Drawing pencils are labeled by hardness and softness.
For example - 6H is the hardest (makes the lightest mark), then 4H is a little less hard (makes a slightly darker mark), 2H,etc.
HB is in the middle
The it goes 2B, 4B, 6B, etc. - the higher number in the B's, the softer it is and the darker the mark it will make.
A 6B pencil lead will generally mark darker than a 2B pencil lead. The higher the 'B' number, the softer and darker the lead.
Ah, the HB 2 pencil, a trusty tool for artists and writers alike. It's a versatile pencil with a medium hardness, perfect for both drawing and writing. The "HB" stands for the hardness of the graphite core, and the "2" indicates the level of darkness it produces on paper. It's a wonderful choice for creating beautiful sketches and lovely notes.
Each graphite pencil, the 6H, 6B, 2H and 2B, will create a sharp line and fine detail. The difference is that the softer leads (2B, for example) will need to be sharpened more often to keep drawing this detailed. That is because, while having a sharp point when freshly sharpened, the softer the lead, the more quickly it will wear/crumble down.
A 6B pencil lead will generally mark darker than a 2B pencil lead. The higher the 'B' number, the softer and darker the lead.
2B or not 2B, that is the question.
2B 2B or not 2B, that is the question.
The shades of graphite pencil from lightest to darkest are typically categorized as 9H (lightest), 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B (darkest). The 'H' pencils are harder and lighter, while the 'B' pencils are softer and darker.
The order of hardness goes:9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H H F HB B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B hard medium soft
Pencils are sorted into how hard and how soft the graphite is. The scale ranges from 9H (hardest) to 9B (softest). Number 6B would mean its graphite is 4th softest.
It is a pencil gradation system. HB means hard black B means black and 2H means harder.H (2H, 4H, etc) are the harder leads, and therefore draw a lighter line; and B (2B, 4B, etc) are the softer leads, and therefore draw a darker line. HB is the very middle. The larger the number, the farther away from HB it is. So for instance, 6B will be darker than 2B, and 4H would be lighter than 2H.Read more: What_do_HB_B_2H_signs_in_pencils_mean
H stands for hardness and B stands for blackness this is how a pencil scale goes: 9H 8H 7H 6H 5H 4H 3H 2H 1H H HB B 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B9H is very fine hard and light but 9B is thick black and very soft (more like charcoal)
If you want. Pencils with higher numbers such as 6Bs give a darker stroke and are softer. So, if you don't mind using a harder, slightly lighter pencil, then go ahead.
The 'h' and 'b' rating combined with a number refer to the hardness of the graphite in a pencil. h-hard and b-soft. So the higher the number the more hard or soft it is. Hard graphite imparts much lighter marks to paper, while softer graphite makes a much darker mark. So a 6b pencil is very soft and draws quite dark while a 6h pencil is very hard and draws very light marks.
A #2 graphite pencil made of wood weighs between 6 and 10 grams. The difference is in the thickness of the wood (cheaper pencils have thinner wood). But it depends on the pencil. There are many different types of pencils that are mainly used in art. There's an HB pencil which is just a regular office pencil, which is probably what you're measuring. But there are also others. There are 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, and 9B. The higher the number, the darker the color of the lead and the softer the lead. So even though 9B is the darkest color, you'd think it would be the heaviest, but really HB is.