(This page revised March 17, 2022)
[ Reference Info Index | Glossopedia ]
Pelikan has probably produced a greater range of standard-production nib grades (tip styles) than any other fountain pen manufacturer. Because some Pelikan nibs have been marked in German, many collectors find the markings sometimes difficult to understand. This article lists all of the nib-grade markings of which I am aware. Note that Pelikan has also produced an unknown number of custom nib grades that do not appear here.
It is important to understand that the tip shapes associated with a few Pelikan nib markings underwent a revision at some point, probably in the mid-1980s. Markings that changed are listed twice in the table and are labeled by colored text as either vintage or modern. Descriptions for the vintage versions are expressed in modern terms; e.g., before the change, B indicated a “medium italic,” which was wider than a medium round nib.
Furthermore, under the older system, oblique nibs were all italic in shape while under the newer system, oblique nibs were essentially round nibs designed to accommodate the user’s rotation.
The catalog listing above is for illustration only. Do not use it as a reference.
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| Pelikan Nib Grade Markings | ||
| Imprint | German Description | English Description |
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| 04 | Besonders Breit | Left-foot oblique triple broad (vintage) |
| 05 | Sehr Breit | Left-foot oblique double broad (vintage) |
| 06 | Breit | Left-foot oblique broad (vintage) |
| 07 | Mittel | Left-foot oblique medium (vintage) |
| 08 | Fein | Left-foot oblique fine (vintage) |
| 09 | Sehr Fein | Left-foot oblique extra fine (vintage) |
| 1.0mm | — | Calligraphy italic, 1.0 mm wide |
| 1.5mm | — | Calligraphy italic, 1.5 mm wide |
| 1.75mm | — | Calligraphy italic, 1.75 mm wide |
| 2.0mm | — | Calligraphy italic, 2.0 mm wide |
| A | (Anfänger) | Beginner’s nib (rounded tipping) |
| B | (Breit) | Medium italic (vintage) |
| B | (Breit) | Broad (modern) |
| BB | (Sehr Breit) | Broad italic (vintage) |
| BB | (Sehr Breit) | Double broad (modern) |
| BBB | (Besonders Breit) | Extra broad italic (vintage) |
| BBB | (Besonders Breit) | Triple broad (modern) |
| BBL | (Sehr Breit Lettering) | Double broad lettering |
| BL | (Breit Lettering) | Broad lettering |
| DEF | (Durchschreib Sehr Fein) | Manifold extra fine |
| DF | (Durchschreib Fein) | Manifold fine |
| DM | (Durchschreib Mittel) | Manifold medium |
| DOM | (Durchschreib Linksschräge Mittel) | Manifold oblique medium |
| EEF | (Besonders Fein) | Extra extra fine |
| EF | (Sehr Fein) | Extra fine |
| F | (Fein) | Fine |
| HB | (Harte Breit) | Hard Broad |
| HEF | (Harte Sehr Fein) | Hard extra fine |
| HF | (Harte Fein) | Hard fine |
| HM | (Harte Mittel) | Hard medium |
| I | (Italic Breit) | Italic Broad (modern) |
| IB | (Italic Breit) | Italic Broad |
| IM | (Italic Mittel) | Italic medium |
| KEF | (Kugel Sehr Fein) | Ball-pointed extra fine |
| KF | (Kugel Fein) | Ball-pointed fine |
| KM | (Kugel Mittel) | Ball-pointed medium |
| M | (Mittel) | Medium |
| ML | (Mittel Lettering) | Medium lettering |
| MM | (Breit) | Broad |
| Music Nib | A flexible nib with two slits | For musical notation |
| OB | (Linksschräge Breit) | Left-foot oblique broad (modern) |
| OBB | (Linksschräge Sehr Breit) | Left-foot oblique double broad (modern) |
| OBBB | (Linksschräge Besonders Breit) | Left-foot oblique triple broad (modern) |
| OEF | (Linksschräge Sehr Fein) | Left-foot oblique extra fine (modern) |
| OF | (Linksschräge Fein) | Left-foot oblique fine (modern) |
| OM | (Linksschräge Mittel) | Left-foot oblique medium (modern) |
| PF | (Pfannenfeder) | Pan spring nib |
| R | (Rechtsschräge Mittel) | Right-foot oblique medium |
| RB | (Rechtsschräge Breit) | Right-foot oblique broad |
| RBB | (Rechtsschräge Sehr Breit) | Right-foot oblique double broad |
| S | (Scheiben Mittel) | Disk top medium |
| SB | (Scheiben Breit) | Disk top broad |
| SBB | (Scheiben Sehr Breit) | Disk top double broad |
| ST | (Stenofeder) | Flexible, for Pitman shorthand |
| STEEF | (Stenographie Besonders Fein) | Stenographic extra extra fine |
| STEF | (Stenographie Sehr Fein) | Stenographic extra fine |
| STENO | (Für Kurzschrift) | For shorthand |
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Highlighted nibs are in current production as of this writing. 
This nib produces somewhat broader strokes. It is not a true flexible nib, but it is springy enough to respond to variations in writing pressure.
These nibs appeared on early Pelikan models. They have an angled tip that is flat on the end, like a hockey puck with rounded edges, to produce strokes of uniform width with rounded ends like those made by a Hunt Speedball type B dip nib. They are now scarce.
The information in this article is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative or complete. If you have additions or corrections to this page, please consider sharing them with us to improve the accuracy of our information.
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