Pencil

Pencils are writing implements generally made of wood or plastic with a graphite center used to make marks on a surface. The graphite core of a pencil is commonly known as the lead, because early pencils used lead rather than graphite. Pencil grades vary from soft (B) to hard (H), the standard grade being HB. A typical pencil can write 45,000 words or draw a line 35 miles long.

There is a pencil museum in Kendal, Cumbria, England, which provides a history of pencils and pencil making information.