--- title: "Maruman Soho Sketch Pad: 100-Sheet B6, B5 and B4 Pads" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/maruman-soho-sketch-pad/" description: "Maruman Soho Sketch pad explained: 100 sheets of thin 96.5 g/m² drawing paper, top-glued so sheets tear off cleanly, B6, B5 and B4 sizes, weights and origin." category: "Paper" type: "Sketch & art pad" published: 2026-10-30 updated: 2026-10-30 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 4 products: - name: "Maruman Soho Sketch Pad, B5, 100 sheets (SOHO501)" brand: "Maruman" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "Thin-weight drawing paper, 96.5 g/m²; colored card front cover, chipboard back cover; top-glued" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per ream or pad, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Maruman Co., Ltd." model: "SOHO501" gtin: "4979093501106" url: "https://www.e-maruman.co.jp/products/detail/soho501.html" --- # Maruman Soho Sketch Pad: 100-Sheet B6, B5 and B4 Pads > The Maruman Soho Sketch pad is a top-glued pad of 100 sheets of thin-weight 96.5 g/m² drawing paper that Maruman says suits felt-tip pens and colored pencils. Maruman's B5 pad is 257 × 182 × 16 mm and 510 g, made in Japan, at ¥1,210 (about US$7.70). - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/maruman-soho-sketch-pad/ - Category: Paper - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-30 - Updated: 2026-10-30 ![Three Maruman Soho Sketch pads to scale, held landscape and glued at the top: B6, B5 and B4](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/maruman-soho-sketch-pad-illustration-16x9.png?v=470d9811) *Three sizes to scale at 1 mm = 0.91 px from Maruman's listed sizes; the cover tints are representative.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Maruman Soho Sketch Pad, B5, 100 sheets (SOHO501) | Maruman (by Maruman Co., Ltd.) | Japan | Japan | Thin-weight drawing paper, 96.5 g/m²; colored card front cover, chipboard back cover; top-glued | – | $$: $5–20 per ream or pad | - Made in (Maruman Soho Sketch Pad, B5, 100 sheets (SOHO501)): Japan. Maruman's Japanese product pages give the country of production as Japan for the B6 (SOHO601), B5 (SOHO501) and B4 (SOHO401) pads. Source: https://www.e-maruman.co.jp/products/detail/soho501.html ## Key takeaways - Maruman's product pages list three pad sizes: B6 at 170 × 125 mm and 240 g, B5 at 257 × 182 mm and 510 g, and B4 at 352 × 251 mm and 980 g, each 16 mm thick with 100 sheets. - The paper is Maruman's thin-weight drawing paper at 96.5 g/m²; Maruman says the thin weight resists tearing under pressure and suits felt-tip pens and colored pencils. - The pad is glued at the top edge, which Maruman says lets you remove each sheet cleanly one at a time. - Maruman's sizes are not JIS: its B6 pad is 125 × 170 mm against JIS B6 at 128 × 182 mm, and its B4 is 251 × 352 mm against JIS B4 at 257 × 364 mm. - List prices with tax are ¥990 (about US$6.30) for B6, ¥1,210 (about US$7.70) for B5 and ¥1,595 (about US$10.10) for B4; Maruman gives Japan as the country of production. ## What is the Maruman Soho Sketch pad? **It is a large sketch pad of 100 thin sheets, glued at the top so each one comes away cleanly.** Maruman's product pages describe Soho as art and design paper for writing out ideas, and say the 100-sheet count suits everything from design work to sketching practice. Maruman is a Japanese stationery maker; its [Croquis sketchbook](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/maruman-croquis-sketchbook/) is a thinner-paper, wire-bound option. The Soho is a pad rather than a book, so the sheets are meant to be removed. ## What sizes does it come in? **Three sizes: B6, B5 and B4, all 16 mm thick with 100 sheets.** Maruman gives each pad's body and sheet size as the same figure, height first, so every pad is held in landscape. | Size | Sheet (H × W) | Weight | Maruman price | |---|---|---|---| | B6 | 125 × 170 mm (4.9 × 6.7 in) | 240 g | ¥990 (about US$6.30) | | B5 | 182 × 257 mm (7.2 × 10.1 in) | 510 g | ¥1,210 (about US$7.70) | | B4 | 251 × 352 mm (9.9 × 13.9 in) | 980 g | ¥1,595 (about US$10.10) | ![The Soho B6 sheet, 125 by 170 mm, outlined inside JIS B6 and ISO B6, with the B4 sizes in a note](https://stationerytimes.com/images/maruman-soho-sketch-pad-sizes.svg?v=d27862fd) *The Soho B6 sheet against JIS B6 and ISO B6, turned portrait and sharing a corner. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## Are Soho's B sizes the same as JIS B? **Only the B5 is: Maruman's B5 sheet is 257 × 182 mm, JIS B5 turned sideways, but its B6 and B4 differ from both JIS and ISO.