--- title: "Sharpie Tank Highlighter: Smear Guard Ink & Packs" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sharpie-tank-highlighter/" description: "Sharpie Tank Style highlighter explained: the Smear Guard ink, chisel tip, pack sizes and item numbers, bleed-through, Tank vs Mildliner and where it's made." category: "Pens" type: "Highlighter" published: 2026-10-22 updated: 2026-10-24 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 6 products: - name: "Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, chisel tip (Sharpie Accent; 12 assorted, item 25053)" brand: "Sharpie" brand_origin: "United States" made_in: "United States" material: "Plastic barrel and cap, chisel felt tip, Smear Guard ink" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Sanford L.P., a Newell Brands company" model: "Tank Style highlighter" mpn: "25053" gtin: "071641250536" url: "https://www.sharpie.com/" --- # Sharpie Tank Highlighter: Smear Guard Ink & Packs > The Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, sold as Sharpie Accent, is a wide-barreled highlighter with a chisel tip and what Sharpie calls Smear Guard ink, made not to smear most pen inks and inkjet prints. It comes in yellow and assorted fluorescent colors, from 4-packs to a 36-pen value box, and US suppliers list it as made in the USA. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sharpie-tank-highlighter/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-22 - Updated: 2026-10-24 ![Yellow Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, capped, with a close-up of its chisel tip highlighting a line of text](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/sharpie-tank-highlighter-16x9.png) *The Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, drawn in proportion (no single-pen size is published).* 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) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, chisel tip (Sharpie Accent; 12 assorted, item 25053) | Sharpie (by Sanford L.P., a Newell Brands company) | United States | United States | Plastic barrel and cap, chisel felt tip, Smear Guard ink | – | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, chisel tip (Sharpie Accent; 12 assorted, item 25053)): United States. Officecrave marks item 25053 Made in USA (read October 22, 2026). Sharpie's own site was behind a bot check when we tried it, so we couldn't confirm the origin there; check the pack. Source: https://www.officecrave.com/sharpie-25053.html ### Sharpie Tank Style highlighter, chisel tip (Sharpie Accent; 12 assorted, item 25053) colors - Ink colors (7 standard, 0 special edition): Yellow (25005); Fluorescent Yellow; Fluorescent Orange; Fluorescent Pink; Fluorescent Blue; Fluorescent Green; Lavender (assorted 12-count (25145) only). - Per Newell Brands catalog (Sharpie) (https://sites.salsify.com/41c9c255-1884-40e0-bc05-ad8dd5617744/b2dae3b8-7a2e-4ca6-8428-8273de608721/product/SAP_25009B/Sharpie-Tank-Style-Highlighters-Chisel-Tip-Fluorescent-Pink-Box-of-12/), checked 2026-10-24. Colors per Newell Brands' Sharpie catalog. The six colors sold as single-color boxes are yellow (25005), fluorescent yellow (25025B), orange (25006B), pink (25009B), blue (25010B) and green (25026B). Lavender comes only in the assorted 12-count (25145). A separate Mild Pastel set (2157488) has pastel yellow, orange, red, purple, blue and green, not listed here. Tints were sampled from Sharpie's box photos; lavender has no tint, because neither Sharpie nor a retailer we could read shows the 25145 pack: Office Depot's 25145 listing pictures a different 12-color card. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - Sharpie Tank Style listings held 6 of the top 30 places on Amazon US's top highlighter list on October 22, 2026. - The 12-pen assorted box is item 25053 (UPC 071641250536), with 4.7 stars from 4,875 Amazon ratings. - Packs run from 4 pens (25164PP, yellow) through 6 and 12 to a 36-pen fluorescent yellow value pack (1920938). - Sharpie says Smear Guard ink won't smear over many pen and marker inks and inkjet printouts, based on consumer surveys; let the ink dry first. - Officecrave flags the 25053 and its sister packs as made in the USA. ## What is the Sharpie Tank highlighter? **It's Sharpie's wide-barreled chisel-tip highlighter, the one sold in dozens to American schools and offices, also branded Sharpie Accent.** When we checked Amazon US's highlighter best sellers on October 22, 2026, six of the top 30 places were Sharpie Tank Style packs, in yellow, fluorescent and assorted colors. The name comes from the fat "tank" barrel, which holds more ink than a pocket highlighter. Sharpie's selling point is its Smear Guard ink, made to go over pen writing and printouts without dragging the ink. ## Sharpie Tank Style highlighter specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Brand | Sharpie (Sanford L.P., a Newell Brands company) | | Common pack | 12 assorted, item 25053 (UPC 071641250536) | | Tip | Chisel, for wide or narrow lines (retailers) | | Ink | Smear Guard, fluorescent | | Bleed-through | "Won't bleed through most paper" (Sharpie, via Officecrave) | | Colors | Yellow, fluorescent yellow, orange, pink, blue, green; pastel assortments | | Line width and size | Not published in the sources we found | | Price band | $ (under $5 per pen in packs) | | Made in | United States (Officecrave) | Sharpie doesn't publish a line width, length or weight in the sources we could reach. The chisel tip highlights a full line of text when held flat and underlines when turned on its narrow edge. ## Which pack should you buy? **The 12-pen assorted box (25053) is the one most people buy; the 36-pen yellow value pack is for classrooms and offices.** The packs differ only in count and color mix. ![Sharpie Tank Style packs by item number: 25164PP 4 yellow, 25876PP 6 assorted, 25053 12 assorted, 25025B 12 yellow, 1920938 36 yellow](https://stationerytimes.com/images/sharpie-tank-highlighter-packs.svg) *Sharpie Tank Style packs as Officecrave lists them, one bar per pen.