What do the stars on my Faber-Castell art supplies
indicate?
Faber-Castell indicates light-fastness ratings on each pencil and pen. They
use a star icon to indicate light-fastness. The light-fastness is indicated
on
each as follows:
*** = Maximum light-fastness = 7 ,8 Blue Wool Scale
** = Very good light-fastness = 5, 6 Blue Wool Scale
* = Good light-fastness = 3, 4 Blue Wool Scale
What does the light-fastness rating mean?
The light-fastness rating indicates the items resistance to fading.
*** = Maximum fade resistance (100 + years) ?†
** = Very Good fade resistance (25 + years)
* = Good fade resistance (5 + years)
† Tested Under Museum Conditions
How many colors have the 100+Years light-fast rating?
100 of 120 Polychromos Color Pencils will last more than 100 years †
64 of 120 Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils will last more than 100 years †
22 of 27 PITT Artist’s Pens will last more than 100 years †
† Tested Under Museum Conditions
How does Faber-Castell evaluate light-fastness?
Faber-Castell uses the Blue Wool standard to evaluate light-fastness. This
standard utilizes eight scales to evaluate light-fast colors and it has been
used for Artist paints for many years. It is tested under museum conditions.
The Blue Wool test standard is comparable to ASTM D 5383-02 and ASTM D5383-97.
The Blue Wool standard relates to our star icons as follows:
*** = 7, 8 Blue Wool Scale †
** = 5, 6 Blue Wool Scale †
* = 3, 4 Blue Wool Scale †
† Tested Under Museum Conditions