View source for Pencil

{{short description|Writing implement}}
{{about|the writing implement|other uses|Pencil (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
[[File:Pencils hb.jpg|thumb|[[Staedtler]] HB [[graphite]] pencils]]
[[File:Caran d'Ache Farbstifte.JPG|thumb|[[Coloured pencil]]s ([[Caran d'Ache (company)|Caran d'Ache]])]]
[[File:Pencil Diagram.svg|thumb|A typical modern-day pencil. {{olist
    |Solid pigment core (typically [[graphite]], commonly called [[Pencil#Graphite deposit discoveries|pencil lead]])
    |[[Wood]]
    |[[Paint]]ed body
    |[[Ferrule]]
    |[[Eraser]]
}}]]

A '''pencil''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-pencil.ogg|ˈ|p|ɛ|n|s|ə|l}}) is a [[writing]] or [[drawing]] implement with a solid [[pigment]] core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's [[hand]].

Pencils create marks by physical [[abrasion (mechanical)|abrasion]], leaving a trail of solid core material that adheres to a sheet of [[paper]] or other surface. They are distinct from [[pen]]s, which dispense liquid or gel [[ink]] onto the marked surface.

Most pencil cores are made of [[graphite]] powder mixed with a [[clay]] binder. [[Graphite]] pencils (traditionally known as "lead pencils") produce grey or black marks that are easily [[eraser|erased]], but otherwise resistant to [[moisture]], most [[solvent]]s, [[ultraviolet radiation]] and natural aging. Other types of pencil cores, such as [[Charcoal (art)|those of charcoal]], are mainly used for drawing and [[sketch (drawing)|sketching]]. [[Coloured pencils]] are sometimes used by teachers or editors [[blue pencil (editing)|to correct submitted texts]], but are typically regarded as art supplies, especially those with cores made from wax-based binders that tend to smear when erasers are applied to them. [[Grease pencil]]s have a softer, oily core that can leave marks on smooth surfaces such as [[glass]] or [[porcelain]].

The most common pencil casing is thin [[wood]], usually [[hexagon]]al in section, but sometimes [[Cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] or [[triangle|triangular]], permanently bonded to the core. Casings may be of other materials, such as plastic or paper. To use the pencil, the casing must be carved or peeled off to expose the working end of the core as a sharp point. [[Mechanical pencil]]s have more elaborate casings which are not bonded to the core; instead, they support separate, mobile [[pigment]] cores that can be extended or retracted (usually through the casing's tip) as needed. These casings can be reloaded with new cores (usually graphite) as the previous ones are exhausted.

==History==
[[File:Soviet made Iskusstvo pencils.jpg|thumb|Old Soviet colored pencils with box (circa 1959)]]

===Camel hair===
''Pencil'', from [[Old French]] ''pincel'', from late [[Latin]] {{lang|la|penicillus}} a "little tail" (see ''penis''; ''pincellus'')<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=3|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|chapter=pencil, n|title-link=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref> originally referred to an artist's fine brush of camel hair, also used for writing before modern lead or chalk pencils.<ref>{{cite book|title=Notes and Queries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UnpIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA419|series=3|volume=12|year=1868|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=419|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117163455/https://books.google.com/books?id=UnpIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA419|archive-date=17 January 2018}}</ref>

Though the [[archetypal]] pencil was an artist's brush, the [[stylus]], a thin metal stick used for scratching in [[papyrus]] or [[wax tablet]]s, was used extensively by the [[ancient Rome|Romans]]<ref>{{cite book|first1=Steven S.|last1=Zumdahl  |first2=Susan A.|last2=Zumdahl |name-list-style=amp |title=Chemistry|url=https://archive.org/details/chemistrythediti00zumd  |url-access=limited  |year=2008|publisher=Cengage Learning|location=Belmont, CA|isbn=978-0-547-12532-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/chemistrythediti00zumd/page/n371 343]|chapter=No lead pencils}}</ref> and for [[palm-leaf manuscript]]s.

===Graphite deposit discoveries===
As a technique for drawing, the closest predecessor to the pencil was [[silverpoint]] or leadpoint until, in 1565 (some sources say as early as 1500), a large deposit of [[graphite]] was discovered on the approach to [[Grey Knotts]] from the hamlet of [[Seathwaite, Allerdale|Seathwaite]] in [[Borrowdale|Borrowdale parish]], [[Cumbria, England|Cumbria]], England.<ref name="norgate">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/lk00976.htm
 |title       = Old Cumbria Gazetteer, black lead mine, Seathwaite
 |year        = 2008
 |first1= Martin|last1=Norgate|first2=Jean|last2=Norgate|publisher=Geography Department|location=Portsmouth University
 |access-date  = 19 May 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090107062352/http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/lgaz/lk00976.htm
 |archive-date = 7 January 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref name="wainwright_western" >{{Cite book|title=A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Western Fells
  |first=Alfred|last=Wainwright
  |year=2005
  |publisher=Frances Lincoln |isbn=0-7112-2460-9
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~jaszczak/borrowdale.html
 |title       = Graphite from the Plumbago Mine, Borrowdale, England
 |publisher   = Department of Physics at Michigan Technological University
 |access-date  = 27 March 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080314044343/http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~jaszczak/borrowdale.html
 |archive-date = 14 March 2008
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref name="Petroski-1990">[[#Petroski, 1990|Petroski, 1990]], pp. 168, 358</ref> This particular deposit of graphite was extremely pure and solid, and it could easily be sawn into sticks. It remains the only large-scale deposit of graphite ever found in this solid form.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/wad.htm
 |title       = Lakeland's Mining Heritage
 |publisher   = cumbria-industries.org.uk
 |access-date  = 27 March 2008
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080315083301/http://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/wad.htm
 |archive-date = 15 March 2008
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> [[Chemistry]] was in its infancy and the substance was thought to be a form of [[lead]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Consequently, it was called ''plumbago'' (Latin for "lead [[ore]]").<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.answers.com/topic/plumbago
 |title       = Definition of Plumbago
 |publisher   = Answers.com
 |access-date  = 21 April 2007
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070813202330/http://www.answers.com/topic/plumbago
 |archive-date = 13 August 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
  |url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/plumbago
  |title=Definition of Plumbago
  |publisher=Thefreedictionary.com
  |access-date=21 April 2007
}}</ref> Because the pencil core is still referred to as "lead", or "a lead", many people have the misconception that the graphite in the pencil is lead,<ref>''The big book of questions and answers'', Publications International LTD, (1989), p.189, {{ISBN|0-88176-670-4}}.</ref> and the black core of pencils is still referred to as ''lead'', even though it never contained the [[Chemical element|element]] lead.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Have pencils ever contained lead?|url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/have-pencils-ever-contained-lead/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=BBC Science Focus Magazine|date=March 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Ever wondered about the lead in pencils?|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/ever-wondered-about-the-lead-in-pencils/2014/11/26/f8b5869c-548a-11e4-809b-8cc0a295c773_story.html|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = 26 November 2014|access-date = 5 October 2015|issn = 0190-8286|first = Howard J.|last = Bennett|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151106222853/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/ever-wondered-about-the-lead-in-pencils/2014/11/26/f8b5869c-548a-11e4-809b-8cc0a295c773_story.html|archive-date = 6 November 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Pencil swallowing: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia|url = https://www.medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002817.htm|website = www.nlm.nih.gov|access-date = 5 October 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151006022505/https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002817.htm|archive-date = 6 October 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = graphite pencils {{!}} The Weekend Historian|url = https://umeshmadan.wordpress.com/tag/graphite-pencils/|website = umeshmadan.wordpress.com|access-date = 5 October 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151007164114/https://umeshmadan.wordpress.com/tag/graphite-pencils/|archive-date = 7 October 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/metals/lead.html|title=Lead Facts - Uses, Properties, Element Pb, Plumbing, Pipes, Weights|website=www.sciencekids.co.nz|access-date=2016-10-29|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030075725/http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/metals/lead.html|archive-date=30 October 2016}}</ref> The words for pencil in German (''Bleistift''), Irish (''peann luaidhe''), Arabic (قلم رصاص ''qalam raṣāṣ''), and some other languages literally mean ''lead pen''.

