Pencils are an amazing tool that is used for drawing and drawing work. In order for the work to be successful, it is important to know everything about the characteristics of this tool. It is necessary to figure out what they are, what is the decoding of the hardness of the pencil lead and what effects can be obtained when using tools with different characteristics.

Varieties of pencils

Pencils are divided into two large groups: colored and graphite (simple). They, in turn, are divided into varieties. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Classification of colored instruments:

• Colored. These are the most common tools that everyone used to draw at school. There are hard, soft, soft-hard.
• Watercolor. After painting, they are blurred with water to obtain a watercolor effect.
• Pastel. These are pastel crayons in a wooden frame. They are very soft. They are convenient because they do not get your hands dirty, they are protected from frequent breaking of crayons, and they also have a standard size.

Classification of tools with graphite rod:

• Simple. Just they are most often used in graphics (drawing with pencils). They have many different markings, we'll talk more about them later.
• Coal. They are pressed charcoal for drawing in a wooden frame. The benefits are the same as for pastels.
• Conte. They are almost the same as pastel, but have a different color palette: they come in black, gray, brown and other shades. There is also white in the range of colors.

How to determine the hardness of pencils

Now let's take a closer look at the graphite type. They can depict anything, and very realistically. The works are “alive” thanks to shading, the correct overlay of tone, the right pressure on the tool. Therefore, the whole drawing or drawing as a whole depends on its quality and number.

The scheme is great for determining the hardness of pencils. A table would also work. To visualize and determine the density, you can use the pencil softness table, as well as determine the hardness on a special scale. By the way, you can draw such a scale yourself. To do this, you need to take all the tools that you have and alternately shade small sections of paper with them: from the darkest to the lightest, or vice versa, there will be an H. B marking in the middle. Thanks to this scheme, it will be easy to navigate and remember the type of instrument.

Markings and their meaning

First of all, you can see both English and Russian designations for the hardness of pencils. Let's take a look at both types:

Often, in addition to letters, markings contain numbers that show the strength of hardness or softness and tone. For example, there are 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 8B pencils. 2B is the lightest, 8B is the darkest and softest. The digital marking of hard pencils looks similar.

Applying tone to a drawing

Tone mapping rules are very important when drawing. This is especially true for graphics, because in it the work is created exclusively in one scale: black or gray in combination with white additions.

Pencil is a very simple drawing material with which artists begin their creative way. Even any kid makes his first lines with a pencil before moving on to more complex material. But not such a pencil and primitive, if you study in more detail. He is able to help the artist create sketches, various illustrations, drawings and paintings. Pencils have their own types and it is important for any artist to be able to choose the right material for their work so that the illustration has a presentable appearance. So let's figure it out how to choose a pencil for drawing?

The principle of the pencil

When a person presses on a pencil, the rod slides over the paper, and the graphite particles are split into small particles and retained in the paper fiber. Thus, a line is obtained. In the process of drawing, the graphite rod is erased, so it is sharpened. The most familiar way is a special sharpener, you can also use a regular blade. It is important to understand that this method requires special care and preparation, in order to avoid cuts. But thanks to the blade, you can make the desired thickness and shape of graphite.

Types of a simple pencil

The basic definition of a pencil is a graphite rod framed in a wood or plastic frame. Simple graphite pencil happens various types. They differ in their degree of hardness.
Human eyes can see a large number of shades gray color, and to be precise -150 tones. Despite this, the artist must have at least three types of simple pencil in his arsenal - hard, medium soft and soft. With their help, you can create three-dimensional drawing. different degrees rigidity can convey contrast, you just need to skillfully handle them.
You can determine the degree of softness of graphite using the symbols (letters and numbers) that are printed on the frame of the pencil. The scale of hardness and softness have differences. We will consider three types of notation:

Russia

1. T- solid.
2. M- soft.
3. TM- medium softness.

Europe

1. H- solid.
2. B- soft.
3. HB- medium softness.
4. F- middle tone, which is determined between H and HB.

1. #1 (B)- soft.
2. #2 (HB)- medium softness.
3. #2½ (F) Medium between hard and medium soft.
4. #3 (H)- solid.
5. #4 (2H)- very hard.

It is impossible not to take into account such a moment as the manufacturer. Sometimes, even the same softness of pencils from different manufacturers will differ significantly from each other due to their quality.

