Faber-Castell FAQ

What’s the history of Faber-Castell?

Faber-Castell has a surprisingly long history. They were started in Stein, Germany, by Kaspar Faber and his wife, Maria, in 1761. The family name was changed to Faber-Castell after a heiress to the Faber business, Ottilie Faber, married Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen in 1898 to become the Faber-Castells. They are now on their ninth generation of Faber-Castells at the top of the business.

These days they are still based in Stein but are pretty global with their manufacturing. They have manufacturing plants across the world in places like Brazil, India, Nigeria and Malaysia.

What makes Faber-Castell different?

Faber-Castell have expanded beyond their founding as a pencil manufacturer. They make fountain pens, ballpoint pens, crayons, compasses and much more from the world of stationery. Despite that, they still have a very well-engineered range of colouring pencils for artists.

Recommended Faber-Castell products

The classic ‘nice pens’ from Faber-Castell are the mid-range Ambition and e-motion - the Ambition if you like slim pens with straight lines, and the e-motion if you prefer chunky and curvy.

Pencil lovers will also love the Perfect Pencil, giving you a sharpener and extender, to really make the most out of each pencil. And for kids, the Connector Pens help kids keep them tidier by clipping each pen to the next in a fun way.