The name STAEDTLER is closely linked with Nurembergs pencil history. Long before J.S. Staedtler founded his pencil making factory within Nurembergs old city walls back in 1835, the STAEDTLER family had been hand-making this well-loved writing instrument for generations already. 

In fact, the roots can be traced back to 1662 - the year in which first references to Friedrich Staedtler as a pencil-making craftsman were made in the city annals.

It was J.S. Staedtler who transformed the workshop into an industrial plant. On 3rd October 1835, he received permission from the municipal council to produce blacklead, red chalk and pastel pencils.

By around 1840 J.S. Staedtler was already making 63 different kinds of pencil. In 1866, the company had 54 employees and produced 15.000 gross (= 2.160.000 pencils) per year.

In 1880, the company was taken over by L. Kreutzer who relocated it to the citys Johannis district in 1898.

Dr. Rudolf Kreutzer joined the company in 1905.

His trips to Asia and North America soon led to a further expansion of the worldwide trading network.

It was under his leadership that a clearly structured range of high quality products was developed.
He managed the company until the end of 1967.

• 1834: J. S. Staedtler invents coloured oil pastel pencils which "can be sharpened to a point just like a pencil"
• 1835: Manufacturing license granted by municipal council
• 1880: Ludwig Kreutzer becomes partner
• 1884: Export office in London
• 1887: Export office in Paris
• Range: drawing pencils in 12 degrees, coloured pencils in 48 colours

• 1895: Minerva brand.
  Registration at the imperial patent office in Berlin
• 1898: Relocation to Johannis district
• 1900: Mars brand. Registration at the imperial patent office in Berlin
• 1901: Noris brand. Registration at the imperial patent office in Berlin
• 1901: The Mars indelible pencil 754 in blue lacquer finish comes onto the market

• 1911: Introduction of a life insurance scheme for the workforce
• 1912: Take-over of the company W. Staedtler Co., founded in 1865 by one of J.S. Staedtlers sons
• 1916: Ludwig Kreutzer sets up a support fund for employees in need
• 1922: Foundation of the New York / USA subsidiary

• 1926: Foundation of the Osaka / Japan subsidiary.
  The Moon brand has already been successfully introduced in the Far East
• 1929: Foundation of the London / U.K. subsidiary
• 1937: Name changed to Mars Pencil and Fountain Pen Factory.
  Product range expanded to include mechanical writing instruments

• 1945: 20% of factory buildings destroyed during air raids
• 1949: Start of ballpoint pen production
• 1950: Establishment of the Rudolf and Clara Kreutzer foundation for supporting the Rudolf Steiner school system
• 1950: Leadholders (mechanical pencils) made out of wood
• 1954: Registration of the Lumocolor brand
• 1955: Manufacture of plastic mechanical pencils for  technical drawing market

• 1962: Production of technical pens
• 1964: Production of felt, fibre-tip and OHP pens
• 1969: Production of mechanical pencils
• 1978: Take-over of the company EBERHARD FABER
• 1988: Relocation to a new 47,000 sqm site in Moosaeckerstrasse in the North of Nuremberg
• 1997: Establishment of the STAEDTLER foundation

• 1998: Manufacture and sale of ink jet inks for large format printers
• 2000: Foundation of the STAEDTLER Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH
• 2001: Successful STAEDTLER brand repositioning

• 2004: STAEDTLER triplus and STAEDTLER ergosoft are awarded "Products of the year"
• 2005: STAEDTLER develops the first coloured pencil with A·B·S (a protective coating forms a white ring around the visible lead tip, protecting it better from breaking)
• 2008: STAEDTLER initiates the World Kids Colouring Day
• 2009: STAEDTLER develops WOPEX