Graphite, the material in modern discount pencils, was first discovered in Borrowdale, England in 1564. At that time, it’s potential use for writing was immediately noted, and the company that operated the world’s only known graphite mine started creating early “lead” pencils by encasing rods of pure graphite between strips of wood. They called it “lead” because graphite shared some of the properties of lead, but the discoverers did not know graphite actually consists of carbon, not lead at all.

During the French Revolution, the supply of graphite from England was interrupted. Inventor Nicholas-Jacques Conte was commissioned to find an alternative. He developed a process whereby he mixed powdered graphite with clay and kiln-fired it, allowing him not only to produce less expensive pencils, but also to create graphite in varying degrees of hardness.

The word “pencil” comes from the Latin penicillum, which means “little tail,” the word for the type of writing instruments the ancient Romans used.

You can easily buy both wood-encased and mechanical pencils in bulk, at a discount, with your regular discount office supplies.