A palette of shades of a simple pencil

It is worth noting that the softness of pencils can vary significantly. In other words, softness and hardness are further divided into tonality. The H designation is considered the hardest, while B is the softest. It's not surprising if there are whole sets in the store from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest).
The most common and popular is the HB pencil. It has moderate softness and hardness, making it easy to sketch. With it, you can enhance dark places, thanks to its light softness.
To enhance the contrast of the picture, it is worth purchasing 2B. Artists rarely use very hard pencils, but this is a matter of taste. This type of pencil is more suitable for drawing schemes or building perspectives for landscapes, because it is almost invisible in the image. It is impossible not to take into account that the high hardness of the pencil allows you to make a smooth transition on the hair or add a barely noticeable tone without fear of darkening.

At the beginning of work, it is worth using a hard pencil, especially if you are not sure about the result of the illustration. A soft pencil is designed to work out the shadows and highlight the desired lines.

Hatching and shading

Regardless of the softness, one must always remember that the pencil must be sharpened sharply. Strokes and lines are best obtained with a hard pencil due to the fact that the lead does not dull quickly, but remains in its pointed shape for a long time. Shading is preferred for a soft pencil, but it is better to draw with the side of the stylus so that the material is applied evenly.

Features of working with a pencil

Do not forget that the pencil lead is quite fragile thing. Every time a pencil falls to the floor or is hit, its core is damaged or even broken. As a result, it will be inconvenient to draw, because the stylus will crumble or fall out of its wooden frame.

Outcome. The information worth knowing is quite voluminous for a novice artist. But it is very useful, because it will help in creating future masterpieces. Over time, knowledge will automatically suggest which simple pencil is needed in a given situation. Most importantly, don't be afraid to experiment.

Pencils They differ mainly in the type and nature of the writing rod (which determine the writing properties of the pencil and its purpose), as well as in size, cross-sectional shape, color and type of wooden shell coating.

Since the 1950s, pencils have been produced in the USSR in accordance with GOST 6602-51. The quality was good. The current situation is rather sad. Let's talk about what happened before.

Pencils

Depending on the writing rod and its properties, the following main groups of pencils are distinguished: a) graphite - the writing rod is made of graphite and clay and impregnated with fats and waxes; when writing, they leave a line of gray-black color of varying intensity, depending mainly on the degree of hardness of the rod; b) colored - the writing rod is made of pigments and dyes, fillers, binders and sometimes fats; c) copiers - the writing rod is made from a mixture of water-soluble dyes and a binder with graphite or mineral fillers; when writing, they leave a gray or colored line, difficult to cut with an elastic band.

Stages of production of pencils from glued boards

Production of pencils consists of the following main processes: a) the manufacture of the writing core, b) the manufacture of the wood shell and c) the finishing of the finished pencil (coloring, marking, sorting and packaging). The composition of graphite rods includes: graphite, clay and adhesives. Graphite is very graded and leaves a gray or grey-black streak on paper. Clay is mixed into graphite to bond its particles, and adhesives are added to the graphite-clay mixture to impart plasticity. Screened graphite in vibratory mills is crushed to smallest particles. Clay is soaked in water. Then these components are thoroughly mixed in special mixers, pressed and dried. The dried mass is mixed with adhesives, repeatedly pressed, turning into a homogeneous plastic mass suitable for molding writing rods. This mass is placed in a powerful press, which squeezes out thin elastic threads from the round holes of the matrix. Upon exiting the matrix, the threads are automatically cut into segments of the required length, which are the writing rods. The segments are then placed in rotating drums, where they are rolled out, straightened and dried. After drying, they are loaded into crucibles and fired in electric furnaces. As a result of drying and firing, the rods acquire hardness and strength. The cooled rods are sorted by straightness and sent for impregnation. This operation aims to give the rods, which after firing increased rigidity, softness and elasticity, i.e., the properties necessary for writing. For the impregnation of graphite rods, tallow, stearin, paraffin and different types wax. For the manufacture of color and copy rods, other types of raw materials are used, technological process partially changed.

For colored rods, water-insoluble dyes and pigments are used as colorants, talc is used as fillers, and pectin glue and starch are used as binders. The mass, consisting of dyes, fillers and binders, is mixed in mixers, the firing operation falls out. The strength of the colored rod is given by the mode of pressing and the regulation of the amount of binders introduced into the mass, and this, in turn, depends on the nature and amount of pigments and dyes. For copy rods, water-soluble aniline dyes are used as dyes, mainly methyl violet, which gives a trait when moistened. purple, methylene blue, giving a line of greenish-blue color, brilliant green - bright green, etc.

