial or metric. ### What refill does the Pen Type-A use? It ships with a black Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm cartridge, and CW&T says Hi-Tec-C cartridges come in four line widths and over 30 colors. You replace one by unscrewing the back with a coin. ### Where is the Pen Type-A made? CW&T lists the origin as USA and says it is machined at a multi-generation, family-run machine shop in Vermont. Its first-year pens were made in China. ### Is the Pen Type-A in a museum? CW&T says it was added to the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum's permanent collection in 2023. ### How much does the Pen Type-A cost? On October 31, 2026 CW&T listed the Classic Stainless Ruler at US$190 and the Black Ruler and both Architect's Scale versions at US$197. ## Sources - [CW&T: Pen Type-A (125 mm pen, 120 mm sleeve, 50 g and 74 g, stainless steel, Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm cartridge, Kickstarter dates, Cooper Hewitt, variants and prices; read October 31, 2026)](https://cwandt.com/products/pen-type-a) - [CW&T: Best Sellers collection (Pen Type-A, Type-B and Type-C listed; read October 31, 2026)](https://cwandt.com/collections/best-sellers)