---
product_id: 1291848
title: "Polychromos Tin - 120 Pencils"
brand: "faber-castell"
price: "A$361"
currency: AUD
in_stock: null
reviews_count: 8
category: "Faber Castell"
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/1291848-polychromos-tin-120-pencils
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# superior lightfastness 120 vibrant colors 3.8mm break-resistant leads Polychromos Tin - 120 Pencils

**Brand:** faber-castell
**Price:** A$361
**Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock

## Summary

> 🎨 Elevate your art game with the ultimate 120-color powerhouse — because your masterpiece deserves nothing less!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Polychromos Tin - 120 Pencils by faber-castell
- **How much does it cost?** A$361 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Currently out of stock
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/1291848-polychromos-tin-120-pencils)

## Best For

- faber-castell enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted faber-castell brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Built to Last:** Thick SV-bonded leads resist breakage and water, ensuring longevity in every stroke.
- • **Unrivaled Color Spectrum:** 120 premium, richly pigmented shades to fuel your creative genius.
- • **Fade-Resistant Brilliance:** Pigments engineered for exceptional lightfastness keep your artwork vivid over time.
- • **Seamless Blending Experience:** Buttery smooth oil-based leads allow effortless layering and blending for professional effects.
- • **Trusted Heritage Craftsmanship:** Crafted by Faber-Castell since 1761, a legacy of excellence in artist-grade materials.

## Overview

The Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils set offers 120 richly pigmented, oil-based colored pencils housed in a durable metal tin. Featuring thick 3.8mm SV-bonded leads, these pencils provide exceptional break resistance and water resistance. Their pigments boast superior lightfastness, ensuring vibrant, fade-resistant artwork. Produced by Faber-Castell, a trusted leader in premium art supplies since 1761, this set delivers buttery smooth blending and layering capabilities, perfect for professional artists and serious enthusiasts seeking lasting quality and color brilliance.

## Description

Quality. Luxury. Expertise. Only the best. Faber-Castell is the world-leading manufacturer of top-quality, innovative art materials. For the ultimate in artists’ pencils, delight in the richly pigmented, prestigious Polychromos and Albrecht Dürer Watercolour ranges. For the best in artists’ pens, sample the smooth and colourful Pitt Pens and see why they have such a devoted fan base. The ingenious Creative Studio range is aimed at the student and hobbyist without sacrificing the quality that sets Faber-Castell apart. All supplemented by an extensive range of top-quality sketch, mixed media and watercolour pads for every art project.

Review: Worth the price!!! - Okay, here begins the fangirling over my took-me-three-years-to-get-them Polychromos coloring pencils. I LOVE THEM!!! I did buy them a special fabric case, since I did not intend to keep them in the tin (which is actually a nice tin, by the way). I love colored pencils, and have a lot of different sets. Cheapies, mid-ranges, and my beloved Polychromos. I do tend to save these pencils for special artwork I plan to display. Color-fastness and all that good stuff. Once you sharpen these, you quickly learn they hold their points for a good bit of time. I use a lightish touch with them, but it goes beyond that I'm not pressing hard; they are made to last, and they do. They blend well, layer well, have rich pigmentation, and have a good-sized lead so they aren't going to get you through one picture and need replacing. The colors are gorgeous, with a full range. They are not super-hard, but you can't call them soft, either. They are what you would expect an oil pencil to be. But these are a high quality oil pencil, so I applaud their functionality as versatile colored pencils. As stated, they are vibrant, layer and blend, and feel really good in the hand. They do cost a bit, and it took awhile for me to fit them into the budget. I'm poor, so some will just order these and not have to do without some other supply they need more. These are worth the price, and a plus is that they are available open stock. I find that very attractive. If you are not sure you will like a harder pencil like a Polychromos, try buying one of the small sets, or a few pencils open stock, and see if you like them. If you do, start saving and looking for sales. You won't regret it. Quality is worth paying for.
Review: Excellent quaility - worth the $$$ - I absolutely love these pencils. They feel substantial in the hand, and the colors are vibrant and rich. I kept going back and forth between the smaller sets and the full set, and these were in and out of my cart multiple times before I finally made the purchase. I’m so glad I did. The quality is superb. I previously used a smaller set of Prismacolor pencils, and while they’re good, I found myself sharpening them constantly because of how soft they are. And the tips frequently break. The Polychromos, on the other hand, hold a point much longer—which I really appreciate. I shopped around quite a bit, and desertcart had the best price. Having the full range of colors at my fingertips has made such a difference. No regrets at all. Highly recommend!