The strength of the copy rods is regulated by the recipe, the amount of binder and the pressing mode. Finished rods are placed in a wood shell; wood should be soft, have low cutting resistance along and across the grain, have a smooth, shiny cut surface and even tone and color. best material for the shell is the wood of the Siberian cedar and linden. Wooden boards are treated with ammonia vapor (to remove resinous substances), soaked in paraffin and stained. Then, on a special machine, “paths” are made on the boards, into which the rods are placed, the boards are glued and divided into individual pencils, while giving them a hexagonal or round shape. After that, the pencils are ground, primed and painted. Coloring is carried out with fast-drying nitrocellulose paints and varnishes, which have a clean tone and bright color. After repeated coating of the shell with these lacquers, a strong lacquer film is formed on it, giving finished pencil Glossy, shiny surface and beautiful appearance.

Classification of pencils

Depending on the source materials of the writing rod and the purpose, the following groups and types of pencils are distinguished.

1. Graphite: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

2. Color: School, Stationery, Drawing, Drawing;

3. Photocopiers: stationery

In addition, pencils differ in overall dimensions, in the hardness of the core, and in the finish of the shell. Dimensional indicators include: cross-sectional shape, length and thickness of the pencil. According to the shape of the cross section, pencils are round, faceted and oval. Some groups or types of pencils are assigned only one cross-sectional shape; for others, different ones are allowed. So, drawing pencils are produced only faceted - hexagonal, copying pencils - only round; stationery can have any of the indicated shapes, as well as a three-, four-, octahedral or oval cross-sectional shape. The pencils are 178, 160, 140 and 113 mm long (with a tolerance of ±2 mm for these dimensions). The main and most commonly used of these sizes is 178 mm, it is mandatory for graphite pencils - school, drawing and drawing; for color - drawing and drawing; for stationery colored pencils, a length of 220 mm is also allowed. The thickness of a pencil is determined by its diameter, and for faceted pencils, the diameter is measured along the inscribed circle; it ranges from 4.1 to 11 mm, the most common thickness is 7.9 and 7.1 mm.

According to the degree of hardness writing rod pencils are divided into 15 groups, designated by letters and numerical indices in sequential order: 6M, 5M, 4M, 3M, 2M, M, TM, ST, T, 2T, ZT, 4T, 5T, 6T, 7T. The letter "M" denotes the softness of the writing rod, the letter "T" - its hardness; the larger the digital index, the stronger this property is for a given writing rod. On school graphite pencils, the degree of hardness is indicated by the numbers No. 1 (soft), No. 2 (medium) and No. 3 (hard). On the copy pencils- in words: soft, medium hard, hard.

Abroad, the degree of hardness is indicated with Latin letters"B" (soft) and "H" (hard).

School graphite pencils were produced in medium degrees of hardness, drawing pencils - of all existing degrees of hardness, colored pencils of all types - usually soft.

Graphite drawing pencils "Designer"

The wood shell coating color is also different for different pencils; the shell of colored pencils, as a rule, was painted according to the color of the writing rod; for the shell of other pencils, each title was usually assigned one or more permanent colorings. The color of the shell was of several types: one-color or marbled, decorative, with ribs or edges painted in contrasting colors or covered with metal foil, etc. Some types of pencils were produced with a decorative head, which was painted in colors different from the color of the shell , with a plastic or metal head, etc. Pencils with plastic or metal tips, with an elastic band (only graphite), with a sharpening of the rod, etc. were also produced.

Depending on these indicators (properties of the writing rod, cross-sectional shape, overall dimensions, type of finish and design), different names were assigned to each type of pencils and sets.

Graphite drawing pencils "Polytechnic"

Assortment of pencils

Pencils are divided into three main groups: graphite, color, copy; in addition, there is special group special pencils.

Graphite pencils by purpose are divided into school, stationery, drawing and drawing.

School pencils - for schoolwork in writing and drawing; three degrees of hardness were produced - soft, medium and hard - designated respectively by numbers: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3.

Pencil No. 1 - soft - gave a line of thick black and was used for school drawing.

Pencil No. 2 - medium hardness - gave a clear black line; used for writing and drawing.