The value of graphite would soon be realised to be enormous, mainly because it could be used to line the moulds for [[Round shot|cannonballs]]; the [[mining|mines]] were taken over by [[the Crown]] and were guarded. When sufficient stores of graphite had been accumulated, the mines were flooded to prevent theft until more was required.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

The usefulness of graphite for pencils was discovered as well, but initially graphite for pencils had to be smuggled out of England.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} Because graphite is soft, it requires some form of [[encasement]]. Graphite sticks were initially wrapped in string or [[Leather|sheepskin]] for stability. England would enjoy a monopoly on the production of pencils until a method of reconstituting the graphite powder was found in 1662 in Germany. However, the distinctively square English pencils continued to be made with sticks cut from natural graphite into the 1860s. The town of [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]], near the original findings of block graphite, still manufactures pencils, the factory also being the location of the [[Derwent Pencil Museum]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/
 |title       = Keswick Pencil Museum
 |publisher   = Pencilmuseum.co.uk
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090803153941/http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/
 |archive-date = 3 August 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> The meaning of "graphite writing implement" apparently evolved late in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url= http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pencil&allowed_in_frame=0 |title= pencil |first=Douglas|last=Harper |date= 27 June 2012 |dictionary= Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date= 27 June 2012 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120823161324/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pencil&allowed_in_frame=0 |archive-date= 23 August 2012 |df= dmy-all }}</ref>

===Wood encasement===
[[File:Palomino Blackwing 602 pencils.jpg|thumb|[[Blackwing 602|Palomino Blackwing 602]] pencils]]
Around 1560,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocketcityspacepioneers.com/space/who-invented-the-pencil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111022205245/http://www.rocketcityspacepioneers.com/space/who-invented-the-pencil |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-10-22 |title=Who invented the pencil? |publisher=[[Rocket City Space Pioneers]] }}</ref> an Italian couple named Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti made what are likely the first blueprints for the modern, wood-encased [[carpentry pencil]]. Their version was a flat, oval, more compact type of pencil. Their concept involved the hollowing out of a stick of [[juniper]] wood. Shortly thereafter, a superior technique was discovered: two wooden halves were carved, a graphite stick inserted, and the halves then glued together—essentially the same method in use to this day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofscience.com/G2I/timeline/index.php?era=1500 |title=Timeline Outline ViewEra: 1500 - 1550 |publisher=Historyofscience.com |access-date=18 August 2012 |archive-date=31 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231171848/http://www.historyofscience.com/G2I/timeline/index.php?era=1500 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Graphite powder and clay===
The first attempt to manufacture graphite sticks from powdered graphite was in [[Nuremberg]], Germany, in 1662. It used a mixture of graphite, [[sulphur]], and [[antimony]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Pencil|url = http://www.fact-index.com/p/pe/pencil.html|website = www.fact-index.com|access-date = 23 November 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120524123804/http://www.fact-index.com/p/pe/pencil.html|archive-date = 24 May 2012|df = dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Pencils|url = https://borrowdalepoints.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/pencils/|website = Borrowdale Points|access-date = 23 November 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151123161832/https://borrowdalepoints.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/pencils/|archive-date = 23 November 2015|df = dmy-all|date = 10 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Gyaat:The weapon we use from adolescence|url = http://www.gyaat.com/post_view.php?id=16|website = www.gyaat.com|access-date = 23 November 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151123145543/http://www.gyaat.com/post_view.php?id=16|archive-date = 23 November 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref>

English and German pencils were not available to the French during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]; France, under naval blockade imposed by Great Britain, was unable to import the pure graphite sticks from the British Grey Knotts mines – the only known source in the world. France was also unable to import the inferior German graphite pencil substitute. It took the efforts of an officer in [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]'s army to change this. In 1795, [[Nicolas-Jacques Conté]] discovered a method of mixing powdered graphite with [[clay]] and forming the mixture into rods that were then fired in a [[kiln]]. By varying the ratio of graphite to clay, the hardness of the graphite rod could also be varied. This method of manufacture, which had been earlier discovered by the Austrian [[Joseph Hardtmuth]], the founder of Vienna's [[Koh-I-Noor (company)|Koh-I-Noor]] company in 1790, remains in use. In 1802, the production of graphite leads from graphite and clay was patented by Koh-I-Noor.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/history
 |title       = History of Koh-i-noor Hardmuth company
 |publisher   = Koh-i-noor Hardmuth company
 |access-date  = 11 September 2015
 |url-status   = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150910213838/http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/history
 |archive-date = 10 September 2015
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref>

In England, pencils continued to be made from whole sawn graphite. [[Henry Bessemer]]'s first successful invention (1838) was a method of compressing graphite powder into solid graphite thus allowing the waste from sawing to be reused.<ref>Bessemer, Henry (1905) [https://archive.org/details/sirhenrybessemer00bessuoft ''Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S: An Autobiography''], London, Offices of "Engineering," Chapter 3.</ref>

===United States===
[[File:Pencil, perhaps made by Henry David Thoreau - Concord Museum - Concord, MA - DSC05641.JPG|thumb|right|Pencil, perhaps made by Henry David Thoreau, in the [[Concord Museum]]]]
[[File:Pencil manufacture.svg|thumb|Pencil manufacturing. The top sequence shows the old method that required pieces of graphite to be cut to size; the lower sequence is the new, current method using rods of graphite and clay.]]
American colonists imported pencils from Europe until after the [[American Revolution]]. [[Benjamin Franklin]] advertised pencils for sale in ''[[The Pennsylvania Gazette]]'' in 1729, and [[George Washington]] used a {{convert|3|in|cm|adj=on|round=0.5|spell=in}} pencil when he surveyed the [[Ohio Country]] in 1762.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pencils.com/famous-pencil-users/|title=Famous Pencil Users - Pencils.com|language=en-US|access-date=2016-09-08|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009151127/http://pencils.com/famous-pencil-users/|archive-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=July 2017}} [[William Munroe (pencil maker)|William Munroe]], a cabinetmaker in [[Concord, Massachusetts|Concord]], Massachusetts, made the first American [[wood]] pencils in 1812. This was not the only pencil-making occurring in Concord. According to [[Henry Petroski]], [[transcendentalist]] philosopher [[Henry David Thoreau]] discovered how to make a good pencil out of inferior graphite using clay as the [[Binder (material)|binder]]; this invention was prompted by his father's pencil factory in Concord, which employed graphite found in [[New Hampshire]] in 1821 by Charles Dunbar.<ref name="Petroski-1990" />

