Koh-I-Noor Art Supplies Deals — Discount Codes, Sale Prices & UK Price Comparison

There is a reasonable argument that without Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth, the modern pencil wouldn't exist. In 1802, Joseph Hardtmuth — who had founded his company in Vienna twelve years earlier — patented a method for combining graphite with kaolin clay to produce a pencil lead that could be graded for hardness and fineness. Every pencil grading system in use anywhere in the world today — from 10H through 8B — derives directly from that 1802 patent. The pencil in your hand right now, whatever brand it is, exists because of what Koh-I-Noor figured out over two centuries ago. That's a heritage worth understanding before you dismiss the brand as simply one of many European pencil makers.

I've been in the art supplies industry for sixteen years, nearly a decade of that running digital marketing for ARTdiscount, one of the UK's largest online art retailers, and I now run Discount Art Supplies — a price comparison platform used by over 36,000 artists and stationery lovers every week. Koh-I-Noor is a brand I've watched consistently earn loyal customers among both professional artists and everyday stationery users, particularly for the clutch pencil and coloured pencil ranges that are genuinely difficult to better at the price point. Here's the complete picture on what they make and where to find the best current sale deals in the UK.

The story behind the name is worth knowing because it's a good one. In 1889 at the Paris World Fair, the Hardtmuth family displayed their pencils rebranded as Koh-I-Noor — named after the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, meaning Mountain of Light in Persian, which had been part of the British Crown Jewels since 1849. Each pencil came in the now-iconic yellow cedar wood barrel that remains the brand's signature today. The name and the yellow barrel were both deliberate — the diamond association implied quality and value, the yellow colour made the pencil instantly recognisable on any desk or in any pencil case. It worked then and it still works now, over 130 years later.

The graphite pencil range is the foundation of everything Koh-I-Noor does and it remains genuinely excellent. The standard graphite range covers the full spectrum from 10H through 8B, with consistent quality throughout. The cedar wood casing is FSC certified from Siberian forests, which matters for anyone paying attention to the environmental credentials of what they buy. But the products that have earned Koh-I-Noor genuine devotion among artists in the UK are the more specialist lines — and it's worth going through each one properly.

The Polycolor coloured pencil range is where Koh-I-Noor excels most clearly for professional artists. Oil-dipped cores that lay down colour with an unusually smooth, wax-free feel — the pigment goes onto the paper cleanly without the waxy buildup that plagues cheaper coloured pencils and limits layering. Available in sets of 12, 24, 36 and 72 colours, the Polycolor range is popular with illustrators, portrait artists and anyone who works heavily in coloured pencil and needs a range that can be blended and layered reliably. At current sale prices through our comparison they represent one of the better value professional coloured pencil options in the UK market.

The Progresso woodless pencil range is something genuinely different. These are solid graphite pencils with no wood casing — the entire pencil is usable, from tip to end, which makes them extraordinarily economical for artists who work in broad, gestural mark-making rather than fine detail. They can be used on their side for wide coverage, sharpened to a point for detail, or broken and used as a block for texture work. The lay down is smooth and rich and the full range from 2H through 8B covers everything from architectural drawing to expressive life drawing. Artists who discover the Progresso range tend to become quietly evangelical about them — they're one of those products that nobody talks about much until they've tried them, at which point the conversation becomes quite enthusiastic.

The clutch pencil and lead holder range is where Koh-I-Noor has perhaps its most dedicated following in the UK, and it's a following that includes architects, technical illustrators and designers who've been using the same metal clutch pencil body for twenty years and just keep refilling it. The 5.6mm clutch pencils in particular are beautiful objects — solid, weighted, the kind of drawing instrument that makes you want to draw more just by picking it up. The 2mm lead holder range is more widely accessible and is the product that Cult Pens specifically recommends as one of the few sources of coloured 2mm leads in the UK — a detail that matters to the specifc community of artists who work in clutch pencils and want colour options beyond standard graphite.

The Magic pencil is the product that most people encounter first — a single pencil with a multicoloured spiral lead that draws in multiple colours simultaneously. It's been a Koh-I-Noor signature for decades and remains genuinely delightfull rather than just a gimmick — the colours blend as you draw, producing effects that are unpredictable in a useful way. Popular with children obviously, but also with artists who work in loose, expressive mark-making where the unexpected colour shifts are actually creatively interesting rather than irritating. The Rainbow leads for clutch pencils extend the same principle into refillable format for more serious use.

Getting the best Koh-I-Noor deals in the UK is worth some effort because the pricing variation between retailers on identical products can be significant. Jacksons Art and Cass Art both carry strong ranges and both run regular sale events on pencils and drawing materials. Amazon is often compettive on the larger Polycolor sets and Progresso multipacks. Our price comparison below pulls live pricing across all of them so you can see at a glance where the best deal sits today before you commit to anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes Koh-I-Noor pencils? Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth a.s. is a Czech manufacturer based in České Budějovice in the Czech Republic. Founded in Vienna in 1790 by Joseph Hardtmuth, the company has been producing pencils and art materials continuously ever since — making it one of the oldest art supplies manufacturers in the world.

What is Koh-I-Noor best known for? In the UK, Koh-I-Noor is best known for their clutch pencils and lead holders, the Polycolor professional coloured pencil range, Progresso woodless graphite pencils, and the iconic Magic rainbow lead pencil. The brand is also credited with inventing the modern pencil grading system used universally today.

Are Koh-I-Noor pencils good quality? Yes — particularly the Polycolor coloured pencil and Progresso woodless graphite ranges, which represent genuine professional quality at accessible price points. The clutch pencils and lead holders are considered among the best available from any manufacturer at their price point.

Where can I buy Koh-I-Noor in the UK? Jacksons Art, Cass Art, Cult Pens and Amazon all carry Koh-I-Noor ranges in the UK. Use our price comparison below to see current live sale pricing across all of them and find the best discount before you buy.

Does Koh-I-Noor offer a discount code? Koh-I-Noor don't typically release public discount codes direct to consumers in the UK — their products are sold through retailers. The best route to a saving is through our price comparison below, which surfaces any current sale pricing across all major UK stockists in real time.