Pencil No. 3 - hard - gave a pale line of grayish-black color: it was intended for drawing and initial work on drawing at school.

School pencils included pencils that had a metal nipple in which a rubber band was fixed to erase notes made with a pencil.

Stationery pencils - for writing; produced mainly soft and medium hardness.

Drawing pencils - for graphic works ; produced according to the degree of hardness of the writing rod from 6M to 7T. Hardness determined the purpose of the pencils. So, 6M, 5M and 4M are very soft; ZM and 2M - soft; M, TM, ST, T - medium hardness; ST and 4T - very hard; 5T, 6T and 7T - very hard, for special graphic works.

Drawing pencils - for drawing, shading sketches and other graphic works: available only soft, different degrees of hardness.

Assortment of graphite pencils

colored pencils according to purpose are divided into school, stationery, drawing, drawing.

School pencils - for elementary child drawing and drawing works of schoolchildren lower grades ; were produced in round shape, in sets of 6-12 colors.

Stationery pencils - for signature, proofreading, etc., 5 colors were produced, sometimes two-color - for example, red-blue, mainly hexagonal, except for Svetlana pencils, which had a round shape.

Drawing pencils - for drawing and topographic work; produced mainly in sets of 6 or 10 colors; hexagon shape; coating color - according to the color of the rod.

Drawing pencils - for graphic works; several types were produced, differing from school ones in length and in the number of flowers in sets, from 12 to 48, mostly round, except for drawing No. 1 and No. 2, which had a hexagonal shape. All sets had 6 primary colors, additional shades of these colors and usually pencils white color.

All pencils produced in sets were packaged in artistically designed cardboard boxes with multi-colored labels.

Assortment of colored pencils

Copying pencils two types were produced: graphite, that is, containing graphite as a filler, and colored, the writing rod of which contained talc instead of graphite. Copying pencils were produced in three degrees of hardness: soft, medium hard and hard. Copying pencils were produced, as a rule, in a round shape.

Assortment of copying pencils

Special pencils - pencils with special properties of the writing rod or special purpose ; produced graphite and non-ferrous. The group of special graphite pencils included "Carpenter", "Retouch" and briefcase pencils (for notebooks).

Carpenter's pencil was intended for marks on a tree when performing carpentry and joinery work. It had an oval-shaped shell and sometimes a rectangular section of the writing rod.

Pencil "Retouch"- for retouching photos, shading, applying shadows. The writing rod contained finely ground birch charcoal, as a result of which it gave a thick line of thick black color.

Four numbers were produced, differing in hardness: No. 1 - very soft, No. 2 - soft, No. 3 - medium hardness, No. 4 - hard.

Special colored pencils included "Glassographer" and "Traffic light".

Pencil "Glassographer" had a soft core, giving a fat and thick line; used for marks on glass, metal, porcelain, celluloid, for laboratory classes etc. Produced in 6 colors: red, blue, green, yellow, brown and black.

Pencil "Traffic light" was a type of colored pencils, had a longitudinally composite rod, consisting of two or three colors, which made it possible, when writing with one pencil, to receive a line of several colors. Pencils were designated by numbers corresponding to the number of colors that the rod wrote with.

Names and main indicators of special pencils

Pencil quality

The quality of the pencils was determined by the conformity of the core, shell, finish and packaging to the requirements set by the standard. The most important indicator of the quality of pencils were: for graphite - fracture strength, hardness, intensity of the line and slip; for color - the same indicators and (color compliance with approved standards; for copiers - the same is the copying ability of the rod. All these indicators were checked with special instruments and in laboratory conditions. In practice, to determine the quality of pencils, the following requirements should be followed. The writing rod should have be glued into a wooden shell firmly and as accurately as possible in its center; the non-centricity of the rod was determined by the smallest, i.e., the thinnest part of the shell, the dimensions of which were established by the standard for pencils of the 1st and 2nd grades; the writing rod should not come out freely from the shell when sharpening a pencil or when pressing on it from the end; should be whole and uniform along its entire length, should not contain foreign impurities and inclusions that scratch the paper when writing, should not have any obvious or hidden cracks, should not was supposed to crumble when sharpening and writing.When sharpening a pencil, with a vertical pressing on the sharpened tip of the rod, the latter should not give chips, i.e., arbitrary breaking off or chipping of the rod particles. The cross-sectional area of ​​the rod at the ends of the pencil had to be even, smooth, without damage and chips. For colored rods, a line of the same color and intensity was required when writing along the entire length of the rod.

