Strathmore 400 Toned Tan Sketch Pad: 80 lb Mid-Tone
The Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan Sketch Pad is wire-bound, 80 lb (118 g/m²) warm tan paper with a medium surface, made for drawing in both dark media and white highlights. It's acid-free and 100% recycled. Pads run from 5.5 × 8.5 in (50 sheets) to 18 × 24 in (24 sheets), and the cover says made in the USA.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan Sketch Pad, 9 × 12 in, 80 lb, 50 sheets (412-9)
- Brand
- Strathmore
- Brand origin
- United States
- Made in
- United States*
- Material
- 80 lb (118 g/m²) medium-surface toned sketch paper, 100% recycled with 30% post-consumer fiber, acid-free; wire binding, micro-perforated sheets
- Price range
- $$$5–20 per ream or pad
- Rate it
Notes on these facts
- Made by Strathmore Artist Papers, a division of Dixon Ticonderoga (F.I.L.A. Group); owned by Pacon Corporation from 2006 until F.I.L.A. bought Pacon in 2018. Made in United States: The 412-9 cover shown on Strathmore's product page reads 'Made in the U.S.A.' (also in French and Spanish). Zoro lists the United States as the country of origin for the Toned Blue 11 × 14 in pad from the same line. Strathmore's text doesn't name a mill. Source.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Strathmore gives the paper as 80 lb (118 g/m²) with a medium surface, acid-free and 100% recycled with 30% post-consumer fiber.
- Pads come in 5.5 × 8.5 and 9 × 12 in with 50 sheets, and 11 × 14 and 18 × 24 in with 24 sheets.
- The same paper comes in Toned Gray and Toned Blue, plus 128-page hardbound and 112-page softcover books.
- The 11 × 14 in Toned Tan pad had 18,624 Amazon ratings averaging 4.8 stars on October 21, 2026.
- Strathmore's cover for the 9 × 12 in pad reads 'Made in the U.S.A.'
What is the Strathmore 400 Toned Tan Sketch Pad?
It’s a pad of warm tan drawing paper, so you can draw shadows in dark media and highlights in white. Strathmore explains the idea: a mid-range paper supplies the middle value you would otherwise have to render, so you only place the darks and lights.
It belongs to Strathmore’s 400 Series, the grade the company labels “Best”, one step below its top 500 Series. It’s also popular: the 11 × 14 in Toned Tan listing alone had 18,624 ratings averaging 4.8 stars on October 21, 2026.
Strathmore 400 Toned Tan specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 80 lb (118 g/m²) |
| Surface | Medium |
| Color | Warm tan (also Cool Gray, Steel Blue) |
| Content | 100% recycled, 30% post-consumer fiber |
| Acid-free | Yes |
| Binding | Wire, micro-perforated sheets |
| 9 × 12 in pad | 50 sheets, item 412-9 |
| Made in | United States (pad cover) |
Figures are from Strathmore’s product page. The 5.5 × 8.5 in pads (412-5, 412-105, 412-205) aren’t micro-perforated, but Strathmore says their sheets are still full size when torn at the wire.
What sizes does it come in?
Four pad sizes, two of them with 50 sheets and two with 24.
| Size | Metric | Sheets | Item (Tan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 × 8.5 in | 14 × 21.6 cm | 50 | 412-5 |
| 9 × 12 in | 22.9 × 30.5 cm | 50 | 412-9 |
| 11 × 14 in | 27.9 × 35.6 cm | 24 | 412-11 |
| 18 × 24 in | 45.7 × 61 cm | 24 | 412-18 |
Strathmore also makes the paper as 128-page hardbound books (5.5 × 8.5 and 8.5 × 11 in), 112-page softcover books (5.5 × 8 and 7.75 × 9.75 in), 42 in × 10 yd rolls and 19 × 24 in sheets.
What media work on toned tan paper?
Strathmore lists graphite, chalk, charcoal, sketching stick, markers, china markers, colored pencils, pens and white gel pens.
Watercolor isn’t on the list. For wet media on a toned ground, Strathmore makes a separate 400 Series Toned Mixed Media pad at 184 lb; for pastel, the 98 lb (160 gsm) Canson Mi-Teintes pad is the usual choice. For charcoal with white highlights, General’s Charcoal Drawing Kit No. 15 includes a Charcoal White pencil and stick.
