When the supply of natural graphite from Borrowdale ran short, the graphite was thinned down with other materials.

Ideal for school and office use, the Staedtler Noris HB Pencil includes a convenient eraser tip for any corrections.With their HB lead and eraser tip, these 3 graphite pencils are perfect for everyday use, in the office, at home or at school. Our range of pencils also includes the Mars Lumograph aquarell high-quality watercolour artists pencils.

Using this scale, the hardness of the core is often marked on the pencil — look for a number (such as “2” “2-1/2” or “3”). A mixture of about 2 parts of graphite and 1 part of clay gives the usual HB or 2 1/2 degrees of hardness. According to Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, the clay content varies from 15 % in the softest lead to ca. Finding what works best for your own artistic and writing needs is generally a matter of personal preference and experimentation with different brands of pencils. With our Noris eco, made from innovative WOPEX material, we have revolutionised the pencil and its manufacturing process.

Like all BIC Evolution pencils, their ultra-strong lead is impact-resistant, easily sharpened and erasable. As the pencil core becomes softer (through the use of lower proportions of clay) it leaves a darker mark as it deposits more graphite material on the paper.

Thanks to their super-bonded lead, our pencils guarantee high break-resistance and are therefore ideal for use at school and in the office. It goes without saying that we not only guarantee improved handling with our Noris eco pencils, but also the same level of quality you can expect from all of our other products. There is nothing wrong with the pencil itself of course but I think that the photo should make it clear that it’s only one pencil.

Our pencils in ergonomic triangular shape are ideal for all learners and those who spend a lot of time writing. AlliwaswonderingiswhetherIwouldget0forthosespecificmarksbctheymightnotrealisethatIhadansweredthequestion. They're perfect for pencil drawings as artists can take advantage of the brush-like expressions, especially in the higher B grades.

The same scale of hardness is used in ISO standards (for example for the determination of film hardness of paints by pencil test; in this test method, calibrated pencils of known hardness are pushed over the film). Well, it all has to do with the HB graphite grading scale used to classify the pencil’s graphite core. In Japan, consumers tend to prefer softer darker leads; so an HB lead produced in Japan is generally softer and darker than an HB from European producers. Most pencil manufacturers set their own internal standards for graphite hardness grades and overall quality of the core, some differences are regional. The special lead formulation of our artists pencils provides results with a metallic lustre in a wide variety of grey tones for expressive sketches and drawings.Its high quality graphite, HB2 hardness, is trapped in cedar wood with a matte black finish that gives it an elegant touch.