European Alternatives to Crayola

Crayola is an American brand best known for wax crayons, coloured pencils and washable markers for children. In Europe, readers who want a European maker for school and craft supplies have a wide choice. This page lists European brands that make colouring and drawing tools for children and for artists.

European alternatives by use

• Faber-Castell is a German maker of coloured pencils, crayons and felt-tip pens, with lines for children as well as for artists.
• Staedtler from Nuremberg offers coloured pencils, fibre-tip pens and school supplies for children and students.
• Pelikan and Herlitz from Germany sell school and craft products, including paints, crayons and school supplies in colour sets for classrooms.
• Caran d'Ache from Switzerland makes high-quality colour pencils and wax crayons that are popular with artists and older children.
• edding is a German marker brand with permanent markers, whiteboard markers and creative pens.

How to choose

For young children, look for chunky, washable products labelled as safe for children. For school use, sets of coloured pencils and fibre-tip pens from Faber-Castell, Staedtler or Pelikan are usual. For drawing and hobby art, Caran d'Ache offers premium pencils and crayons at a higher price.

Good to know

Children's art products sold in the EU must meet the toy and chemical safety rules, and many brands print the relevant tests on the packaging. Crayola's brand-specific products, such as its sets with many colours in one box, have comparable sets from the European brands, though the colour names and box formats differ. See also our overview of European pen and marker brands.