** JIS B6 is 128 × 182 mm and ISO B6 125 × 176 mm, against Soho's 125 × 170 mm. JIS B4 is 257 × 364 mm and ISO B4 250 × 353 mm, against Soho's 251 × 352 mm. The B4 is within a millimetre or so of ISO B4, while the B6 is 6 mm shorter than ISO. Maruman doesn't say why, so check the millimetres before buying a folder or portfolio, and see our [paper sizes explained](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/paper-sizes-explained/) guide for the standards. ## What is the paper like? **Maruman calls it thin-weight drawing paper at 96.5 g/m², sized for felt-tip pens and colored pencils.** The product page says the thin weight is hard to tear even when you press hard, which suits quick studies and practice. Maruman's page gives no surface or sizing details and doesn't mention wet media. For heavier work, our [best sketchbooks](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-sketchbooks/) guide covers papers made for washes. ## Which size should you choose? **The B6 for a bag, the B5 for a desk and the B4 for large studies, going by weight and page area.** The B6 sheet is 125 × 170 mm and the pad weighs 240 g; the B5 weighs 510 g, and the B4 at 980 g is heavy to carry. All three are 16 mm thick with the same 100 sheets, so the price rises with the sheet size. Since the three sizes hold the same paper, pick by what you will draw on. A pad held landscape suits wide subjects, and a B5 sheet of 257 × 182 mm is about the size of a standard Japanese notebook page turned sideways. ## How is the pad bound? **It is a top-glued pad ("ten-nori" in Japanese), so the glue runs along the top edge and a sheet peels away one at a time.** Maruman says this keeps the removal clean. The front cover is colored card and the back cover is chipboard, per its spec lists. Maruman lists no wire or thread, so a sheet is the only thing that moves. For books that open flat, see our [best lay-flat notebooks](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-lay-flat-notebooks/). ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **In Japan, per Maruman's own product pages for all three sizes.** Maruman's list prices with tax are ¥990 (about US$6.30) for the B6, ¥1,210 (about US$7.70) for the B5 and ¥1,595 (about US$10.10) for the B4, at 158 yen to the dollar, in our $$ band ($5–20) before any shipping. We found no US retailer page we could read, so we have no US price. Maruman's pages link its own shop and Amazon, Yahoo and Rakuten stores, which we didn't read. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many sheets are in a Maruman Soho Sketch pad? 100 sheets in every size Maruman lists (B6, B5 and B4), glued along the top edge. Each pad is 16 mm thick. ### What paper does the Soho Sketch pad use? Maruman lists thin-weight drawing paper at 96.5 g/m². It says the thin weight resists tearing under pressure and suits felt-tip pens and colored pencils. ### Can you tear sheets out of the Soho pad? Yes. Maruman says the top-glued binding lets you remove each sheet cleanly, one at a time. ### Is the Soho B5 pad the same as JIS B5? Its sheet is 257 × 182 mm, which is JIS B5 turned sideways. Its B6 and B4 pads are not JIS: the B6 is 170 × 125 mm and the B4 is 352 × 251 mm. ### How heavy is the Soho Sketch pad? Maruman lists 240 g for the B6, 510 g for the B5 and 980 g for the B4, each with 100 sheets. ### Is the Soho pad good for watercolor? Maruman recommends it for felt-tip pens and colored pencils and calls it practice paper for design and sketching. It doesn't mention watercolor, and we haven't tested wet media on it. ### Is the Maruman Soho pad made in Japan? Yes. Maruman's own product pages give Japan as the country of production for all three sizes. ## Sources - [Maruman (Japanese): Soho Sketch pad B5, SOHO501 (257 × 182 × 16 mm, 510 g, 100 sheets, thin-weight drawing paper 96.5 g/m², top-glued pad, ¥1,210, made in Japan; read October 30, 2026)](https://www.e-maruman.co.jp/products/detail/soho501.html) - [Maruman (Japanese): Soho Sketch pad B6, SOHO601 (170 × 125 × 16 mm, 240 g, 100 sheets, ¥990; read October 30, 2026)](https://www.e-maruman.co.jp/products/detail/soho601.html) - [Maruman (Japanese): Soho Sketch pad B4, SOHO401 (352 × 251 × 16 mm, 980 g, 100 sheets, ¥1,595; read October 30, 2026)](https://www.e-maruman.co.jp/products/detail/soho401.html) - [Japanese paper size reference: JIS P 0138 B series (B4 257 × 364 mm, B6 128 × 182 mm) and ISO B series (B4 250 × 353 mm, B6 125 × 176 mm)](https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~AX2S-KMTN/ref/paper_size.html)