The shell of the pencils was made of good quality wood, without knots, cracks and other defects; should have low cutting resistance, i.e., it should be easily and softly repaired with a sharply sharpened knife, not break during sharpening and have a smooth cut surface. The ends of the pencils had to be cut evenly, smoothly and strictly perpendicular to the axis of the pencil. The pencil should be straight and even along its entire length, without deformation. The surface had to be smooth, shiny, without scratches, dents, cracks and varnish runs. The varnish coating should not crack, crumble and stick when wet.

By defects appearance pencils were divided into two grades: 1st and 2nd; moreover, the writing properties for pencils of both varieties should have been the same. The 2nd grade included pencils in which the deflection along the length was not more than 0.8 mm, the chipping of wood or varnish film from the end of the pencil was not more than 1.5 mm, the chipping of the rod at the ends was not more than half the cross-sectional area of ​​the rod - to a depth not more than 1.0 mm, the non-centricity of the rod is not more than 0.33 D—d (D is the diameter of the pencil shell along the inscribed circle, d is the diameter of the rod in mm), as well as scratches, dents, roughness and sags (width and depth not more than 0.4 mm) no more than 3 over the entire surface of the pencil, with a total length of up to 6 mm and a width of up to 2 mm.

Pencils were marked bronze or aluminum foil on one or more edges. The marking had to contain the name of the manufacturer, the name of the pencils, the degree of hardness (usually letters) and the year of issue (usually the last two digits of the corresponding year (for example, “55” means the release of 1955). On copy pencils, the marking contained the abbreviated word “Copy”. On pencils of the 2nd grade, in addition, there should have been the designation “2 with ". The marking had to stick firmly to the surface of the pencil, be clear, clear, freely readable, all lines and signs should be solid and not merge.

Pencils: Ruslan, Rogdai, Ratmir (factory named after Krasin)

Pencils are packaged in carton boxes mainly 50 and 100 pieces of the same name and variety. Colored pencils for school and drawing were packed in sets different colors 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 colors in one set. Graphite drawing pencils, colored drawing pencils and some other types of pencils were also produced in sets of different contents. Boxes with pencils of 50 and 100 pieces and sets of all kinds were issued with a multi-color art label sticker. Boxes with sets and pencils of 10 and 25 pieces were placed in cardboard cases or packed in packs of thick wrapping paper and tied with twine or braid. Boxes with pencils of 50 and 100 pieces were tied with twine or braid or pasted over with a paper parcel. Boxes with sets of colored pencils were pasted over with multi-color labels, usually with art reproductions.

Pencils "Cosmetics" (Slavic State Pencil Factory MMP Ukrainian SSR)

Graphite pencils "Painting", "Youth", "Colored"

Set of colored pencils "Youth" - art. 139 out of 6 pencils. The price is 77 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Color" - art. 127 and 128 from 6 and 12 pencils. The price of one pencil is 8 kopecks and 17 kopecks, respectively.

Set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 135 out of 18 pencils. The price is 80 kopecks.

Colored graphite pencils "Painting", "Art"

Set of colored pencils "Painting" - art. 133 out of 6 pencils. The price is 23 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 113 out of 18 pencils. The price is 69 kopecks.

Set of colored pencils "Art" - art. 116 out of 24 pencils. The price is 1 ruble 20 kopecks.

Choosing the best colored pencils depends on the age and skills of the artist. many children early age they prefer felt-tip pens or paints to pencils because they give a richer color and do not need to be sharpened. Drawing with pencils is more difficult, but the skills to work with them will come in handy in the future. Therefore, it is important to choose pencils with which it will be convenient and pleasant to draw, they must have the following properties:

• safety;
• ease of use (to lie well in the hand);
• brightness;
• strength;
• availability.

The money spent on buying cheap pencils often turns out to be thrown to the wind: they are not so pleasant to draw with, the stylus can be brittle and break immediately upon sharpening. These pencils are left on paper pale color, it takes effort to draw clear lines, which are then easily erased, and the palette leaves much to be desired. A quality product will be easy to sharpen without breaking, economically spent and give bright, saturated colors, finished works will not be erased from paper and fade over time, pleasing to the eye for a long time.