Munroe's method of making pencils was painstakingly slow, and in the neighbouring town of [[Acton, Massachusetts|Acton]], a pencil mill owner named Ebenezer Wood set out to automate the process at his own [[Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site|pencil mill located at Nashoba Brook]]. He used the first circular saw in pencil production. He constructed the first of the hexagon- and octagon-shaped wooden casings. Ebenezer did not patent his invention and shared his techniques with anyone. One of those was [[Eberhard Faber]], which built a [[Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory|factory in New York]] and became the leader in pencil production.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = https://trails.actonma.gov/pencil-factory/
 |title       = Acton Conservation Lands, Pencil Factory
 |date = 16 December 2015
 |publisher   = Actontrails.org
 |access-date  = 27 Feb 2024
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20240227105622/https://trails.actonma.gov/pencil-factory/
 |archive-date = 27 Feb 2024
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

[[Joseph Dixon (inventor)|Joseph Dixon]], an inventor and entrepreneur involved with the [[Tantiusques]] graphite mine in [[Sturbridge, Massachusetts|Sturbridge]], Massachusetts, developed a means to [[mass production|mass-produce]] pencils. By 1870, The [[Joseph Dixon Crucible Company]] was the world's largest dealer and consumer of graphite and later became the contemporary [[Dixon Ticonderoga]] pencil and art supplies company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dixonusa.com/index.cfm/fuseaction=history.dixon |title=Joseph Dixon 1799–1869 |publisher=Dixon Ticonderoga Company |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013191609/http://dixonusa.com/index.cfm/fuseaction%3Dhistory.dixon |archive-date=13 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/368_tantiusques.cfm
 |title       = Tantiusques Graphite Mine
 |publisher   = Thetrustees.org
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090418023739/http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/368_tantiusques.cfm
 |archive-date = 18 April 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

By the end of the nineteenth century, over 240,000 pencils were used each day in the US.  The favoured timber for pencils was [[Juniperus virginiana|Red Cedar]] as it was [[aroma]]tic and did not splinter when sharpened.  In the early twentieth century supplies of Red Cedar were dwindling so that pencil manufacturers were forced to recycle the wood from cedar fences and barns to maintain supply.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

One effect of this was that "during World War II rotary pencil sharpeners were outlawed in Britain because they wasted so much scarce lead and wood, and pencils had to be sharpened in the more conservative manner – with knives."<ref name=Petroski>{{cite book|title=The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance|first=Henry |last=Petroski|year=2010|location=New York|publisher=Random House LLC|isbn=978-0-307-77243-5}}</ref>

It was soon discovered that [[Calocedrus|incense cedar]], when dyed and perfumed to resemble Red Cedar, was a suitable alternative. Most pencils today are made from this timber, which is grown in managed forests. Over 14 billion pencils are manufactured worldwide annually.<ref name="Readers Digest, pencil users">{{cite web|work=The Point of it All – History of the Pencil |first=Michael|last=Franco |title=Famous Pencil Pushers |url=http://www.readersdigest.com.au/content/printContent.do?contentId=109024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617220924/http://www.readersdigest.com.au/content/printContent.do?contentId=109024 |archive-date=17 June 2009 }}</ref> Less popular alternatives to cedar include [[basswood]] and [[alder]].<ref name=Petroski/>

In Southeast Asia, the wood [[Dyera costulata|Jelutong]] may be used to create pencils (though the use of this rainforest species is controversial).<ref>{{cite news|title=In World Of Politically Right, Pencils Can Be Wrong Stuff|date=1 September 1993|first=Janita|last=Poe|work=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/09/01/in-world-of-politically-right-pencils-can-be-wrong-stuff/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222013536/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-09-01/news/9309010106_1_jelutong-pencils-incense-cedar-institute|archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref> Environmentalists prefer the use of [[Alstonia scholaris|Pulai]] – another wood native to the region in pencil manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web|title=Forest Management Public Summary for: PT Xylo Indah Pratama |url=http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/pt-xylo.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229141343/http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/pt-xylo.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2009 |date=15 March 2000 |publisher=Rainforest Alliance }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasiapencil.com/aboutus.html|title=Fantasia – The Quality Pencil Company – About Us|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825111536/http://fantasiapencil.com/aboutus.html|archive-date=25 August 2013}}</ref>

===Eraser attachment===
[[File:LipmanPencilEraserPatent.jpg|thumb|Attached eraser on the left; Pencil lead on the right]]
On 30 March 1858, [[Hymen Lipman]] received the first [[patent]] for attaching an [[eraser]] to the end of a pencil.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=19783
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502041232/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=19783
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=2 May 2017
 |date=30 March 1858
 |title=US Patent 19783 Combination of Lead-Pencil and Eraser
 |first=L.|last=Lipman
 |publisher=Patft.uspto.gov
 |access-date=23 July 2009
}}</ref> In 1862, Lipman sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000, who went on to sue pencil manufacturer [[Faber-Castell]] for [[Patent infringement|infringement]].<ref>[[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], p. 171</ref> In ''Reckendorfer v. Faber'' (1875), the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled against Reckendorfer, declaring the patent invalid.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://supreme.justia.com/us/92/347/case.html
 |title       = Reckendorfer v. Faber 92 U.S. 347 (1875)
 |publisher   = Supreme.justia.com
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090608084015/http://supreme.justia.com/us/92/347/case.html
 |archive-date = 8 June 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

===Extenders===
{{Main|Pencil extender}}

Historian Henry Petroski notes that while ever more efficient means of mass production of pencils had driven the replacement costs down, people for some time continued to use even the stub of a pencil. For those who did not feel comfortable using a stub, pencil extenders were sold. These devices function something like a ''porte-crayon''...the pencil stub can be inserted into the end of a shaft...Extenders were especially common among engineers and draftsmen, whose favorite pencils were priced dearly. The use of an extender also has the advantage that the pencil does not appreciably change its heft as it wears down.<ref name=Petroski/> Artists use extenders to maximize the use of their [[colored pencil]]s.

==Types==
===By marking material===
[[File:Speciality artists pencils 051907.jpg|right|thumb|Two solid, or "woodless", graphite pencils, two charcoal pencils, and two grease pencils]]
[[File:Colored-Pencils.jpg|thumb|right|Coloured pencils]]
[[File:3 promotional pencils (ubt).JPG|thumb|Promotional pencils]]

====Graphite====
Graphite pencils are the most common types of pencil, and are encased in wood. They are made of a mixture of [[clay]] and [[graphite]] and their darkness varies from light grey to black. Their composition allows for the smoothest strokes.

