Fountain Pen Nib Tipping Sizes & Chart

Nib tipping is the surface area or actual portion of the fountain pen nib that makes contact with paper. It is also the portion of the nib used for writing. With many nibs you can actually see a small amount of material that may look like a bubble on the very end of the nib. Different nib sizes have different widths of tipping material. This width is what we refer to as the nib tipping or size. The larger the surface area of the tipping the broader the line the pen will lay down. Wider nibs such as a broad or stub will have a wider tipping than finer nibs. There is no standard in the industry for what width of the nib tipping constitutes a particular nib size. Different brands have various sizes for the same size nib and even nibs within one brand may vary slightly. For the most part Japanese nibs run finer than their western counterparts.

We have compiled a tipping size chart for the most popular brands we carry to give you an idea of the sizes. This may help you when selecting a nib for a new brand you have not used as you can compare one brand nib size to another.

Fountain Pen Nib Size Chart by Tipping Size

Ultra Extra Fine
Extra Fine
Fine
Medium Fine
Medium
Broad
Stub
Italic
Stub 1.5mm
Music
Zoom
Aurora
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.7mm
0.7mm
1.0mm
 
 
 
Benu
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Bock
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
1.5mm
 
 
Caran dAche
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.7mm
 
 
 
 
 
Conklin
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Diplomat
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Esterbrook
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Ferris Wheel Press
 
 
0.6mm
 
0.7mm
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gioia Pen Italia
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
1.5mm
 
 
Hinze
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
1.5mm
 
 
Kaweco
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
1.1mm
 
 
 
Lamy
 
0.4mm
0.5mm
 
0.6mm
0.9mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
LeBoeuf
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Leonardo Officina Italiana
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
LOCLEN
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Maiora
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Marlen
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Montegrappa
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.0mm
 
 
 
 
Monteverde
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Namiki
 
0.2mm
0.3mm
 
0.5mm
0.6mm
0.7mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
Nettuno
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Noodlers
 
 
 
 
0.5mm
 
 
 
 
 
 
Online
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Opus 88
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Otto Hutt
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Parker
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.6mm
0.8mm
 
1.1mm
 
 
 
Pelikan
 
0.4mm
0.5mm
 
0.7mm
0.8mm
 
1.4mm
 
 
 
Pilot
 
0.2mm
0.3mm
 
0.5mm
0.6mm
0.7mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
Pineider
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Pininfarina
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Platinum
0.1mm
0.2mm
0.3mm
 
0.4mm
0.6mm
 
 
 
1.5mm
 
Porsche Design
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Ranga
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Retro 51
 
 
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Sailor
 
0.2mm
0.3mm
0.4mm
0.5mm
0.6mm
 
 
 
1.2mm
1.0mm
Stipula
 
 
0.4mm
 
0.6mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
TWSBI
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
1.1mm
 
 
 
 
Visconti
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.6mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Waldmann
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 
Waterman
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.6mm
0.8mm
0.9mm
 
 
 
 
Ystudio
 
0.3mm
0.4mm
 
0.5mm
0.8mm
 
 
 
 
 

Nib Helper
Based on the line width of the two brands you select we will suggest the best nib size just for you.

Select your prefered brand and nib size:



Select brand to compare:



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Please note that the Retail price reflects the prevailing market price or the regular retail price. It is common for products to be sold at lower prices than the Retail price due to various factors, including promotional events, discounts, market competition, or supplier agreements.