* Single-color dozens exist too, such as orange (25006B), pink (25009B), blue (25010B) and fluorescent green (25026B). If you color-code notes, a dozen of one color lasts longer than an assorted box. ## Does Smear Guard ink really not smear? **Sharpie says it doesn't smear many pen and marker inks, inkjet printouts, written notes and newspapers, and it bases that on consumer surveys.** The same claim tells you to let the ink dry before highlighting, which is where most smearing comes from. Gel ink is the slowest to dry, so give fresh gel writing a few seconds before you go over it. We haven't run our own smear test yet; it's in the hands-on slot above. ## What is the Sharpie Tank highlighter best for? **Textbooks, printouts and work documents, where you want a bright line that reads at a glance.** Sharpie describes the tip as easy-gliding for highlighting or underlining and the pen as dependable and long-lasting, and says the color won't fade the type underneath. The wide barrel is easy to grip, but it's bulky in a slim pencil case or a planner's pen loop. If you overshoot the end of words, Sharpie's [Clear View](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sharpie-clear-view-highlighter/) has a see-through tip. For planners and journals, a muted, double-ended pen is usually the better fit. For very thin pages, such as Bibles and dictionaries, test on a back page first: Sharpie only promises no bleed on "most paper". ## Sharpie Tank vs Mildliner and STABILO BOSS: which should you choose? **Choose the Sharpie Tank for bright, cheap highlighting in bulk; the Mildliner for muted colors and a fine second tip; the STABILO BOSS for a flat pen with two line widths.** | | Sharpie Tank Style | [Zebra Mildliner](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/zebra-mildliner/) | [STABILO BOSS ORIGINAL](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/stabilo-boss-original/) | |---|---|---|---| | Tips | Chisel | 4.0 mm chisel + 1.0–1.4 mm bullet | Chisel, 2 or 5 mm | | Colors | Fluorescent and pastel | 40 mild colors | 34 colors | | Ink claim | Smear Guard | Water-based pigment | Anti-dry-out, up to 4 h uncapped | | Made in | United States | Japan or Mexico | Not covered here | | Price band | $ | $ | $ | If you want to undo mistakes, the [Pilot FriXion Light](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-frixion-light-highlighter/) erases by friction heat. For a slimmer, pen-style chisel highlighter with an 8-hour cap-off claim, see the [BIC Brite Liner](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/bic-brite-liner/). Our [highlighters that don't bleed](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-highlighters-that-dont-bleed/) roundup compares more options for thin pages. ## Where is the Sharpie Tank highlighter made? **In the United States, according to Officecrave, which marks the 25053 and its related packs Made in USA.** Sharpie belongs to Newell Brands; our [Sharpie Fine Point](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sharpie-fine-point/) guide covers where the markers are made. Sharpie's own site was behind a bot check when we tried it, so we couldn't confirm the origin there. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Sharpie Accent the same as Sharpie Tank? Yes. Amazon and office suppliers sell the same wide chisel-tip highlighter as both Sharpie Accent Tank-Style and Sharpie Tank Style; the item numbers, such as 25053, are the same. ### Do Sharpie Tank highlighters bleed through paper? Sharpie says the color won't bleed through most paper. Thin Bible and dictionary pages are the exception to test first; we haven't measured bleed ourselves yet. ### Can I highlight over gel pen with a Sharpie Tank? Usually, once the ink is dry. Sharpie says its Smear Guard ink doesn't smear many pen and marker inks, based on consumer surveys, and tells you to let the ink dry before highlighting. ### What colors do Sharpie Tank highlighters come in? Yellow and fluorescent yellow, plus assorted packs with orange, pink, blue and green; retailers also list single-color dozens of each, and a pastel assortment exists. ### Is the Sharpie Tank highlighter made in the USA? Yes, per the US office supplier Officecrave, which marks item 25053 and its sister packs Made in USA. Sharpie is a Newell Brands company. ### How many highlighters are in a Sharpie Tank value pack? 36. The fluorescent yellow value pack, item 1920938, holds 36 pens; the common assorted box, 25053, holds 12. ## Sources - [Amazon US: Sharpie Tank Style Highlighters, Chisel Tip, Assorted, 12 Count (B00006IEJB; model 25053, UPC 071641250536, 4.7 stars from 4,875 ratings, read October 22, 2026)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IEJB) - [Amazon US Best Sellers: Highlighters (six Sharpie Tank Style listings in the top 30, October 22, 2026)](https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/office-products/1069798) - [Officecrave: Sharpie Tank Style Highlighters, assorted, dozen (25053; Smear Guard features, Made in USA, related packs 25164PP, 25876PP, 25025B, 1920938)](https://www.officecrave.com/sharpie-25053.html) - [Sharpie (official site; behind a bot check when we tried it)](https://www.sharpie.com/) - [Blue Dog Ink: Sharpie Tank Style Highlighters, assorted, dozen (25053)](https://www.bluedogink.com/sharpie-tank-style-highlighters-with-open-stock-box-assorted-ink-colors-chisel-tip-assorted-barrel-colors-dozen-25053.html) - [Newell Brands catalog: Sharpie Tank Style Highlighters, Fluorescent Pink, Box of 12 (25009B), with the other single-color boxes and the 25145 assortment](https://sites.salsify.com/41c9c255-1884-40e0-bc05-ad8dd5617744/b2dae3b8-7a2e-4ca6-8428-8273de608721/product/SAP_25009B/Sharpie-Tank-Style-Highlighters-Chisel-Tip-Fluorescent-Pink-Box-of-12/)