====Solid====
Solid graphite pencils are solid sticks of graphite and clay composite (as found in a 'graphite pencil'), about the diameter of a common pencil, which have no casing other than a wrapper or label. They are often called "woodless" pencils. They are used primarily for art purposes as the lack of casing allows for covering larger spaces more easily, creating different effects, and providing greater economy as the entirety of the pencil is used. They are available in the same darkness range as wood-encased graphite pencils.

====Liquid====
Liquid graphite pencils are pencils that write like [[pen]]s. The technology was first invented in 1955 by [[Scripto]] and [[Parker Pens]]. Scripto's liquid graphite formula came out about three months before Parker's liquid lead formula. To avoid a lengthy patent fight the two companies agreed to share their formulas.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://parkerpens.net/liquidlead.html | title=Vintage Pen Blog | publisher=GoPens.com | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906034612/https://parkerpens.net/liquidlead.html | archive-date=6 September 2017 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Charcoal====
Charcoal pencils are made of [[charcoal]] and provide fuller blacks than graphite pencils, but tend to smudge easily and are more abrasive than graphite. Sepia-toned and white pencils are also available for [[duotone]] techniques.

====Carbon pencils====
Carbon pencils are generally made of a mixture of clay and [[lamp black]], but are sometimes blended with charcoal or graphite depending on the darkness and manufacturer. They produce a fuller black than graphite pencils, are smoother than charcoal, and have minimal dust and smudging. They also blend very well, much like charcoal.

====Colored====
[[Colored pencil]]s, or pencil crayons, have wax-like cores with pigment and other fillers. Several colors are sometimes blended together.<ref name="wax pencil">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080609001054/http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn19/wn19-3/wn19-308.html Categories of Wax-Based Drawing Media], palimpsest.stanford.edu</ref>

====Grease====
[[Grease pencil]]s can write on virtually any surface (including glass, plastic, metal and photographs). The most commonly found grease pencils are encased in paper (Berol and Sanford Peel-off), but they can also be encased in wood (Staedtler Omnichrom).<ref name="wax pencil" />

====Watercolor====
Watercolor pencils are designed for use with [[watercolor]] techniques. Their cores can be diluted by water. The pencils can be used by themselves for sharp, bold lines. Strokes made by the pencil can also be saturated with water and spread with brushes.<ref name="wax pencil" />

===By use===
====Carpentry====
[[Carpenter's pencil]]s are pencils that have two main properties: their shape prevents them from rolling, and their graphite is strong.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/carpentr.htm
 |first=Doug|last=Martin
 |year        = 2000
 |title       = Carpenter's Pencils
 |publisher   = Pencilpages.com
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090227043613/http://pencilpages.com/articles/carpentr.htm
 |archive-date = 27 February 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> The oldest surviving pencil is a German carpenter's pencil dating from the 17th century and now in the Faber-Castell collection.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080430183938/http://www.faber-castell.com.au/docs/default-news.asp?id=19463&domid=1010&sp=E&addlastid=&m1=14248&m2=16959&m3=19364&m4=19463 "History Pencils & Historic Packaging"]. Faber Castell Australia</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.pencilpages.com/gallery/oldest.htm
 |title       = Oldest Known Pencil in Existence
 |publisher   = Pencilpages.com
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090220153349/http://pencilpages.com/gallery/oldest.htm
 |archive-date = 20 February 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>

====Copying====
[[File:Censored mail Spain Australia 1943.jpg|right|thumb|Obliteration by indelible pencil to censor mail in 1943]]

[[Copying pencil]]s (or indelible pencils) are graphite pencils with an added dye that creates an indelible mark. They were invented in the late 19th century for [[Printing press|press]] copying and as a practical substitute for fountain pens. Their markings are often visually indistinguishable from those of standard graphite pencils, but when moistened their markings dissolve into a coloured ink, which is then pressed into another piece of paper. They were widely used until the mid-20th century when ball pens slowly replaced them. In Italy their use is still mandated by law for voting paper ballots in elections and referendums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senato.it/istituzione/108452/152259/genpagspalla.htm |title=L. 6 febbraio 1948, n. 29 |access-date=1 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009001506/http://www.senato.it/istituzione/108452/152259/genpagspalla.htm |archive-date=9 October 2012 }}</ref>

====Eyeliner====
[[Eye liner]] pencils are used for make-up. Unlike traditional copying pencils, eyeliner pencils usually contain non-toxic dyes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ulta.com/gel-eyeliner-pencil?productId=xlsImpprod4370701 |title=Gel Eyeliner Pencil by ULTA |access-date=15 November 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117001354/http://www.ulta.com/gel-eyeliner-pencil?productId=xlsImpprod4370701 |archive-date=17 November 2017 }}</ref>

====Erasable coloring====
Unlike wax-based colored pencils, the erasable variants can be easily erased. Their main use is in sketching, where the objective is to create an outline using the same color that other media (such as wax pencils, or watercolor paints) would fill<ref>{{cite web
 |url        = http://www.mccannas.com/sketch/supply.htm
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130128105255/http://www.mccannas.com/sketch/supply.htm
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 28 January 2013
 |title      = Art Supplies
 |publisher  = Mccannas.com
 |access-date = 23 July 2009
}}</ref> or when the objective is to scan the color sketch.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/index.cfm?FeatureID=1625
 |title       = Sketch to Paint in Photoshop
 |publisher   = Digitalartsonline.co.uk
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090227140128/http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/index.cfm?FeatureID=1625
 |archive-date = 27 February 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> Some animators prefer erasable color pencils as opposed to graphite pencils because they do not smudge as easily, and the different colors allow for better separation of objects in the sketch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smacktalk.smackjeeves.com/03-paperpencilserasers |title=Tools of the Trade Papers Pencils and Erases |publisher=smackjeeves.com |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708213710/http://smacktalk.smackjeeves.com/03-paperpencilserasers |archive-date=8 July 2007 }}</ref> Copy-editors find them useful too as markings stand out more than those of graphite, but can be erased.

====Non-reproduction====
Also known as [[non-photo blue]] pencils, the non-reproducing types make marks that are not reproducible by photocopiers<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.epinions.com/review/Sanford_Col_erase_Copy_not_colored_pencil_20028_blue/content_285308063364
 |title=Sanford Col-Erase Copy Not Pencils-You Can't Copy This Baby!
 |publisher=Epinions.com
 |access-date=23 July 2009
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524004821/http://www.epinions.com/review/Sanford_Col_erase_Copy_not_colored_pencil_20028_blue/content_285308063364
 |archive-date=24 May 2008
}}</ref> (examples include "Copy-not" by Sanford and "Mars Non-photo" by Staedtler) or by [[whiteprint]] copiers (such as "Mars Non-Print" by Staedtler).

