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Letters and numbers ranking a pencil's hardness and blackness.
Also known as: HB pencil, Graphite grade
A pencil grade runs from hard to black through the letters H and B, with numbers increasing in either direction from HB in the middle. The European letter scale and the American numeric scale do not correspond exactly, so a number two pencil is approximately but not exactly HB.
Grades a pencil's core from hard to black on a scale of letters with numeric modifiers, HB standing at the centre.
Contexts: Packaging
Corresponds only approximately to the American numeric scale, so a number two pencil is close to but not identical with an HB.
Contexts: Packaging
Describes a ratio of clay to graphite rather than a measured hardness, which is why grades vary slightly between manufacturers.
Contexts: Packaging
One or two capital letters, sometimes preceded by a numeral, stamped near the end of a pencil.