## Features

- Premium Quality Colored Pencils: Contains 120 assorted colors in a metal tin for artists and art enthusiasts.
- Unsurpassed Lightfastness: Features pigments that resist fading for vibrant, long-lasting colors.
- Easy Blending: Buttery smooth color laydown with oil-based leads that can be easily blended for layered effects.
- Break Resistant Leads: Thick 3.8 mm SV-bonded leads are break and water resistant for extended use.
- Faber-Castell Quality Art Materials: Produced by a leading art supply brand since 1761 for professional quality art materials.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B000EWYCX0 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #5,547 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing ( See Top 100 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing ) #55 in Drawing Pencils |
| Brand | Faber-Castell |
| Closure | Hinge |
| Color | Multicolor |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (9,572) |
| Date First Available | April 19, 2006 |
| Grip Type | Smooth |
| Ink Color | assorted Colors |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 1.54 pounds |
| Item model number | 110011 |
| Line Size | 1_0_1_9mm |
| Manufacturer | Faber-Castell |
| Manufacturer Part Number | F110011 |
| Material Type | Wood |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Pencil Lead Degree (Hardness) | H |
| Point Type | Fine |
| Product Dimensions | 47.24 x 31.5 x 1.69 inches |
| Size | 1 Count (Pack of 1) |

## Product Details

- **Age Range (Description):** Kid
- **Brand:** Faber-Castell
- **Color:** Multicolor
- **Ink Color:** assorted Colors
- **Writing Instrument Form:** Colored Pencil

## Images

![Polychromos Tin - 120 Pencils - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/813YGzVJfwL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: Does anyone know how these compare with Prismacolor Soft core pencils?**
A: These are oil-based pencils, whereas Prismacolor pencils are wax-based. The original Prismacolor pencils were very good, but ownership changed. I recently bought the 150-pencil Prismacolor set and was very disappointed with it. The leads aren’t centered properly in the cores and they very easily break when I sharpen them. I also find any oil-based pencil much easier to blend than a wax-based pencil. Oil-based pencils don’t get the glossy shine wax pencils get with layers. My two cents—buy these—forget the Prismacolors.

**Q: These pencils are not just pastel colors correct?**
A: Correct. They are not just pastel colors. All of the colors are beautiful. You may vary the shade by varying the amount of pressure. Beautiful pencils. Worth every penny.

**Q: When using artist-grade Polychromos, is there a noticeable difference from the student-grade Fiber Castell classic pencils?**
A: The Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils will perform in a very noticeably different way than their classic colored pencils. The Polychromos have a small measure of mineral oil incorporated into the pencil core, which causes the colors to lay more smoothly onto the paper surface, and appear more rich and vibrant. They are easier to layer and blend, without getting a waxy "bloom" or haze developing on the surface. Polychromos Pencils also use pigments with very stable lightfast ratings for greater permanence.

**Q: Do you need to use baby oil or whatever oil to blend the colors or can I just blend them without the oil?**
A: Depends on what sort of effect you're after. I blended one picture I did with Gamsol (an odorless paint thinner) after layering  and blending several layers of pencils to produce more of a "paint-like" effect.  I usually just self-blend them. Some people, especially those used to layering and blending the creamy, wax-based Prismacolor pencils, seem to have difficulty working with the oil-based, somewhat firmer "drier" Polychromos.  There is always some sort of learning curve when trying out new types of art materials. Since I never use baby oil to blend anything, I honestly can't even tell you how well they work with Polychromos pencils.  I can tell you that personally I find these pencils very easy to layer and blend on their own and they are a pleasure to work with.  I suggest that if you haven't worked with these pencils before, that rather than invest into a big sbcet, just buy the smallest set available, or  because they are available singly (open stock), you purchase a few of your favorite colors and just experiment with them.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Worth the price!!!
*by W***Y on July 3, 2025*

Okay, here begins the fangirling over my took-me-three-years-to-get-them Polychromos coloring pencils. I LOVE THEM!!! I did buy them a special fabric case, since I did not intend to keep them in the tin (which is actually a nice tin, by the way). I love colored pencils, and have a lot of different sets. Cheapies, mid-ranges, and my beloved Polychromos. I do tend to save these pencils for special artwork I plan to display. Color-fastness and all that good stuff. Once you sharpen these, you quickly learn they hold their points for a good bit of time. I use a lightish touch with them, but it goes beyond that I'm not pressing hard; they are made to last, and they do. They blend well, layer well, have rich pigmentation, and have a good-sized lead so they aren't going to get you through one picture and need replacing. The colors are gorgeous, with a full range. They are not super-hard, but you can't call them soft, either. They are what you would expect an oil pencil to be. But these are a high quality oil pencil, so I applaud their functionality as versatile colored pencils. As stated, they are vibrant, layer and blend, and feel really good in the hand. They do cost a bit, and it took awhile for me to fit them into the budget. I'm poor, so some will just order these and not have to do without some other supply they need more. These are worth the price, and a plus is that they are available open stock. I find that very attractive. If you are not sure you will like a harder pencil like a Polychromos, try buying one of the small sets, or a few pencils open stock, and see if you like them. If you do, start saving and looking for sales. You won't regret it. Quality is worth paying for.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent quaility - worth the $$$
*by A***R on November 5, 2025*