====Stenography====
[[Shorthand|Stenographer]]'s pencils, also known as a '''steno pencil''', are expected to be very reliable, and their lead is break-proof. Nevertheless, steno pencils are sometimes sharpened at both ends to enhance reliability. They are round to avoid pressure pain during long texts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.penciltalk.org/2006/06/reporter-pencils |title=Paper and Pencil Blog 'Reporter Pencils' |publisher=Penciltalk.org |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728175447/http://www.penciltalk.org/2006/06/reporter-pencils |archive-date=28 July 2014 }}</ref>

====Golf====
Golf pencils are usually short (a common length is {{Convert|9|cm|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and very cheap. They are also known as '''library pencils''', as many libraries offer them as disposable writing instruments with scratch paper to make notes, such as looking up materials in the [[Library catalog#card|card catalog]] to note their location.

===By shape===
* Triangular (more accurately a [[Reuleaux triangle]])
* Hexagonal (hex and semi-hex)
* Round
* Bendable (flexible plastic)

===By size===
====Typical====
A standard, hexagonal, "#2 pencil" is cut to a hexagonal height of {{convert|1/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}}, but the outer diameter is slightly larger (about {{convert|9/32|in|mm|0|abbr=on|order=flip|disp=or}})
A standard, "#2", hexagonal pencil is {{convert|19|cm||abbr=on}} long.

====Biggest====
On 3 September 2007, [[Ashrita Furman]] unveiled his giant US$20,000 pencil – {{convert|76|ft|m|order=flip}} long, {{convert|18000|lb|kg|order=flip}} with over {{convert|4500|lb|kg|order=flip}} for the graphite centre – after three weeks of creation in August 2007 as a birthday gift for teacher [[Sri Chinmoy]]. It is longer than the {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} pencil outside the Malaysia HQ of stationers Faber-Castell.<ref>[http://www.pencilpages.com/gallery/largest.htm World's largest pencil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229044243/http://www.pencilpages.com/gallery/largest.htm |date=29 December 2008 }}. The Pencil Pages.</ref><ref>[http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/news/ashrita-furman/worlds-largest-pencil-unveiled-in-new-york/ World's largest pencil unveiled in New York] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517160754/http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/news/ashrita-furman/worlds-largest-pencil-unveiled-in-new-york/ |date=17 May 2017 }}. Sri Chinmoy News.</ref><ref>[http://www.metacafe.com/watch/835380/worlds_largest_pencil/ World's largest pencil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105115204/http://www.metacafe.com/watch/835380/worlds_largest_pencil/ |date=5 January 2009 }} (video). Metacafe.com.</ref>

===By manufacture===
====Mechanical====
[[File:Mechanical pencil lead spilling out 051907.jpg|thumb|right|Lead for mechanical pencils]] [[File:Biegsame Bleistifte (fcm).jpg|thumb|Flexible pencils]]
[[Mechanical pencil]]s use mechanical methods to push lead through a hole at the end. These can be divided into two groups: with propelling pencils an internal mechanism is employed to push the lead out from an internal compartment, while clutch pencils merely hold the lead in place (the lead is extended by releasing it and allowing some external force, usually gravity, to pull it out of the body). The erasers (sometimes replaced by a sharpener on pencils with larger lead sizes) are also removable (and thus replaceable), and usually cover a place to store replacement leads. Mechanical pencils are popular for their longevity and the fact that they may never need sharpening. Lead types are based on grade and size; with standard sizes being {{Convert|2.00|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|1.40|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|1.00|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|0.70|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|0.50|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|0.35|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|0.25|mm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|0.18|mm|abbr=on}}, and {{Convert|0.13|mm|abbr=on}} ([http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=16778 ISO 9175-1])—the {{Convert|0.90|mm|abbr=on}} size is available, but is not considered a standard ISO size.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}}

====Pop a Point====
Pioneered by Taiwanese stationery manufacturer Bensia Pioneer Industrial Corporation in the early 1970s, Pop a Point Pencils are also known as '''Bensia Pencils''', stackable pencils or non-sharpening pencils. It is a type of pencil where many short pencil tips are housed in a cartridge-style plastic holder. A blunt tip is removed by pulling it from the writing end of the body and re-inserting it into the open-ended bottom of the body, thereby pushing a new tip to the top.

====Plastic====
Invented by Harold Grossman<ref>Grossman, Harold. [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/3360489 US Patent 3,360,489] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728194617/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/3360489 |date=28 July 2017 }}, issued 26 December 1967</ref> for the Empire Pencil Company in 1967, plastic pencils were subsequently improved upon by Arthur D. Little for Empire from 1969 through the early 1970s; the plastic pencil was commercialised by Empire as the "EPCON" Pencil. These pencils were co-extruded, extruding a plasticised graphite mix within a wood-composite core.<ref>[http://adlittlechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/07/epcon-plastic-pencil.html The Epcon Plastic Pencil] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708022148/http://adlittlechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/07/epcon-plastic-pencil.html |date=8 July 2011 }}, adlittlechronicles.blogspot.com, for information about this invention.</ref>

===Other aspects===
* By factory state: sharpened, unsharpened
* By casing material: wood, paper, plastic
* The [[P&P Office Waste Paper Processor]] recycles paper into pencils<ref name="dynamic inventions">{{cite web | url=http://dynamicinventions.com/pp-office-waste-processor/# | title=P&P Office Waste Processor | publisher=Dynamic Inventions | date=11 March 2013 | accessdate=12 January 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113141724/http://dynamicinventions.com/pp-office-waste-processor/ | archive-date=13 January 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Health==
Residual graphite from a pencil stick is not poisonous, and graphite is harmless if consumed.

Although [[lead]] has not been used for writing since antiquity, such as in Roman styli, [[lead poisoning]] from pencils was not uncommon. Until the middle of the 20th century the paint used for the outer coating could contain high concentrations of lead, and this could be ingested when the pencil was sucked or chewed.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=7 July 1972|title=Pencils, paint and pottery can give you lead poisoning|magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]|volume=73|issue=1|page=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_1QEAAAAMBAJ&q=life+Pencils%2C+paint+and+pottery+can+give+you+lead+poisoning&pg=PA46}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Manufacture==
The lead of the pencil is a mix of finely ground [[graphite]] and [[clay]] powders. Before the two substances are mixed, they are separately cleaned of foreign matter and dried in a manner that creates large square cakes. Once the cakes have fully dried, the graphite and the clay squares are mixed together using water. The amount of clay content added to the graphite depends on the intended [[#Grading and classification|pencil hardness]] (lower proportions of clay makes the core softer),<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pencils.com |title=The HB Graphite Grading Scale |access-date=14 March 2012 |url=http://www.pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321203027/http://www.pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale |archive-date=21 March 2012  }}</ref> and the amount of time spent on grinding the mixture determines the quality of the lead. The mixture is then shaped into long [[spaghetti]]-like strings, straightened, dried, cut, and then tempered in a [[kiln]]. The resulting strings are dipped in oil or molten wax, which seeps into the tiny holes of the material and allows for the smooth writing ability of the pencil. A [[juniper]] or [[incense-cedar]] plank with several long parallel grooves is cut to fashion a "slat," and the graphite/clay strings are inserted into the grooves. Another grooved plank is glued on top, and the whole assembly is then cut into individual pencils, which are then varnished or painted. Many pencils feature an [[eraser]] on the top and so the process is usually still considered incomplete at this point. Each pencil has a shoulder cut on one end of the pencil to allow for a metal [[ferrule]] to be secured onto the wood. A rubber plug is then inserted into the ferrule for a functioning eraser on the end of the pencil.<ref>[[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], "Appendix A</ref>

