A black pencil usually means a graphite pencil with a black barrel. It comes either in wood-cased HB or 2B packs or as a refillable mechanical pencil.
Lead grade: HB (No. 2) for tests and everyday notes, 2B for darker, softer sketch lines.
Format: wood-cased packs, pre-sharpened school sets with erasers, flat carpenter pencils or inkless forever pencils.
Mechanical sizes: 0.3 and 0.5 mm for fine writing, 0.7 and 0.9 mm for sturdier strokes, and 2 mm holders for drafting.
Choose by how dark you want the line, how often you are willing to sharpen, and how many pencils a classroom or desk uses up. If you meant black eyeliner or brow pencils, those are makeup rather than stationery.
FAQs
Most scanned answer sheets ask for a No. 2 pencil, which is the same grade as HB. It leaves a mark dark enough for the scanner and smears less than softer B grades. A 2B also scans well, but it can smudge when your hand drags across the sheet.
A mechanical pencil keeps a steady point with a click and never needs a sharpener, so it suits long note-taking sessions. Wood-cased pencils cost less in bulk and feel lighter in the hand. You can also sharpen them to a broad point for shading or a fine one for writing.
Sizes 0.3 and 0.5 give crisp lines for small handwriting and technical notes, but they snap under heavy pressure. A 0.7 suits most students, and 0.9 holds up well for kids and heavy-handed writers. Refills have to match the pencil, so check the size marked on the clip or barrel.
Harder grades such as H and HB smear less than soft B leads. Rest a scrap sheet under your drawing hand, and if you are right-handed, work from left to right. When a sketch is finished, a light coat of fixative spray locks the graphite in place.
It has a metal alloy tip that leaves a light gray line on paper and never needs sharpening. The tip lasts far longer than graphite, which makes it handy for doodling and quick lists. The line is fainter than graphite, though, so it is not a good choice for scanned tests.
