Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils: 150 Soft Oil Colors

Orange Holbein Artists' Colored Pencil drawn to scale, with its 3.8 mm core end-on — Orange (OP048), drawn to scale from a retailer's 176 mm length.

Product facts

Product: Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils, set of 24 (OP920)
Brand: Holbein
Brand origin: Japan
Made in: Japan^*
Material: Round wood case; oil-based core of pigment, wax, oil and fats (Holbein, retailers)
Released: 1993
Price range: $under $5 per pencil (multi-packs divided by the count)
Rate it: No ratings yet. Be the first to rate this product.

Notes on these facts

Made by Holbein Works, Ltd. (Osaka). Made in Japan: Art Savings Club lists the pencils as made in Japan, and the pencil on Holbein's own shop photo (Orange, OP048) carries a JAPAN imprint. Holbein's pages we read don't state a country in words. Source. Price: example listing.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

Holbein's English site gives a 3.8 mm core and a 7.8 mm barrel; a South African retailer lists the pencil at 176 mm (6.9 in).
The range has 150 colors, sold singly in Japan at ¥275 (about US$1.70) each on Holbein's online shop (October 21, 2026).
Holbein lists 12 boxed sets, from 6 metallic or luminous colors to the full 150 in a paper box (OP945) or a wooden box (OP946).
Holbein's Japanese site dates the line to 1993; the 150-color wooden box marked its 30th anniversary in May 2023.
Holbein's product photo shows JAPAN printed on the barrel, and a retailer lists the pencils as made in Japan.

What are Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils?

They are oil-based artist colored pencils from Holbein, the Osaka paint maker, sold in 150 colors. Holbein’s Japanese site says they were developed for coloring, sketching and finished drawings, and that the soft core lets you lay three or four colors on top of each other.

Holbein launched the line in 1993, according to its May 2023 news release for the 30th-anniversary wooden box. Each round barrel is painted in the color of its core, with a gold imprint.

Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencil specs

Spec	Value
Maker	Holbein Works, Ltd., Osaka
Type	Oil-based colored pencil (Holbein)
Core	3.8 mm (Holbein)
Barrel	Round, 7.8 mm (Holbein)
Length	176 mm, 6.9 in (Art Savings Club)
Core makeup	Pigment, wax, oil and fats (Splendith); contains tallow (Art Savings Club)
Colors	150
Single pencil	OP + color number, e.g. OP048 Orange
Released	1993 (Holbein)
Made in	Japan

Holbein doesn’t publish a length in the pages we read, so the 176 mm figure comes from one retailer. Art Savings Club also notes the core contains animal-derived tallow, so the pencils aren’t vegan.

How thick is the core?

Holbein gives a 3.8 mm core in a 7.8 mm barrel, which it says colors large areas at once and is easy to grip. That core matches the 3.8 mm retailers list for Faber-Castell Polychromos.

Cross-sections to scale of a Holbein Artists' Colored Pencil and a KOH-I-NOOR Progresso woodless pencil — A Holbein pencil end-on, beside a woodless Progresso, at 18×.

For a pencil that is all core, see the KOH-I-NOOR Progresso.

Are Holbein Artists’ Colored Pencils soft or hard?

Soft for an oil-based pencil: the Dutch retailer Splendith puts their hardness between Polychromos and Prismacolor. Holbein says the soft core still draws thin lines over an underlayer, and The Art Shop warns that the softness calls for a good sharpener.

Splendith also says the oily core doesn’t blend well with other brands. Holbein’s answer is its own blenders: Meltz liquid (OP850, 35 ml), the twin-tip Meltz Pen (OP801) and, since August 22, 2024, a colorless blender pencil with a 4.0 mm core.

Which Holbein set should you buy?

Start with the 24 (OP920) or 36 (OP930) tin; the 12-color portrait set suits skin and fur, and the full 150 comes in paper or wood. Holbein’s Japanese online shop listed these prices on October 21, 2026:

Set	Model	Box	Japanese price
Single color	OP + number	—	¥275 (about US$1.70)
12 basic, pastel or portrait	OP901, OP903, OP904	Tin	¥3,300 (about US$21)
24	OP920	Tin	¥6,600 (about US$42)
36	OP930	Tin	¥9,900 (about US$63)
50, or 50 pastel	OP935, OP936	Paper box	¥13,750 (about US$87)
100	OP940	Paper box	¥27,500 (about US$174)
150	OP945	Paper box	¥41,250 (about US$261)
150	OP946	Wooden box, with Meltz and sharpener	¥55,000 (about US$348)

Holbein also sells 6-color metallic (OP915) and luminous (OP916) sets at ¥1,650 (about US$10). Outside Japan, prices run much higher: Opus Art Supplies lists the 24 at C$134.99 (about US$96), still under $5 a pencil, our $ band.

How do Holbein pencils compare?

Holbein is the soft Japanese oil pencil; Polychromos is firmer, Prismacolor is softer wax. For another Japanese line sold in book-style sets by tone, see Tombow Irojiten.

	Holbein Artists’	Faber-Castell Polychromos	Prismacolor Premier	Caran d’Ache Luminance
Binder	Oil-based (pigment, wax, oil, fats)	Oil-based	Wax-based	Wax-based, lightfast
Core	3.8 mm	3.8 mm	3 to 3.8 mm	3.8 mm
Colors	150	120	150	100
Made in	Japan	Germany	Mexico	Switzerland

See our best colored pencils roundup for how we rank them by use. Holbein also makes Artists’ Gouache, sold in 5 ml starter sets of 12.

Where are Holbein colored pencils made?

In Japan: a retailer lists them as made in Japan, and Holbein’s own product photo shows JAPAN printed on the barrel. Holbein Works is based in Osaka, and its pages we read don’t name the factory.

Frequently asked questions

Are Holbein colored pencils oil-based or wax-based?

Holbein calls them oil-based (油性) colored pencils. Retailers describe the core as a mix of pigment, wax, oil and fats, so they feel softer than many oil pencils.

How many colors do Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils come in?

150. Holbein sells every color singly in Japan and in sets of 6, 12, 24, 36, 50, 100 and 150.

How thick is the Holbein colored pencil core?

3.8 mm, in a 7.8 mm round barrel, according to Holbein's English site. That is the same core width retailers list for Faber-Castell Polychromos.

Are Holbein colored pencils lightfast?

Holbein says it uses carefully selected pigments and that lightfastness varies by color, with ratings in its color booklet. A Dutch retailer says the grade is printed on each pencil.

Do Holbein pencils blend with other brands?

They layer well with each other, but the Dutch retailer Splendith warns that their unusual core doesn't blend well with other brands. Test on scrap paper before mixing.

Is there a Holbein colorless blender?

Yes. Holbein launched a colorless blender pencil on August 22, 2024, with a 4.0 mm oil-based core, and it also sells Meltz, a water-based blending liquid.

Are Holbein colored pencils made in the USA?

No, in Japan, according to a retailer listing; the pencil in Holbein's own product photo is also printed JAPAN. Holbein Works is based in Osaka.

Sources (10)

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