==Grading and classification==
[[File:TwoHBpencils2 and2 5.jpg|thumb|Two HB graphite pencils, one graded as "2" and the other as "2{{frac|1|2}}".]]
[[File:PencilGradingChart.png|thumb|right|A grading chart ranging from 9B to 9H]]
[[#By marking material|Graphite pencils]] are made of a mixture of [[clay]] and [[graphite]] and their darkness varies from black to light grey. A higher amount of clay added to the pencil makes it harder, leaving lighter marks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.staedtler.com/upload/graphite_video_eng_16461.mpg |title=Staedtler Pencil, video |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121070208/http://www.staedtler.com/upload/graphite_video_eng_16461.mpg |archive-date=21 January 2013 }} Staedtler.com</ref><ref>[[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pencils.co.uk/heritage.aspx?id=6&sid=1 |title=Derwent Manufacturing Process |publisher=Pencils.co.uk |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517110307/http://www.pencils.co.uk/heritage.aspx?id=6&sid=1 |archive-date=17 May 2013 }}</ref> There is a wide range of grades available, mainly for artists who are interested in creating a full range of tones from light grey to black. Engineers prefer harder pencils which allow for a greater control in the shape of the lead.

Manufacturers distinguish their pencils by grading them, but there is no common standard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale |title=Graphite Grading Scales Explained |access-date=2017-02-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206105031/https://pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale/ |archive-date=6 February 2017  |date=2014-11-08 }}</ref> Two pencils of the same grade but different manufacturers will not necessarily make a mark of identical tone nor have the same hardness.{{efn|Pencil grades vary "depending upon the manufacturer, when the pencils are made, and the source of graphite and clay. One analyst found that graphitic carbon content, for example, to vary from about 30 to about 65 in a variety of different pencils bearing the same designation." [[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], p. 229}}

Most manufacturers, and almost all in Europe, designate their pencils with the letters ''H'' (commonly interpreted as "hardness") to ''B'' (commonly "blackness"), as well as ''F'' (usually taken to mean "fineness", although F pencils are no more fine or more easily sharpened than any other grade. Also referred to as "firm" by many manufacturers<ref>[http://www.mpuni.co.jp/museum/qa/mistery05.html えんぴつのナゾを解く] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003141714/http://www.mpuni.co.jp/museum/qa/mistery05.html |date=3 October 2015 }}. [[Mitsubishi Pencil Company]] {{inlang|ja}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/history|title=KOH-I-NOOR HARDTMUTH HISTORY.|publisher=Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth|access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faber-castell.com/-/media/Faber-Castell-new/PDF/en/Castell-9000-en.ashx|title=Castell 9000 brochure|publisher=Faber-Castell|access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref>). The standard writing pencil is graded ''HB''.<ref>[https://pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale/ "Graphite Grading Scales Explained"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206105031/https://pencils.com/hb-graphite-grading-scale/ |date=6 February 2017 }}. Pencils.com.</ref>{{efn|This is not related to the [[Brinell scale]] hardness unit HB.}} This designation, in the form "H.&nbsp;B.", was in use at least as early as 1814.<ref>{{cite book |title=Memoirs, Including Original Journals, Letters, Papers, and Antiquarian Tracts, of the Late Charles Alfred Stothard, F.S.A. |first=Charles |last=Stothard |publisher=Longman |year=1823 |format=letter dated 1814 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aw1fAAAAcAAJ&dq=%22marked+H.+B.%22&pg=PA154}}</ref> Softer or harder pencil grades were described by a sequence or successive Bs or Hs such as ''BB'' and ''BBB'' for successively softer leads, and ''HH'' and ''HHH'' for successively harder ones.<ref>[[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], p.&nbsp;157</ref> The [[Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth]] pencil manufacturers claim to have first used the HB designations, with ''H'' standing for Hardtmuth, ''B'' for the company's location of [[České Budějovice|Budějovice]], and ''F'' for Franz Hardtmuth, who was responsible for technological improvements in pencil manufacture.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/interesting-information-about-the-company | title=Interesting information about the company | publisher=Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth | access-date=12 October 2016 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013001501/http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/interesting-information-about-the-company | archive-date=13 October 2016 | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="The New Yorker April 28, 2016">{{cite magazine |last=Norris |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Norris (copy editor) |url=https://thescene.com/watch/thenewyorker/comma-queen-on-impact |format=Video |title=Comma Queen: On "Impact" |magazine=The New Yorker |publisher=Condé Nast |date=28 April 2016 |page=2:35 |access-date=14 May 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160605053709/https://thescene.com/watch/thenewyorker/comma-queen-on-impact |archive-date=5 June 2016  }}</ref>

{{As of|2021}}, a set of pencils ranging from a very soft, black-marking pencil to a very hard, light-marking pencil usually ranges from softest to hardest as follows:
{| class="wikitable float-right" style="text-align:center:"
|+ Graphite pencil hardness grading and typical applications
|- class="hintergrundfarbe9"
! colspan=3 | Tone and grade designations
! rowspan=2 | Character
! rowspan=2 | Application examples
|- class="hintergrundfarbe9"
| [[Europe]]
| [[United States|US]]
| [[Russia|RUS]]
|-
| style="background:#000000;color:#FFFFFF" | 9B || – || –
| rowspan="6" style="text-align:left;" | extremely soft,<br />black
| rowspan="6" style="text-align:left;" | for artistic purposes:
* sketches
* studies
* drafts
|-
| style="background:#111111; color:#FFFFFF;" | 8B || – || –
|-
| style="background:#1a1a1a; color:#FFFFFF;" | 7B || – || –
|-
| style="background:#222222; color:#FFFFFF;" | 6B || – || –
|-
| style="background:#2a2a2a; color:#FFFFFF;" | 5B || – || –
|-
| style="background:#333333; color:#FFFFFF;" | 4B || – || –
|-
| style="background:#3a3a3a; color:#FFFFFF;" | 3B || – || 3M
| rowspan="3" " style="text-align:left;" | soft
| rowspan="3" " style="text-align:left;" |
* freehand drawing
* writing (restricted)
|-
| style="background:#444444; color:#FFFFFF;" | 2B || #0 || 2М
|-
| style="background:#4a4a4a; color:#FFFFFF;" | B || #1 || M
|-
| style="background:#555555; color:#00FF00;" | HB || #2 || TM
| rowspan="2" " style="text-align:left;" | medium
| rowspan="2" " style="text-align:left;" |
* [[writing]]
* linear drawing
|-
| style="background:#666666; color:#00FF00;" | F || #2½{{sup|*}} || –
|-
| style="background:#777777;" | H || #3 || T
| rowspan="2" " style="text-align:left;" | hard
| rowspan="2" " style="text-align:left;" |
* [[technical drawing]]
* mathematical drawing
|-
| style="background:#888888;" | 2H || #4 || 2T
|-
| style="background:#999999;" | 3H || – || 3T
| rowspan="3" " style="text-align:left;" | very hard
| rowspan="3" " style="text-align:left;" |
* technical detailed plans
* graphical representations
|-
| style="background:#aaaaaa;" | 4H || – || –
|-
| style="background:#b7b7b7;" | 5H || – || –
|-
| style="background:#bbbbbb;" | 6H || – || –
| rowspan="4" " style="text-align:left;" | extremely hard,<br />light grey
| rowspan="4" " style="text-align:left;" | for special purposes:
* [[lithography]]
* [[cartography]]
* [[xylography]]
|-
| style="background:#c7c7c7;" | 7H || – || –
|-
| style="background:#cccccc;" | 8H || – || –
|-
| style="background:#dddddd;" | 9H || – || –
|-
|colspan=5 | {{sup|*}}Also seen as 2{{sfrac|2|4}}, 2{{sfrac|4|8}}, 2.5, 2{{sfrac|5|10}}
|}

