Top 5 compared
The best coloured pencils
Colour that layers and blends on the page, for a colouring book after dinner or a drawing at the kitchen table.
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The top 5 at a glance
Coloured pencils, or pencil crayons as many Canadians call them, put colour down in light layers that build up and blend into one another, with nothing to mix, wait for or clean up. Children’s sets have tough, thick leads that survive a heavy hand; sets for adult colouring and drawing carry dozens more shades and softer cores made for shading.
Softer cores blend more easily but snap more easily too, so they want a sharp sharpener and a gentle hand. In bigger sets a number printed on each pencil makes the same shade easy to find again, and a tin or case keeps the colours in order between sessions.
What matters
- Pre-sharpened pencils, ready to use straight from the box.
- The age on the box, for younger children.
#1Crayola Coloured Pencils (100 colours)
$30–$50
A hundred shades in one box, enough for close shading in an adult colouring book, in pencils with thick, soft leads that Crayola makes not to break under pressure. That mix of range and toughness is why it leads: it suits a child who presses hard and a grown-up blending colours alike.
What owners say: Owners like the range of shades and say the pencils are tough, sharpening cleanly without the leads breaking every time. They find them very blendable, and say the set does just what they expected and is good value.
A closer look: Sort the pencils by colour family into a few cups or jars, so the shade you want is easy to find among a hundred. Crayola makes them for mixing and blending, so try laying one colour lightly over another before reaching for a darker pencil. A good handheld sharpener keeps the points even.
- Leads made not to break
- Built for mixing and blending
- Re-forested wood
- Made in Brazil
Best for: Families sharing one big set
- Colours
- 100
- Made for
- Children and adults
- Pre-sharpened
- Yes
#2Crayola Colouring Pencils (24 colours)
$10–$20
Chunky 3.3 mm leads lay down colour without white gaps, and Crayola builds them for high breakage strength, so they cope with children still learning how hard to press. Made for ages 3 and up by the brand that has been making crayons since 1903, at a lower price than the 100 set.
What owners say: Owners find the colours vibrant and say the pencils sharpen to as fine a point as they like and last a long time; they even suit colouring in knitting charts. Opinions on how well they perform are split, though.
A closer look: Pair them with a chunky colouring book with thick outlines: younger children find big shapes far more satisfying to fill than fine detail. Hand over a few colours at a time rather than all 24, which keeps small children focused and the pack complete.
- Chunky 3.3 mm leads
- Copes with hard pressing
- Soft leads for blending
- Non-toxic
Best for: Young children, from age 3
- Colours
- 24
- Made for
- Ages 3+
- Pre-sharpened
- Yes
#3Prismacolor Premier Coloured Pencils (48 colours)
$50–$75
Artist-quality pencils with soft, thick cores that lay down rich, lightfast colour and layer and blend smoothly for shading. Forty-eight colours come in a tin, and the colour-coded wood casings make each shade quick to find.
What owners say: Owners love the rich colours and the soft, buttery feel of the leads, and say they blend beautifully. Breakage is the sore point, with some finding the leads snap again and again.
Heads up: The soft cores can break inside the wood if the pencils are dropped, so keep them in the tin and use a sharp sharpener.
A closer look: Build colour in light layers rather than pressing hard on the first pass, and the soft cores blend into each other almost like paint. A final layer with heavier pressure, called burnishing, gives a smooth, polished finish with no paper showing through.
- Lightfast pigments
- Soft, thick cores
- Colour-coded wood casings
- Comes in a tin
- Burnishes to a polished finish
Best for: Artists and serious colourists
- Colours
- 48
- Made for
- Children and adults
- Pre-sharpened
- Yes
#4Castle Art Supplies Coloured Pencils (120 colours)
$50–$75
A hundred and twenty shades sorted into colour families in a zippered fabric case, each pencil named, numbered and colour-coded, so the one you want is quick to find. The soft cores are made to layer, blend and burnish, which suits detailed adult colouring and drawing, and the case packs the lot for a trip.
What owners say: Rich colours, a handsome set and the way the pencils blend and feel on the page win owners over, though durability gets mixed reports.
A closer look: Open the case at the colour family you need rather than tipping everything out; the layers keep each shade in its own slot, which matters with 120 to put back. The fold-out tutorial walks through recreating the galleon on the sleeve, a good first project for practising layering.
- Sorted into colour families
- Named, numbered and colour-coded
- Zippered fabric case
- Fold-out tutorial
- Soft cores for layering
Best for: Adult colouring, at home or away
- Colours
- 120
- Made for
- Adults
- Pre-sharpened
- –
#5KALOUR Coloured Pencils (180 colours)
$30–$50
With 180 colours, 12 of them metallic, there’s a near match for almost any shade a detailed colouring page calls for. Each pencil is numbered and named, the 3.3 mm wax-based cores are soft enough to blend and layer, and a tin with plastic trays keeps them in order.
What owners say: Owners say the colours are rich and the pencils glide on in smooth, gentle lines, blending well and sharpening without fuss. How long the leads hold up is where opinions split.
A closer look: Swatch each pencil once on a sheet of paper, numbered to match the barrels, and keep the sheet in the lid: with 180 colours, many only a step apart, a chart makes picking the right shade far quicker. Metallics show up best on dark or black paper.
- 3.3 mm wax-based cores
- Numbered and named
- Tin with plastic trays
- Break-resistant leads
- Metallics suit dark paper
Best for: Colourists who want every shade
- Colours
- 180, incl. 12 metallic
- Made for
- Adults
- Pre-sharpened
- Yes
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Crayola 100 | #2Crayola 24 | #3Prismacolor Premier 48 | #4Castle Art 120 | #5KALOUR 180 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | Best for artists | Most colours | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.1 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $10–$20 | $50–$75 | $50–$75 | $30–$50 |
| Colours | 100 | 24 | 48 | 120 | 180, incl. 12 metallic |
| Made for | Children and adults | Ages 3+ | Children and adults | Adults | Adults |
| Pre-sharpened | Yes | Yes | Yes | – | Yes |
| Best for | Families sharing one big set | Young children, from age 3 | Artists and serious colourists | Adult colouring, at home or away | Colourists who want every shade |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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