How does it compare with the white 400 Series Sketch pad?
The toned paper is heavier and has a coarser surface than the white sketch paper.
| 400 Toned Tan Sketch | 400 Series Sketch | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 80 lb (118 g/m²) | 60 lb (89 g/m²) |
| Surface | Medium | Fine tooth |
| Color | Warm tan | White |
| Sheets (9 × 12 in) | 50 | 100 |
| Best for | Value studies with white highlights | Everyday sketching |
If you mainly sketch in pencil and want more pages, the white pad is the better value. If you want to draw in white, the toned pad is the one; white pencil doesn’t show on white paper.
Tan, gray or blue: which should you choose?
Choose by color temperature: Strathmore calls them Warm Tan, Cool Gray and Steel Blue, and the paper and sizes are otherwise the same. A warm ground suits skin tones and earthy subjects; a cool one suits stone, water and sky.
All three are popular on Amazon; the 5.5 × 8.5 in Toned Gray pad alone had 11,386 ratings on October 21, 2026. For a bound toned book instead of a pad, Strathmore’s hardbound version has 128 pages; see our sketchbook roundup for other bound options.
Who makes it, and where is it made?
Strathmore Artist Papers, now part of Dixon Ticonderoga, and the pad’s cover says “Made in the U.S.A.” The 9 × 12 in cover shown on Strathmore’s site carries the line in English, French and Spanish, and Zoro lists the United States as the country of origin for the Toned Blue pad.
Frequently asked questions
What is toned tan paper used for?
Drawing in both directions from a middle value: dark pencil, charcoal or ink for shadows and a white pencil, chalk or gel pen for highlights. Strathmore says the mid-tone does the middle value for you.
What weight is Strathmore Toned Tan paper?
80 lb, which Strathmore gives as 118 g/m². That's heavier than the 60 lb (89 g/m²) paper in the white 400 Series Sketch pad.
What pens work on Strathmore toned paper?
Strathmore lists graphite, chalk, charcoal, sketching stick, markers, china markers, colored pencils, pens and white gel pens.
Can you use watercolor on Strathmore Toned Tan sketch paper?
Strathmore doesn't list watercolor for the sketch paper. For wet media on toned paper it makes a separate Toned Mixed Media pad at 184 lb.
Is Strathmore toned paper acid-free?
Yes. Strathmore says it's acid-free and 100% recycled, with 30% post-consumer fiber.
What's the difference between Toned Tan, Toned Gray and Toned Blue?
Only the color: Strathmore describes them as Warm Tan, Cool Gray and Steel Blue, all the same 80 lb paper in the same pad sizes.
Is Strathmore Toned Tan made in the USA?
Yes. The cover of the 9 × 12 in pad on Strathmore's site reads 'Made in the U.S.A.'
Sources
- Strathmore: 400 Series Toned Sketch (80 lb, 118 g/m², medium surface; Warm Tan, Cool Gray, Steel Blue; 100% recycled, 30% post-consumer fiber, acid-free; media list; pad, roll, book and sheet item numbers; page read October 21, 2026)
- Strathmore: product image of the 412-9 Toned Tan pad cover (9 × 12 in, 50 sheets, 80 lb, 118 g/m²; 'Made in the U.S.A.')
- Amazon US: Strathmore 400 Series Sketch Pad, Toned Tan, 11 × 14 in, 24 sheets (P412-11; GTIN 00012017412110; 4.8 stars, 18,624 ratings; #71 in Sketchbooks & Notebooks; read October 21, 2026)
- Amazon US: Strathmore 400 Series Sketch Pad, Toned Gray, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 50 sheets (P412-105; 11,386 ratings)
- Amazon US: Strathmore 400 Series Toned Mixed Media pad, Toned Tan, 11 × 14 in, 15 sheets (184 lb; wet and dry media)
- Staples: Strathmore 400 Series 11 × 14 in Toned Paper Sketch Pad, 24 sheets (100% recycled, acid-free, 30% post-consumer fiber, wire bound, micro-perforated)
- Zoro: Strathmore 400 Series Sketch Pad, Toned Blue, 11 × 14 in (country of origin United States)
- School Specialty: Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan Drawing Pad, 11 × 14 in, 80 lb, 24 sheets (UPC 012017412110)