[[Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth|Koh-i-noor]] offers twenty grades from 10H to 8B for its 1500 series.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071029104124/http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/main/main.php?pageid=3211&lang=4&=&filter=&cat=24&position=30 Koh-i-noor Catalog: Graphite Pencis], koh-i-noor.cz</ref> [[uni-ball|Mitsubishi Pencil]] offers twenty-two grades from 10H to 10B for its Hi-uni range.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081106131833/http://www.mpuni.co.jp/product/category/pencil/uni/spec.html コード表], mpuni.co.jp (Japanese)</ref> Derwent produces twenty grades from 9H to 9B for its graphic pencils.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.pencils.co.uk/products/derwent.aspx?sid=3&p=1 |title=Derwent Graphic |publisher=Pencils.co.uk |access-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619105057/http://www.pencils.co.uk/products/derwent.aspx?sid=3&p=1 |archive-date=19 June 2009 }}</ref> [[Staedtler]] produces 24 from 10H to 12B for its Mars Lumograph pencils.<ref>[https://www.staedtler.com/uk/en/products/pencils-and-accessories/graphite-pencils/mars-lumograph-100-drawing-pencil-100-g24/ Staedtler Mars Lumograph Pencils] Staedtler.com. Retrieved 25 August 2019.</ref>

Numbers as designation were first used by Conté and later by John Thoreau, father of [[Henry David Thoreau]], in the 19th century.{{efn|Conté used integer numbers that started at 1, with higher numbers indicating softer leads, while Thoreau used higher numbers to designate harder leads ([[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], p. 157). It is believed that Thoreau developed independently his method of mixing clay and graphite, and his use of numbers to designate grades is evidence that he was at least aware of Conté methods and tried to reverse engineer them.
Thoreau offered pencils graduated from 1 to 4 in the mid-1800s ([[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], p.&nbsp;119), see also {{cite episode
 | transcript-url=http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi339.htm|transcript=Transcript
 | series=The Engines of Our Ingenuity |series-link=The Engines of Our Ingenuity
 | number=339
 | title=Thoreau's Pencils
 | airdate=1989
 | credits=John H. Lienhard
 | network=NPR
 | station=KUHF-FM Houston
}} uh.edu}}
Although Conté/Thoreau's equivalence table is widely accepted,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pencil Grades |url=http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/grades.htm |access-date=2025-09-18 |website=www.pencilpages.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=CecelyV |date=2021-02-28 |title=The Pencil Grading Scale Explained 2025: A Comprehensive Guide to Graphite Drawing Pencils |url=https://cecelyv.com/pencil-grading-scale/ |access-date=2025-09-18 |language=en-US}}</ref> not all manufacturers follow it; for example, Faber-Castell uses a different equivalence table in its ''Grip 2001'' pencils: 1 = 2B, 2 = B, 2½ = HB, 3 = H, 4 = 2H.

===Hardness test===
Graded pencils can be used for a rapid test that provides relative ratings for a series of coated panels but cannot be used to compare the pencil hardness of different coatings. This test defines a "pencil hardness" of a coating as the grade of the hardest pencil that does not permanently mark the coating when pressed firmly against it at a 45 degree angle.{{efn|reference=This testing method is approved by the [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] as standard ISO 15184:1998 Paints and varnishes – Determination of film hardness by pencil test [https://www.iso.org/standard/55329.html?browse=tc ISO.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026111219/https://www.iso.org/standard/55329.html?browse=tc |date=26 October 2017 }}. See [http://www.pra-world.com/technical/testingphysicalhardness.htm pra-world.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929224302/http://www.pra-world.com/technical/testingphysicalhardness.htm |date=29 September 2007 }} for a description of the test. However, the hardness of pencils is not standardised. For this reason, the standard specifies various brands of pencils that are to be used in this test.}}<ref>
{{Cite journal
 |first=Mac|last=Simmons
 |title       = The Pencil Hardness Test
 |journal     = Woodwork
 |date        = April 2000
 |page        = 76
 |url         = http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/simmons.htm
 |access-date  = 13 September 2007
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042339/http://www.pencilpages.com/articles/simmons.htm
 |archive-date = 28 September 2007
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref> For standardized measurements, there are [[Mohs hardness]] testing pencils on the market. <!-- Sorry, no ref. A Google search shows many brands, such as http://mahavirgems.in/Gem-Hardness-Pencils-1-to-10-on-Moh's-Scale, but I couldn't find an overarching discussion. -->

{{Clear}}

==External colour and shape==
<!-- removed as this section is about the color of pencils and not colouring pencils [[File:Colouring pencils.jpg|right|thumb|Coloring pencils.]]-->
[[File:Number-2-pencil.jpg|thumb|left|A typical yellow no. 2 pencil]]

