Made from the best quality, pure pigments finely ground in an extra-fine Kaolin clay binder; they have a velvety smooth softness and are thoroughly blended and uniform, without hard bits or sharp edges that could cause shiny spots or scratches during application. Each round pastel stick is paper-wrapped and printed with the color name and number, the price series letter, the lightfastness rating and the number suffix indicating whether it is a shade (.3), pure tone (.5), or a tint (.7, .8, .9, etc.).