04/20/2026
Learn a little about graphite and pencil history ✏️
Graphite, a naturally occurring form of carbon, was discovered around 1564 in Seathwaite Valley near Keswick in England’s Lake District. Locals initially wrapped solid pieces of graphite in string or sheepskin to keep their hands clean, creating some of the earliest makeshift pencils. Because the graphite was so pure and solid, it could be cut into rods and became extremely valuable—so valuable, in fact, that its use was once controlled by the English government.
A major advancement came in 1795 when French chemist Nicolas-Jacques Conté developed a new method during the Napoleonic Wars, when high-quality English graphite was scarce. He powdered the graphite, mixed it with clay, and fired it in a kiln, allowing him to control hardness and darkness by adjusting the mixture—an approach still used in pencils today. This innovation made production far more consistent and scalable, no longer reliant on rare solid deposits.
In 1861, Eberhard Faber established the first large-scale pencil factory in the United States in New York City, helping transform pencil making into a major industry. By the late 19th century, pencils were being mass-produced worldwide with standardized grading systems and designs that remain largely familiar today.