The majority of pencils made in the US are painted yellow.{{efn|75% of the 2.8&nbsp;billion pencils made in the US are painted yellow (Steve Ritter "Pencils & Pencil Lead", ''Chemical & Engineering News'', Volume 79, Number 42 page 35, 15 October 2001). [http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7942sci4.html Pubs.acs.org]}} According to [[Henry Petroski]],<ref>[[#Petroski 1990|Petroski 1990]], pp.&nbsp;162–163</ref> this tradition began in 1890 when the L. & C. Hardtmuth Company of [[Austria-Hungary]] introduced their [[Koh-I-Noor (company)|Koh-I-Noor]] brand, named after the [[Koh-i-Noor|famous diamond]]. It was intended to be the world's best and most expensive pencil, as the end of the pencil was dipped in 14-carat gold;<ref>{{Cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBf9pXOmpFw |title=Why the pencil is perfect {{!}} Small Thing Big Idea, a TED series |date=3 November 2018 |last=Weaver |first=Caroline}}</ref> and at a time when most pencils were either painted in dark colours or not painted at all, the Koh-I-Noor was yellow.
As well as simply being distinctive, the colour may have been inspired by the [[Flags of Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian flag]]; it was also suggestive of [[the Orient]] at a time when the best-quality graphite came from [[Siberia]]. Other companies then copied the yellow colour so that their pencils would be associated with this high-quality brand, and chose brand names with explicit Oriental references, such as Mikado (renamed Mirado){{efn|Eagle Pencil Company applied for the trademark Mirado in 1947 (US Trademark 71515261). It is common belief that this was an attempt to disassociate the pencil brand from Japan, as one of the meanings of [[Emperor of Japan|Mikado]] is emperor of Japan.}}{{efn|Mikado/Mirado pencils were originally made by Eagle Pencil Company – today [[Berol]] – but can also be found today under the trademark [[Papermate]] and [[Sanford (writing products)|Sanford]] as Sanford owns Berol and the trademark Papermate [http://www.brandnamepencils.com/brands/eagle/mikado174.shtml Brandnamepencils.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929081527/http://www.brandnamepencils.com/brands/eagle/mikado174.shtml |date=29 September 2007 }} Mirado Pencil}} and Mongol.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.pencilpages.com/gallery/eberhard-faber/mongol.htm
 |title       = Eberhard Faber Pencil Gallery
 |publisher   = Pencilpages.com
 |access-date  = 23 July 2009
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090408015423/http://www.pencilpages.com/gallery/eberhard-faber/mongol.htm
 |archive-date = 8 April 2009
 |df          = dmy-all
}}</ref>{{efn|Originally made by [[Eberhard Faber]] the Mongol trademark is now owned by Sanford [http://timberlines.blogspot.com/2005/08/mongolized.html Timberlines.blogspot.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030943/http://timberlines.blogspot.com/2005/08/mongolized.html |date=4 March 2016 }} Timberlines Blog "Mongolized" 31 August 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2007.}}

Not all countries use yellow pencils. German and Brazilian pencils, for example, are often green, blue or black, based on the trademark colours of [[Faber-Castell]], a major German stationery company which has plants in those countries. In southern European countries, pencils tend to be dark red or black with yellow lines, while in Australia, they are red with black bands at one end.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-are-pencils-yellow/ |title=Why Are Pencils Yellow? |first=Lynn|last=O'Shaughnessy |publisher=CBS News MoneyWatch |date=22 July 2010 |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref> In India, the most common pencil colour scheme was dark red with black lines, and pencils with a large number of colour schemes are produced.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Khatabook |title=List Of Top Rated Pencil Brands In India |url=https://khatabook.com/blog/best-pencil-brands-in-india/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Khatabook}}</ref>

Pencils are commonly round, [[hexagonal]], or sometimes [[Reuleaux triangle|triangular]] in section. [[Carpenter pencil|Carpenters' pencils]] are typically oval or rectangular, so they cannot easily roll away during work.

==Manufacturers==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2024}}
[[File:MEK II-421.jpg|thumb|A collection of pencils (12) by Bohemia Works [[Czech Republic]] from the Ministry of Construction of the [[East Germany|GDR]] in the stock of the [[Museum Europäischer Kulturen|MEK]]]]

Prominent global manufacturers of wood-cased (including wood-free) pencils:
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! Manufacturer !! Country of origin!! Remark
|-
| [[Caran d'Ache (company)|Caran d'Ache]]||[[Switzerland]]||
|-
| China First Pencil Co. || [[China]]|| Chung Hwa and Great Wall brands
|-
| [[Cretacolor]] Bleistiftfabrik ||Austria||
|-
| [[Derwent Cumberland Pencil Company]]|| [[United Kingdom|UK]]|| Derwent brand
|-
| [[Dixon Ticonderoga]] ||[[United States|USA]]||Dixon, Oriole, Ticonderoga brands (manufactured in Mexico, China)
|-
| [[Faber-Castell]] AG||Germany|| Plants in Germany, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Malaysia
|-
| [[F.I.L.A. (company)|FILA Group]]||[[Italy]]||Temagraph, Lyra, Dixon, Ticonderoga, DOMS brands
|-
| General Pencil Co.||[[United States|USA]]|| General's, Kimberly brands
|-
| [[Hindustan Pencils]] ||India|| Apsara, Nataraj brands
|-
| [[Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth]] || [[Czech Republic]]|| Koh-i-Noor brand
|-
| Lyra Bleistift-Fabrik ||Germany || Parent: FILA Group
|-
| [[Uni-ball|Mitsubishi Pencil Company]] ||Japan|| Mitsubishi, Uni brands
|-
| [[Musgrave Pencil Company]] ||[[United States|USA]]||
|-
| [[Newell Brands]] ||[[United States|USA]]|| [[Paper Mate]] brand
|-
| Palomino ||[[United States|USA]]|| Division of California Cedar Products
|-
| [[Staedtler|Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co.]]||Germany || Staedtler brand
|-
| [[Tombow|Tombow Pencil Co.]] ||Japan ||Includes MONO brand
|-
| [[Viarco]] ||[[Portugal]]||
|}
In [[New Zealand]] [[Faber-Castell]] is pretty popular.

In [[Australia]] the most popular is either [[Faber-Castell]] or [[Staedtler]]

==See also==
* [[Blackwing 602]]
* [[IKEA pencil]]
* [[Pencil drawing]]
* [[Plumbago drawing]]
* [[Tortillon]]
* ''[[I, Pencil]]''

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book
  |last=Petroski
  |first=Henry
  |year=1990
  |title=The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance
  |location=New York
  |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf
  |isbn=0-394-57422-2
  |ref=Petroski 1990
  |url=https://archive.org/details/pencilhistoryofd00petr_0
  }}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal
  |last=Petroski |first=Henry
  |title=H. D. Thoreau, Engineer.
  |url=https://www.inventionandtech.com/content/h-d-thoreau-engineer-1
  |access-date=3 June 2023
  |journal=American Heritage of Invention and Technology
  |date=1991
  |volume=5
  |issue=2
  |pages=8–16
  |ref=Petroski, H. D. Thoreau
  |doi=10.1215/00382876-90-1-39
|s2cid=257782890
 | issn=0038-2876 }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=yes|wikt=yes|commonscat=yes}}
* [https://www.historyofpencils.com/ History of Pencils]
* {{cite news|first1=Christopher|last1=Payne|first2=Sam|last2=Anderson|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/magazine/inside-one-of-americas-last-pencil-factories.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics&module=Trending&version=Full&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article|title=Inside one of America's last pencil factories|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=12 January 2018|url-access=subscription}}
* {{YouTube|zZHp1fGdAWE|How A Pencil Is Made}}

{{Pencils}} 
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Pencils| ]]
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