H will indicate how hard the lead of a pencil is. To make this clear, look at the range mentioned above. Travelling upwards from H to 2H will mean a harder graphite core. As 2H will be harder than an H, a 6H is really, really hard but will produce lighter and thinner lines than the rest.
The 'H' stands for hardness, the 'B' stands for blackness, and HB is for hard and black pencils. The hardest is a 10H, followed by 9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, and H. F is the middle of the hardness scale; then comes HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, and 9B, which is the softest.
Pencil grades tell you how light/hard and dark/soft a graphite pencil is. You might have noticed that graphite pencils have a H or B grade. The H stands for hard and the B stands for blackness. H pencils are harder and produce lighter lines because they contain more filler and less graphite.
Generally, 'B' grades are best for shading and smooth coverage of large areas. The 'H' range makes a more subtle grey mark, the higher the number, the less graphite is included, these are best used for delicate, intricate drawings.
An 6H is harder and lighter than a 2H and much harder and lighter than a HB or a B pencil.
H pencils are ideal for precise, detailed work that requires a lighter touch, such as technical drawings, architectural plans, or intricate illustrations. 2H Pencils: 2H pencils fall on the harder side of the graphite lead scale. With an even harder lead than H pencils, they produce even lighter marks.
HB pencils are in the middle, as the number increases to the left like H, 2H,3H…the pencils get lighter and harder, but when the B side gets higher ( 2B,3B,4B…), the pencils get softer and darker to 9B (the darkest I know).
9H has the hardest graphite lead. The letter “H” is used to indicate the hardness of a pencil's mark. The letter “B” is used to indicate the blackness of a pencil's mark (a darker mark means a softer lead). The Higher the number next to the 'H', harder the pencil lead.
Sketching: H and HB pencils are best for sketching. Sharpness: H pencils tend to be sharper even after prolonged usage as compared to B-category pencils. Shading: 4B and 6B pencils are best for shading.
Tattoo Shading
Unlike outlining, shading isn't necessary for every tattoo. Color and shading simply provide more dimension than line work. Contrary to what you might expect, many people report that the shading hurts significantly less than the outlining of the tattoo.
Pencils with H grades tend to be super smudge-resistant. You can also expect cleaner lines as an advantage but keep in mind that hard leads are scratchy and the flaws are best seen as you move upwards in the range. Technical drawings, light sketches and outlines, H graded pencils find use in various types of artwork.
Although lead has not been used for writing since antiquity, such as in Roman styli, lead poisoning from pencils was not uncommon. Until the middle of the 20th century the paint used for the outer coating could contain high concentrations of lead, and this could be ingested when the pencil was sucked or chewed.
Graphite pencils for sketching are the most popular choice among artists. They come in a wide range of grades, typically marked from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest). Uses: Ideal for detailed work, realistic sketches, and smooth shading. Advantages: Versatile and easy to use.
These classes define the limits for internal and external threads. 6H Tolerance (Internal Threads): The 6H tolerance is used for nuts or the internal threads of a bolt and nut assembly. It ensures that the internal threads fit precisely with the external threads.
Softer lead gets a B grading, with a number to say how soft the lead is. B on its own is just a little softer than HB. 2B, 3B and 4B are increasingly soft. Further up the range, 9B is the very softest lead available, but so soft and crumbly that it's rarely used.
The H in pencil grades stands for hardness, and the B stands for blackness. The harder a pencil lead is, the lighter the lines they produce will be. Conversely, softer leads make darker marks, and thus fall into the 'B' side of the HB Graphite Scale.
The 19 degrees of graphite pencil hardness are: 14B, 12B, 10B, 8B, 7B, 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H, and 6H. Graphite pencils with hardness degrees of 3B to 8B are ideal for artistic, pictorial drawing with their very soft to extra soft, very black graphite.
B stands for "black". These pencils are soft. H stands for "hard". HB stands for "hard black", which means "medium hard".
Answer: B pencils are softer (more graphite, less clay) and tend to get blunt very quickly. This is because they are leaving behind a lot more graphite on the page, which results in a darker drawing or sketch.
The letter “F” is also used to indicate that the pencil sharpens to a fine point. Historically, pencil makers also use combinations of letters to tell us about the graphite — a pencil marked “HB” is hard and black, a pencil marked “HH” is very hard, and a pencil marked “BBB” is really, really black!
Graphite is relatively nonpoisonous. There may be no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may include stomachache and vomiting, which could be from a bowel obstruction (blockage). The person may choke while swallowing the pencil.
'B' represents black or soft leads, known for their darker, bolder strokes, perfect for expressive sketches and shading. The middle ground is 'HB,' balancing hardness and blackness for everyday writing and basic sketching.
For drawing and sketching on soft surfaces we recommend choosing pencil grades 8B all the way to H. And, if you're looking at technical drawing pencils you may want to opt for grades B up to 6H. Lastly, for drawing on hard surfaces like wood, walls, and metal choose pencils H to 6H.
Number 1 pencils are softer and darker, favored for artistic work, while Number 2 pencils are more balanced, and commonly used for writing. Q: Do Number 1 and Number 2 pencils have different lead sizes? Not necessarily.
H (harder), F, HB and B (softer) are pencils of average hardness. Pencils ranging from 2B to 9B are softer still and are used for sketching; 2H to 9H are harder than average. A common American #2 pencil is equivalent to HB.