---
title: "Stabilo Point 88: Fineliner Colors, Tip & Dry-Out"
canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/stabilo-point-88/"
description: "Stabilo Point 88 fineliner explained: the 0.4 mm metal-encased tip, 65 colors, the cap-off claim, 167 mm hexagonal barrel, Micron comparison, and origin."
category: "Pens"
type: "Fineliner"
published: 2026-10-20
updated: 2026-10-20
author: "Ellis Penhale"
publisher: "Stationery Times"
sources: 7
products:
  - name: "Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner (0.4 mm)"
    brand: "Stabilo"
    brand_origin: "Germany"
    made_in: "Germany"
    material: "Plastic hexagonal barrel (96% bio-based, mass balance) and ventilated cap, metal-encased fiber tip"
    released: "1977"
    price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)"
    manufacturer: "Schwan-STABILO (Heroldsberg, Germany)"
    model: "point 88"
    mpn: "88/46"
    url: "https://www.stabilo.com/de/fineliner-stabilo-point-88/88-46"
---

# Stabilo Point 88: Fineliner Colors, Tip & Dry-Out

> The Stabilo Point 88 is a capped fineliner with water-based ink, a 0.4 mm metal-encased tip and an orange hexagonal barrel with white stripes. STABILO lists 65 colors and more than 3 billion pens sold. Digitec lists a single pen at 16.7 cm (6.6 in) and about 6 g, and Swiss listings give Germany as the origin.

- URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/stabilo-point-88/
- Category: Pens
- Author: Ellis Penhale
- Published: 2026-10-20
- Updated: 2026-10-20

![Side view of a capped black Stabilo Point 88 fineliner, drawn to scale at 167 mm (6.6 in) long and about 8 mm across: orange hexagonal barrel with white edge stripes and black printing, black end plug and black cap with clip, with a close-up of the 0.4 mm metal-encased tip](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/stabilo-point-88-16x9.png)

*The Point 88 in black (88/46), drawn to scale from Digitec's 16.7 cm length.* Original drawing (SVG): https://stationerytimes.com/images/stabilo-point-88-cover.svg. Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

## Product facts

| Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner (0.4 mm) | Stabilo (by Schwan-STABILO (Heroldsberg, Germany)) | Germany | Germany | Plastic hexagonal barrel (96% bio-based, mass balance) and ventilated cap, metal-encased fiber tip | 1977 | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) |

- Made in (Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner (0.4 mm)): Germany. Most Digitec/Galaxus single-pen listings (for example violet) give Germany. A few Digitec listings for other colors, such as green and moss green, give China, so origin may vary by color. STABILO's German and US product pages don't state the country, and Icecat no longer shows it; Digitec and Galaxus blocked our reader when we rechecked on October 20, 2026. Source: https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/stabilo-point-88-1x-pens-16007210

## Key takeaways

- Every Point 88 writes a 0.4 mm line from a metal-encased tip that STABILO says works with rulers and stencils; its German site lists a single pen at €1.10 (about US$1.20).
- STABILO lists 65 colors, including 6 neon shades and many pastels; its US page adds more than 3 billion pens sold worldwide.
- Digitec lists a single pen at 16.7 cm (6.6 in) long, 0.8 cm across and 5.79 g.
- STABILO's German site says the barrel is made with 96% bio-based plastic (ISCC PLUS, mass balance) and that the ink is not waterproof.
- Most Digitec and Galaxus listings give Germany as the country of origin; a few colors list China.

## What is the Stabilo Point 88?

**The Stabilo Point 88 is a capped fineliner with water-based ink, a 0.4 mm fiber tip in a metal casing and a recognizable orange hexagonal barrel with white stripes.** It's made by STABILO, the German brand of Schwan-STABILO in Heroldsberg. STABILO's German site calls it "Europas Fineliner Nr. 1", Europe's No. 1 fineliner; the Swiss retailer Manor adds "since 1977", and STABILO's US page says more than 3 billion have been sold worldwide.

STABILO's German shop lists a single pen at €1.10 (about US$1.20) including VAT. It also says the barrel is made with 96% bio-based plastic, counted by ISCC PLUS mass balance.

## Stabilo Point 88 specs

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Maker | Schwan-STABILO (Heroldsberg, Germany) |
| Type | Capped fineliner (fiber tip) |
| Line width | 0.4 mm, every color |
| Tip | Fiber, metal-encased; STABILO says ruler- and stencil-safe |
| Ink | Water-based (Manor); not waterproof, not document-proof (STABILO) |
| Colors | 65, including 6 neons and many pastels (STABILO) |
| Cap | Ventilated; posts on the end of the pen (STABILO) |
| Length | 16.7 cm (6.6 in) capped, per Digitec |
| Width | 0.8 cm across, per Digitec |
| Weight | 5.79 g, per Digitec |
| Black item number | 88/46 (STABILO) |
| Made in | Germany (most listings; some colors China) |

The size and weight come from Swiss retailer data for single pens; another color is listed at 16.8 cm and 6.5 g. STABILO doesn't publish dimensions in the sources we found.

![To-scale drawing at 20 times of the Stabilo Point 88 hexagonal orange barrel seen end-on, about 8 mm across with white stripes at the edges and the metal-encased tip at the center, next to a 0.4 mm line](https://stationerytimes.com/images/stabilo-point-88-end-view.svg)

*The hexagonal barrel is about 20 times as wide as the 0.4 mm line it writes.*

## What does the metal-encased tip do?

**STABILO's German site says the "metallgefasste Spitze", the metal-encased tip, gives the pen a long life and is suited to rulers and stencils.** That matters for bullet journals, diagrams and underlining, where you run the tip along a straight edge again and again.

