A blue carton ruled with white stripes, the red Sakura blossom mark in the corner, and the range named twice — サクラマット水彩 above SAKURA MAT WATER COLORS. The count sits at the top right as 12 colors or 24 colors, a yellow flash reads ラミネートチューブ入り, and the tubes themselves lie in a white tray, each printed with its colour in Japanese and English and a Sakura number beneath.

Here is the unusual part, and it is worth knowing before you choose: the two sizes cost exactly the same per tube. Rs. 1,800 for twelve and Rs. 3,600 for twenty-four both work out at Rs. 150 a tube. There is no volume discount and no penalty for buying small, which is rare on this shelf — nearly every other range either rewards or punishes the bigger box. Pick purely on how many colours you actually need.

Mat is the other word to read. Sakura sells this alongside a set explicitly named Transparent, which we also stock, and the two are different products from the same maker rather than the same paint in different boxes. Our Sakura Transparent 12 is Rs. 179.17 a tube, so the Mat range is the cheaper of the two Sakura sets on this shelf.

The numbering is Sakura's own, and it is what makes a shade repeatable. Lemon Yellow 2, Yellow 4, Orange 7, Red 19, Purple 24, Yellow Green 27, Green 29, Cobalt Blue 36, Prussian Blue 43, Black 49, White 50 and Brown 12 among them — quote the figure and the same pigment comes back next time.

The tubes are laminate rather than metal, which is what the yellow flash on the carton is announcing. A metal tube splits along the crease where you squeeze it and dries out from the fold; a laminate one rolls up and stays sealed, so a tube gets finished instead of half wasted.

We list this range from 10 years up. Prices are Rs. 1,800 for twelve tubes and Rs. 3,600 for twenty-four, with Cash on Delivery across Pakistan. Tell us which size you want on WhatsApp and we will confirm stock, your city and delivery charges before dispatch.

Why this product is worth considering