Pencils can be used for drawing from the age of one. For this purpose, Crayola "Mini Kids" is best suited. From the age of three, you can start using Stabilo Trio and Kores "Kolores" children's pencils. school age and amateur adults will be interested in Faber-Castell and Koh-I-Noor pencils. Professionals have higher requirements for quality, and their choice may already be expensive famous brands such as Derwent or LYRA.

AT Everyday life and work, each of us, to one degree or another, needs pencils. For people of such professions as an artist, designer and draftsman, such a value as the hardness of a pencil is important.

History of pencils

In the 13th century, the first prototypes of pencils appeared, made of silver or lead. It was impossible to erase what was written or drawn by them. In the 14th century, they began to use a rod made of clay black slate, which was called the "Italian pencil".

In the 16th century, in the English town of Cumberland, shepherds accidentally stumbled upon a deposit of a material that looks very similar to lead. It was not possible to get bullets and shells from it, but they were excellent at drawing and marking sheep. Made from graphite thin rods, sharpened at the end, which were not suitable for writing and were very dirty.

Somewhat later, one of the artists noticed that it was much more convenient to draw with graphite sticks fixed in a tree. This is how simple slate pencils got a body. Of course, at that time no one thought about the hardness of a pencil.

Modern pencils

The form in which pencils are known to us today was invented in late XVIII century French scientist Nicolas Jacques Conte. AT late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century. Several important changes were made to the design of the pencils.

So, Count Lothar von Fabercastle changed the shape of the pencil body from round to hexagonal. This made it possible to reduce the rolling of pencils from various inclined surfaces used for writing.

And the American inventor Alonso Townsend Cross, thinking about reducing the amount of consumable material, made a pencil with a metal body and a graphite rod extended to the desired length.

Why is hardness so important?

Any person who has drawn or drawn something at least a couple of times will say that pencils can leave strokes and lines that differ in color saturation and thickness. These features are important for engineering specialties, because at first any drawing is performed hard pencils, for example T2, and on final stage- softer, marked M-2M to increase the clarity of the lines.

No less important is the hardness of the pencil for artists, both professionals and amateurs. Pencils with soft leads are used to create sketches and sketches, and harder ones are used to finalize the work.

What are pencils?

All pencils can be divided into two large groups: plain and colored.

A simple pencil has such a name because it is structurally very simple, and it writes with the most ordinary graphite lead, without any additives. All other types of pencils have a more complex structure and the mandatory introduction of various dyes into the composition.

There are quite a few types, the most common are:

• ordinary color, which can be either one-sided or two-sided;
• wax;
• coal;
• watercolor;
• pastel.

Classification of simple graphite pencils

As already mentioned, graphite leads are installed in ordinary pencils. An indicator such as the hardness of a pencil lead is the basis for their classification.

AT different countries various markings have been adopted to indicate the hardness of pencils, of which the most common are European, Russian and American.

Russian and European black graphite markings, as they are also called simple pencils, differs from the American one by the presence of both an alphabetic and a numeric designation.

To indicate the hardness of a pencil in Russian system marking is accepted that: T - hard, M - soft, TM - medium. To clarify the degree of softness or hardness, numerical values ​​​​are entered, next to the alphabetic ones.

AT European countries the hardness of ordinary pencils is also indicated by letters taken from the words characterizing the hardness. Yes, for soft pencils the letter "B" is used from the word blackness (blackness), and for hard - the letter "H" from the English hardness (hardness). In addition, there is also an F marking, coming from the English fine point (thinness) and showing the average type of pencil. It is the European system of marking hardness with letters that is considered the world standard and is the most common.

And in the American system, which determines the hardness of pencils, the designation is carried out only in numbers. Where 1 is soft, 2 is medium and 3 is hard.
In the event that no marking is indicated on the pencil, then by default it belongs to the hard-soft (TM, HB) type.

What does hardness depend on?

Today, graphite is also used to make the lead of a graphite pencil. From the proportions of these substances mixed on early stages production, depends on the hardness of the pencil. The more white kaolin clay is laid, the harder the pencil is. If the amount of graphite is increased, then the lead will be softer.
After mixing all the necessary components, the resulting mixture is fed into the extruder. It is in it that rods of a given size are formed. Then the graphite rods are fired in a special furnace, the temperature of which reaches 10,000 0 C. After firing, the rods are immersed in a special oil solution that creates a surface protective film.