How to Choose a Fountain Pen Nib - Size, Material and Flexibility

What Nib Size Should You Use

The nib size you use is down to personal preference, there is no ‘best’ nib size. Some fountain pens have no choices at all, but many of the most popular pens have the choice of fine, medium or broad nibs and you might also see extra-fine, extra-broad, and stub/italic on offer as well.

As well as personal choice, it’s worth saying that different pen manufacturers create their nib differently, so terms like ‘fine’ and ‘broad’ are a rough guide rather than an exact measurement. One big difference is how Western (e.g. German) and Japanese nibs differ in size.

For example an extra-fine Western pen nib might draw a line width of 0.5mm, where an extra-fine Japanese nib might draw at 0.3mm.

But line widths can vary a lot, and the nib itself is only one factor - the ink can make for a finer or broader line too, as can the paper. And even changes in temperature and air pressure can change the ink flow a little, too.

Extra Fine Nibs

Typically extra fine nibs will write the thinnest lines, and use the least ink. These nibs are perfect for writers with very small handwriting. They are also good if you are writing on standard printer paper rather than a nice ‘fountain pen suitable’ paper type. The smaller amount of ink they use means they have a shorter drying time and can be better when using a more absorbent paper.

That smaller amount of ink does mean your cartridges and bottles will last longer, but it can also make it seem ‘scratchy’ when you are writing. If that is the case it may be worth trying to switch to a fine nib. 

Fine Nibs

A fine nib size is suitable for smaller writing, for example writing in a lined notebook. They also usually draw a line of a similar width to a ballpoint pen, so it can make the transition to a fountain pen a bit easier, so they’re sometimes recommended for beginners.

Fine nibs can have a similar drawback to the extra-fine, in terms of some writers finding it a bit ‘scratchy’. A smaller tip touching the paper will never feel as smooth as a big wet nib tip. So if the smoothness is one of the reasons you’re wanting to try a fountain pen, you might want to go a bit broader for more of that feeling.

Medium Nibs

A medium nib starts to give lines that are a bit broader and wetter, which means the letters take up more space and the ink takes longer to dry. Generally you will want to choose a medium over a fine if you have a heavier hand and have bigger handwriting.

One of the main benefits of the medium nib over the fine is that it starts to show off more of the properties of the ink. That might sound strange, but for fountain pen writing the ink is half the fun. If you choose an ink that has a shimmer or a sheen the broader the nib, the more those properties show.

Broad Nibs

Often the broadest nib on offer. It has all the pros and cons of a medium nib, but more so. A broad nib will really show off your favourite ink, with its much thicker lines.

The downsides of a broad nib are the increased ink flow will mean you will go through that favourite ink of yours quicker than with a finer nib. It will also be important that you are using a ‘fountain pen suitable’ paper type. That increased flow means with unsuitable paper you will get feathering, where the letters go fuzzy, or bleeding, where the ink shows through the page - these will happen with finer nibs, but more so with broad nibs.

Italic/Stub Nibs

Most fountain pens have a rounded tip to make it easier to write with. The stub and italic nibs have a wider and flatter nib to create wider push pull vertical strokes and narrow side-to-side horizontal strokes.

Italic nibs are mostly for calligraphy. A true italic nib has crisp edges, which makes them a bit of an acquired skill to write with. You may occasionally see a ‘cursive’ italic nib, which is a little more rounded on the edges, to be more forgiving. And many ‘italic’ nibs are a little rounded off anyway, but still unlikely to be what you’d want to start out with.

Stub nibs are similar to italics, but even more rounded off. You can think of them as an italic nib that’s made for day to day use, not just calligraphy. Still not a choice we’d recommend for beginners, but they can be used for normal writing much more easily than an italic.

Different manufacturers can use these terms a bit differently, too, which can make things harder to choose - some ‘stub’ nibs are quite rounded shapes, easy enough to use for writing, while others are much more italic.

Speciality Nib Types

If you are just starting with fountain pens we wouldn’t recommend straying too far from extra-fine to broad nibs. However, for those with a bit of experience and enthusiasm, there are a few specialty nibs, like architect and oblique. We will have a separate guide for that if you are curious.

What Nib Flexibility Should I Use?

You may also see nibs described as ‘flex’ or ‘soft’. Flex nibs bend when you apply pressure, usually widening out for varied lines. Soft usually means ‘a bit flex’. These can be perfect for art and calligraphy, but it’s another acquired skill, and too much pressure can damage an expensive nib. We’d suggest trying out dip pens with flexible nibs first to see how it works for you.

The flex nibs were more common in the past, but now the standard nib is almost always a firm nib, and very few pens have a choice.

What Nib Material Should I Use?

Gold? Steel? Iridium? Titanium? What should you be looking for? Is it worth the extra money to get a gold nib? And why is the tip made from Iridium? Let’s find out.

The Tipping

The part of a fountain pen nib that touches the paper is the tip, or tipping material, sometimes called the ‘point’. All but the very cheapest pens have tipping material, and it’s almost always ‘Iridium’. Except it probably isn’t. Iridium may have been used very early on, but there’s usually little to no actual iridium in the tipping material.

So what is iridium? And why say that if it’s not really iridium? It’s a very hard metal that won’t wear away from rubbing on paper. When nibs were almost all gold, if the tip was left as plain gold, it would have worn away when writing - very slowly, but enough to wear out with enough use. The earliest hard tips were probably either iridium or an alloy containing it. And the term just stuck.

So as much as it may annoy chemists and metallurgists, in the field of fountain pens, we just use the word ‘iridium’ to mean a hard alloy on the tip of the nib.

Gold or Steel?

So the part that touches the paper is the tipping material anyway, not the gold or steel the nib is made from. In which case, does the main nib material matter at all? Well, here’s where we’re a little torn. Because it doesn’t really make a lot of difference, honestly. But pens with gold nibs are more expensive, so we usually make more money when we sell them.

There are a couple of arguments usually made in favour of gold nibs. Gold doesn’t react with inks, while steel can, especially with some specific types of ink like iron gall inks. But those types of ink are fairly unusual these days, and steel has become much more resistant to this sort of damage too. With modern steel and almost any ‘normal’ fountain pen ink, there’s no risk of the ink harming the nib.

Some people also say gold is more flexible and gives a better writing feel. And gold is more flexible than steel, for the same thickness, and high-carat gold. But we’re not convinced that translates to flexibility in the final nibs. If you want a really flexible nib, you’d want a dip nib, which would be steel.

The thing that is probably true for the most part is that gold nibs are usually more expensive, and made with more care. It pushes the price of the pen up, but also tends to mean the nibs are made better, with more testing. So if you were to compare a random selection of steel and gold nibs, it’s quite likely the gold ones would be better on average. Just not necessarily because of the gold material.

Other Materials

That covers the vast majority of nibs available. But a few brands do now have titanium nibs, often to make more flexible nibs. Titanium used to be quite troublesome, but modern alloys and techniques mean it can make very good nibs now. Alloys of Palladium and Silver have been used too, sometimes with very good results, but are rarely seen now.

So Which Is Best?

If you want the best, and you don’t mind paying for it, a gold nib isn’t a bad idea at all - even if the material doesn’t necessarily make it better, it’s more likely to be a good nib. But if you don’t want to pay the extra for a gold nib, steel is just fine - it’s the tipping that touches the paper anyway, and steel nibs can be every bit as good as gold.