For a long time, the only graphite of quality high enough to be used this way came from the Lake District of England. At first all graphite pencil leads were made from native graphite (graphite as it comes out of the ground), cut into long thin pieces. One ranged from HH (extra hard) to SS (extra soft) and a variation ran from VVVH (very very very hard) to VVVS (very very very stupid–er, soft).Īll these grading systems were made possible by the modern manufacturing process that allows reproducible variation in lead hardness. Over the years, other grading systems have also been used. (Now you know why many #2 pencils are also marked HB.) The anomalous F grade is of questionable origin and may stand for “fine,” “fine point,” or “firm,” depending on which source you believe. HB stands for “hard” and “black” because it is a good compromise between the two qualities. In the middle of the scale are the grades corresponding to the number grades for inexpensive writing pencils: B = #1, HB = #2, F = #2.5, H = #3 and 2H = #4. The black end of the scale is popular for sketching, the hard end for drafting. (One might have thought it’d be less confusing to use a pairing like hardness and softness, but we weren’t consulted.) The numbers indicate degree of hardness or blackness, so 8H is harder than 7H, for example. In this system, B stands for “black” and H for "hard," blackness and hardness representing the opposite ends of the grading scale. This latter system encompasses a much wider variety of hardnesses, from 9B (much softer and darker than #1) to 10H (much harder and lighter than #4). for high-quality drafting and drawing pencils, which are usually sold individually or in sets of assorted grades, usually without erasers attached. A different system is more popular in other parts of the world and is also used in the U.S. Even in America, it’s used mostly for inexpensive general-purpose writing pencils, which are typically sold by the dozen and have attached erasers. The #3 and #4 pencils are harder and lighter yet, and even less popular for everyday writing.īut that’s only one grading system, and it’s not very common outside the U.S. It is often recommended for taking stenographic notes because it requires less frequent sharpening. The #2.5 pencil is harder than the #2, but it’s not as popular because it leaves a lighter mark that some people find hard to read. It is sometimes recommended for writing on the backs of photographs because it leaves a readable mark without requiring as much potentially damaging pressure as harder leads. The #1 pencil has the softest and darkest lead, but most people find that it smudges too easily and needs resharpening too often to make it appropriate for everyday writing. There’s a trade-off between hardness and darkness (in pencil leads I mean), and the #2 is the best compromise for most purposes. It’s called #2 because it’s the second darkest of the four major grades of pencil marketed under this system. For as long as pencils have been available in different grades, the #2 or its equivalent has been the most popular for general use. Some people believe that the #2 pencil is so called because it used to be the second most common, but that’s not the case. What else would the mathematician use to work out his calculus problem?Īll joking aside–did you miss the joking?–there are #1 pencils, and #2.5, #3, and #4 and sometimes other intermediate grades, and you can buy them all at finer stationery stores everywhere (and now online too). Of course there’s such a thing as a #1 pencil. Price: We tested pencils across a wide range of prices, from less than 10¢ to more than $2 per pencil, and we gave preference to those available to buy in bulk.Dear Straight Dope: What exactly is a #2 pencil and why isn’t there a #1 pencil? Jason Fanguy.Pre-sharpened: We prefer this feature because some teachers ask that students arrive at school with sharpened pencils. In our experience, other common pencil woods like basswood or poplar tend to be shaggier when sharpened-and we prefer cedar’s earthy, camphoraceous fragrance. But we preferred pencils made of incense cedar, which Caroline Weaver, author of The Pencil Perfect and Pencils You Should Know, said was “the gold standard” of pencil wood. Wood quality: Most pencil brands don’t advertise the specific type of wood they’re using, especially in cheaper options.Triangular pencils offer these benefits, too, but they’re less common. Hexagonal or triangular barrel shape: Hexagonal pencils (or semi-hex, which have slightly rounded corners) are fairly ubiquitous, and they’re great for everyday use because they allow you to get a firm grip and don’t roll off an inclined desk as easily as a round pencil.
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