History of Pencils Timeline

(1564–Present)

The history of pencils traces the development of graphite writing tools from early discoveries in England to the refined wooden and mechanical pencils used today. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Origins and materials

Silverpoint precedes the pencil

1500 - 1565

Silverpoint and leadpoint were the closest predecessors to the pencil as drawing techniques before graphite became widely available.

Bernacottis develop a wood-encased pencil

1560

Around 1560, Italian couple Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti made what are likely the first blueprints for the modern wood-encased carpentry pencil.

Image source: Pencil

Graphite is discovered in Borrowdale

1565

A large deposit of graphite was discovered near Grey Knotts, approaching the hamlet of Seathwaite in Borrowdale parish, Cumbria, England. Some sources place the discovery as early as 1500.

Image source: Graphite

The graphite writing implement emerges

1575

The meaning of the term “graphite writing implement” apparently evolved during the late sixteenth century as graphite tools became established.

The oldest surviving pencil is made

1600 - 1699

A German carpenter’s pencil dating from the seventeenth century is the oldest surviving pencil and is held in the Faber-Castell collection.

Graphite is found in New Hampshire

1821

Charles Dunbar found graphite in New Hampshire in 1821. The material later supported the pencil factory of Henry David Thoreau’s father in Concord.

Manufacturing and industry

England gains a graphite monopoly

1565 - 1662

England enjoyed a monopoly on pencil production after the Borrowdale graphite discovery, until Germany developed a method for reconstituting powdered graphite.

Germany attempts powdered graphite sticks

1662

The first attempt to manufacture graphite sticks from powdered graphite took place in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1662.

Germany ends England’s graphite monopoly

1662

A German method for reconstituting graphite powder was discovered in 1662, ending England’s monopoly on pencil production.

Hardtmuth develops the graphite-and-clay method

1790

A method of mixing powdered graphite with clay and forming the mixture into rods was discovered by Austrian Joseph Hardtmuth, founder of Vienna’s Koh-I-Noor company, in 1790.

Conté develops fired graphite-and-clay leads

1795

In 1795, Nicolas-Jacques Conté discovered a method of mixing powdered graphite with clay, forming rods, and firing them in a kiln. The method remains in use.

Image source: Nicolas-Jacques Conté

Koh-i-Noor patents graphite leads

1802

Koh-i-Noor patented the production of graphite leads made from graphite and clay in 1802.

William Munroe makes American wood pencils

1812

William Munroe, a cabinetmaker in Concord, Massachusetts, made the first American wood pencils in 1812.

Thoreau improves inferior graphite pencils

1821

According to Henry Petroski, Henry David Thoreau discovered how to make a good pencil from inferior graphite by using clay as a binder, prompted by his father’s pencil factory.

Image source: Henry David Thoreau

Bessemer enables graphite-waste reuse

1838

Henry Bessemer’s first successful invention, in 1838, was a method of compressing graphite powder into solid graphite, allowing waste from sawing to be reused.

Image source: Henry Bessemer

Dixon becomes a leading graphite dealer

1870

By 1870, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was the world’s largest dealer and consumer of graphite. It later became the contemporary Dixon Ticonderoga pencil and art-supplies company.

Cedar supplies begin to dwindle

1901 - 1950

In the early twentieth century, supplies of red cedar dwindled, forcing manufacturers to recycle wood from cedar fences and barns to maintain pencil production.

Uses and cultural impact

Benjamin Franklin advertises pencils

1729

Benjamin Franklin advertised pencils for sale in The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, providing an early American record of their commercial availability.

Image source: Benjamin Franklin

George Washington uses a surveying pencil

1762

George Washington used a three-inch, or 7.5-centimetre, pencil while surveying the Ohio Country in 1762.

Image source: George Washington

Pencils gain press-copying and fountain-pen uses

1875 - 1899

Copying pencils were invented in the late nineteenth century for press copying and as a practical substitute for fountain pens.

Pencil use expands in the United States

1899

By the end of the nineteenth century, more than 240,000 pencils were used each day in the United States.

Copying pencils remain widely used

1900 - 1950

Copying pencils were widely used until the middle of the twentieth century, when ballpoint pens slowly replaced them.

Ashrita Furman unveils a giant pencil

Sep 3, 2007

On 3 September 2007, Ashrita Furman unveiled a giant US$20,000 pencil measuring 23 metres long and weighing 8,200 kilograms, including more than 2,000 kilograms of graphite. It took three weeks to create in August 2007 as a birthday gift for teacher Sri Chinmoy.

Image source: Ashrita Furman

Pencil design and technology

Numbers become pencil-grade designations

1800 - 1899

Numbers were first used as pencil-grade designations by Conté and later by John Thoreau during the nineteenth century.

The HB designation comes into use

1814

The graphite-grade designation “H. B.” was in use at least as early as 1814.

The pencil eraser attachment is patented

Mar 30, 1858

Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on 30 March 1858.

Reckendorfer sues Faber-Castell

1862 - 1875

After purchasing Lipman’s patent, Joseph Reckendorfer sued pencil manufacturer Faber-Castell for infringement.

Lipman sells the eraser patent

1862

In 1862, Hymen Lipman sold his pencil-eraser patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000.

The Supreme Court invalidates the eraser patent

1875

In Faber, decided in 1875, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Reckendorfer and declared the pencil-eraser patent invalid.

Koh-I-Noor popularizes yellow pencils

1890

According to Henry Petroski, the tradition of yellow pencil exteriors began in 1890 when the L. & C. Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced its Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond.

Koh-i-Noor expands its grade range

1900 - 2026

Koh-i-Noor offers twenty grades, ranging from 10H to 8B, for its 1500 series pencils.

Pencil paint raises lead concerns

1900 - 1950

Until the middle of the twentieth century, paint used on pencil exteriors could contain high concentrations of lead, which could be ingested when pencils were sucked or chewed.

Synthetic resin graphite leads debut

1955

The technology for synthetic resin-bonded graphite was first invented in 1955 by Scripto and Parker Pens.

Pentel introduces Hi-Polymer lead

1960

Pentel has marketed synthetic resin-bonded graphite for mechanical pencils since introducing its Hi-Polymer lead in 1960.

Plastic pencils are invented

1967

Harold Grossman invented plastic pencils for the Empire Pencil Company in 1967.

The EPCON plastic pencil is commercialized

1969 - 1972

Arthur D. Little improved Empire’s plastic-pencil technology from 1969 through the early 1970s, after which Empire commercialized the product as the EPCON Pencil.

Standard mechanical-pencil lead sizes are defined

2000 - 2026

Standard lead sizes include 2.00, 1.40, 1.00, 0.70, 0.50, 0.35, 0.25, 0.18, and 0.13 millimetres under ISO 9175-1. The 0.90-millimetre size is available but is not an ISO standard size.

Key Facts

A large deposit of graphite was discovered near Borrowdale, England, around 1564, enabling people to mark surfaces more easily.
Early graphite sticks were wrapped in string or sheepskin because graphite was initially mistaken for lead, creating the enduring term "pencil lead."
In the late 18th century, Nicolas-Jacques Conté developed a method of mixing powdered graphite with clay and firing it, allowing pencil hardness to be controlled.
The familiar wooden pencil became widely available during the 19th century as manufacturers improved wood casings and mass-production techniques.
Mechanical pencils, colored pencils, and specialized drawing pencils expanded the pencil's uses in education, art, engineering, and everyday writing.

Source

This History of Pencils timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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