[5] Schwan-Stabilo has three divisions for its business operations, they are "Writing instruments" (Stabilo), "Cosmetics" (Schwan Cosmetics), and the most recent, "Outdoor", with four subsidiaries makers of outdoor recreation equipment acquired in the 2010s, they are: Deuter Sport GmbH (backpacks), Ortovox (mountaineering), Maier Sports (skiing), and former Maier's brand Gonso (cycling).

[1] It was established in Nuremberg, also alongside other pencil manufacturers such as Staedtler and Faber-Castell, because the area was surrounded by graphite and clay mines.

Taking the first part from the family name, the company was renamed "Schwan Bleistift Fabrik" and started using the swan logo as one of the earliest trademarks.

[1] In 1929, due to a problem in the process of manufacturing, pencils were not completely coated, leaving them with white edges.

[1] In 2011, Schwan-Stabilo acquired Ortovox Sportartikel GmbH, a manufacturer of mountaineering equipment headquartered in Taufkirchen, as part of the consistent expansion of the company's Outdoor division.

That same year, Schwan-Stabilo added Maier Sports GmbH (and its brand Gonso), a skiing clothes equipment manufacturer, with 160 employees at the time of acquisition.