Rapidograf Size Chart

Rapidograf is a special kind of technical pen designed for technical, engineering or architectural drawings. Designed by the German company Rotring, this product is definitely the right kind of instrument for a draftsperson, an architect or an engineer. It comes in different sizes, each of which is designed for a particular kind of work. Aside from these facts, it is also quite interesting to find out the different sizes of Rapidograf pens.

The Different Sizes of Rapidograf Pens

The different sizes of Rapidograf pens are defined by the measurement of their nibs. In a complete set of pen, you can find pens with nibs measuring 0.13 millimeter, 0.18 millimeter and 0.25 millimeter. Aside from these, there are also 0.35-millimeter, 0.5-millimeter and 0.7-millimeter versions. Furthermore, pens with bigger-sized nibs are also available including the 1.0-millimeter, the 1.5-millimeter as well as the 2.0-millimeter pens.

The International Organization for Standardization covers four different pen widths, each of which is classified by a corresponding color. The code for the 0.25-millimeter pen is white, the 0.35-millimeter pen is yellow, the 0.5-millimeter pen is brown and the 0.7-millimeter pen is blue. The size of each pen is somewhere between 12 centimeters and 14 centimeters.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

When writing texts comprised of characters that are 5 millimeters high, the line or stroke of thickness is 0.5 millimeters. For this kind of work, the appropriate pen must have a nib measuring 0.5 millimeters, the color code of which is brown. For texts with characters that are 3.5 millimeters, the stroke of thickness is 0.35 millimeters, which corresponds to the pen with a yellow color code. These pens need to be of the right sizes so that the drawings and characters are always legible even after faxing, photocopying and microfilming.

In 1928, Rotring was founded as Tintenkuli Handels GmbH. Its first product was a fountain pen called a stylographic pen. Instead of having a conventional nib, it featured a narrow steel tube. After some time, the use of this pen became closely associated with the name Rotring. The term ‘rot ring’ actually means ‘red ring.’ During the early parts of the 1970s, the name of the company was changed to Rotring, the primary purpose of which was to match the trademark.

The Rotring Rapidograf became the most popular pen of its kind by 1953. Its development made technical drawing simpler. Until today, Rotring continues to produce such efficient writing instrument. In the United States, the subsidiary Koh-i-noor is responsible for manufacturing the product in the country. By 2005, Rotring decided to halt shipping its pens and other products to the U.S.