Anyone who uses Japanese erasers will have noticed the rectangular marking with a two-digit number on some of them. But what does it mean?
Left to right: SEED Radar, Hinodewashi Matomaru-kun, Tombow MONO, Pentel Mark Sheet, Pentel Ain Hi-Polymer.
It comes from the Japanese Eraser Manufacturers Association, founded in 1943, and guarantees the safety, quality and performance of the eraser. The standard for this marking sets maximum values for harmful components, specifies requirements for paper and plastic packaging and defines procedures for testing erasability, hardness and age resistance. SEED (01), Hinodewashi (06) and Pentel (13) are among the companies that have joined the Japanese Eraser Manufacturers Association. Each manufacturer is assigned a two-digit number, making it easy to see who made the eraser in question.