I absolutely love these pencils. They feel substantial in the hand, and the colors are vibrant and rich. I kept going back and forth between the smaller sets and the full set, and these were in and out of my cart multiple times before I finally made the purchase. I’m so glad I did. The quality is superb. I previously used a smaller set of Prismacolor pencils, and while they’re good, I found myself sharpening them constantly because of how soft they are. And the tips frequently break. The Polychromos, on the other hand, hold a point much longer—which I really appreciate. I shopped around quite a bit, and Amazon had the best price. Having the full range of colors at my fingertips has made such a difference. No regrets at all. Highly recommend!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Converting from Prismacolor- Here's Why
*by K***E on January 1, 2017*

This set is the best colored pencils ever produced. Let me explain the big reasons why, from where I'm coming from. I have been a hardcore Prismacolor fan from 2001 onward, and their quality has gone extremely downhill. Originally Prismas were made by Sanford which then became bought out by Rubbermaid-Newell. Their products are now consistently off-center (making sharpening hell- you repetitively lose segments of leads which can then only be used by fingertip and friction action), the leads are brittle, they only take 4-6 layers with extreme pressure which makes their colors harder if not nigh-impossible to blend smoothly (and the colorless blender is a joke- picks up colors, etc), and the wax bloom is *ridiculous*, which- if you're sharing your work online- makes decent scanning somewhat troublesome despite excellent DPI. (That's a whole other side topic.) I just got this set of Polychromos for Christmas as a gift, and I'm not looking back at Prisma. Polychromos (Let's call 'em FC for short after the company name) are awesome. There's a really insignificant amount of bloom, but it's an oil base so this really isn't an issue. The laydown is even more buttery than Prisma. They are softer due to the oil-base, and the colors are very rich. Quirks I discovered were the names. I'm coming from a Prisma background so to me, "Pompeian Red" is "Salmon", and "Mauve" is actually their very rich purple hue- which to my former mindset is usually that pale pink/lavender mixup color. So the names will take some getting used to since they're more in line with "painterly" names such as Pthalo Blue, Hooker's Green, etc. So that at least will benefit you if you come from a painting experience. (I do also so it's at least semifamiliar, but still something to get used to). It says something when I have six of the same colored pencil by Prisma and they're all in various states of use/disrepair/broken- and the money behind that does add up. It's frustrating to say the very least, and although that company accommodated my needs by fixing the issue every time (which was often!!) I had flawed items that were interfering with my professional work, honestly just go for the FCs- they're a lot higher quality, plus the leads are bonded and securely centered as well as 3.8mm thick- thicker than say, Crayola (*gag*) colored pencil, so you're getting more product for the money and less wood (which, let's face it: is just a disposable casing). Same amount as per Prismas, but with much less breakage/sharpening issues. To clarify: Someone called Geri B. in the Q&A says that FC don't glue their polychromos pencils. From their own website: " SV Bonding is a process of gluing the full length of the lead to the wood casing of the pencil. This strengthens the lead and prevents breakage which allows for better sharpening, and produces a fine point. SV Bonding is a Faber-Castell trademark. " They're 45c more expensive per pencil than Prismacolors (1.74 vs 1.29 as of this writing) on dickblick.com for replenishment. But considering on average I've lost at least 5 5mm-long leads per pencil (yep: terrible!), that translates to something like a half inch or more lost. One pencil is 7 inches brand new and sharpened, ie almost 178mm. After breakage, you're paying $1.29 for 153 mm (or less than 158 depending on number of breaks), and you're losing 18c per pencil. Some are outright unusable and splinter. Polychromos are the same length. .009c vs .003c; less than a penny either way, but those pennies do definitely add up- and the bottom line even after doing the numbers for the heck of it is- that you're losing product and money every time a Prismacolor pencil busts or fails to perform. I'm totally not a penny pincher. I'm providing this as a breakdown moneywise for the innately curious. And people should NOT have to pay for items to break repeatedly. Prisma tried to address this issue by making pastel-like colored pencil sticks with no lead, as long rectangles- this didn't fix the issue as they're too unwieldy for detailed use; that's a side rant. PROS: -FC are not too much more expensive per pencil than Prismas (buy 10 of each; spend only $4.50 more for world-class quality) -Outstanding laydown -Oil vs wax-based: better blending -VIVID colors, yet not overwhelmingly bad -Traditional style naming conventions as a throwback to the formal pigmentation for artistic references -More realistic results (google up some of the prisma vs polychromos showdowns on Youtube- the video with the grapes painting is what I'm referencing here in particular) CONS: -Haven't seen any yet, will update this review if I do

## Frequently Bought Together

- Faber-Castell Polychromos Artists' Color Pencils - Tin of 120 Colors - Premium Quality Artist Pencils
- Faber-Castell Erasers - Drawing Art kneaded Erasers, Large Size Grey - 4 Pack
- Faber-Castell Grip Trio Pencil Sharpener - Grey, 3-in-1 Artist Pencil Sharpener, Manual Handheld Sharpener for Colored Pencil, Jumbo and Graphite Pencils

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*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-01-29*