The Point 88 comes in only one tip size, so every color matches in line weight. For a range of widths, look at the [Sakura Pigma Micron](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-pigma-micron/).

## Can you leave the Point 88 uncapped?

**STABILO says yes, for a while: it claims high protection against drying out without the cap, so the pen can lie open beside you while you draw.** STABILO doesn't give a time. This is a maker claim we haven't tested yet.


## How many colors does the Point 88 come in?

**STABILO's German and US pages list 65 colors, including 6 neon shades and many pastels.** Retailers sell them in wallets and desk sets, from 8 and 10 colors up to JetPens' 25-color wallet and 30-color sets. Some listings give lower counts, such as Rossmann's 47, so check the current set contents.

If you highlight over your notes, pair it with a highlighter that doesn't smear water-based ink; our [highlighters that don't bleed](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-highlighters-that-dont-bleed/) guide compares the [Zebra Mildliner](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/zebra-mildliner/), Stabilo Boss and others.

## How does the Point 88 compare to other fineliners?

**It's the colorful, one-size option; the Micron is the archival-ink option and the Sign Pen the bolder fiber tip.**

| | Stabilo Point 88 | [Sakura Pigma Micron](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/sakura-pigma-micron/) | [Pentel Sign Pen](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pentel-sign-pen/) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line | 0.4 mm | 0.15–0.70 mm (003 to 12) | 0.8–1.0 mm |
| Ink | Water-based | Archival pigment | Water-based |
| Colors | 65 (STABILO) | Black and colors | Black and colors |
| Barrel | Orange hexagonal, striped | Beige round | Black round |
| Made in | Germany (most listings) | Japan | Japan (most listings) |

## Where is the Stabilo Point 88 made?

**Most Swiss retailer listings (Digitec, Galaxus) give Germany, where STABILO is based.** A few Digitec listings for other colors, such as green and moss green, give China, so origin may vary by color. STABILO's German and US product pages don't state the country.

## How much does a Point 88 cost?

**It falls in our lowest band, $ (under $5 per pen), when bought in the usual wallets.** Single pens and multi-color sets both work out to under $5 a pen at US retailers.

## Frequently asked questions

### What line width does the Stabilo Point 88 write?

0.4 mm. STABILO and retailers give the same 0.4 mm line for every color, from a fiber tip held in a metal casing.

### How many colors does the Stabilo Point 88 come in?

STABILO's German and US pages list 65 colors, including 6 neon shades and many pastels. Retailer counts vary, such as Rossmann's 47, depending on the country and when the range was listed.

### Can you leave the Stabilo Point 88 uncapped?

STABILO says it has high protection against drying out without the cap, so it can lie open beside you while you draw. STABILO doesn't give a time, and we haven't tested it yet, so cap it when you can.

### Is the Stabilo Point 88 a felt-tip pen or a fineliner?

It's a fineliner: a fiber-tip pen with a fine 0.4 mm point in a metal casing. STABILO says the metal casing gives the tip a long life and lets you write along rulers and stencils.

### How long is a Stabilo Point 88?

Digitec lists a single pen at 16.7 cm (6.6 in) long and 0.8 cm across, weighing 5.79 g; another listing gives 16.8 cm and 6.5 g. It's longer than most capped gel pens.

### Where is the Stabilo Point 88 made?

Most Swiss retailer listings give Germany, where STABILO is based in Heroldsberg. A few colors are listed as made in China, and STABILO doesn't state the country, so check the package.

### Stabilo Point 88 or Sakura Pigma Micron?

Pick the Point 88 for a wide range of colors in one 0.4 mm size, and the Micron for archival pigment ink in many line widths. The Micron 05 writes a 0.45 mm line, close to the Point 88.

## Sources

- [STABILO (DE): Fineliner STABILO point 88, Einzelstift schwarz 88/46 (STABILO's German shop: €1.10, 65 colors incl. 6 neon, ventilated cap, not waterproof, 96% bio-based barrel)](https://www.stabilo.com/de/fineliner-stabilo-point-88/88-46)
- [STABILO (US): Fineliner STABILO point 88 (65 colors, more than 3 billion sold)](https://www.stabilo.com/us/products/writing/fineliner-stabilo-point-88)
- [Manor (Switzerland): STABILO point 88 25er Rollerset (German copy: Europe's No. 1 fineliner since 1977, water-based lightfast ink)](https://www.manor.ch/de/p/10001282569)
- [Digitec: STABILO point 88, single pen (dimensions, weight, origin)](https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product/stabilo-point-88-1x-pens-16007210)
- [Galaxus: STABILO point 88, single pen (dimensions, weight, origin)](https://www.galaxus.it/en/s12/product/stabilo-point-88-red-1-x-pens-5608772)
- [Rossmann (DE): STABILO Fineliner point 88 (47 colors in Rossmann's range)](https://www.rossmann.de/de/haushalt-stabilo-fineliner-point-88/p/4006381316132)
- [JetPens: Stabilo Point 88 Fineliner 0.4 mm, 25-color wallet](https://www.jetpens.com/Stabilo-Point-88-Fineliner-Pen-0.4-mm-25-Color-Set-Wallet/reviews/11079)