<P> Most manufacturers , and almost all in Europe , designate their pencils with the letters H ( commonly interpreted as `` hardness '' ) to B ( commonly `` blackness '' ) , as well as F ( usually taken to mean `` fineness '' , although F pencils are no more fine or more easily sharpened than any other grade . Also known as `` firm '' in Japan ) . The standard writing pencil is graded HB . This designation might have been first used in the early 20th century by Brookman , an English pencil maker . It used B for black and H for hard ; a pencil 's grade was described by a sequence or successive Hs or Bs such as BB and BBB for successively softer leads , and HH and HHH for successively harder ones . The Koh - i - Noor Hardtmuth pencil manufacturers claim to have first used the HB designations , with H standing for Hardtmuth , B for the company 's location of Budějovice , and F for Franz Hardtmuth , who was responsible for technological improvements in pencil manufacture . </P>
<P> Most manufacturers , and almost all in Europe , designate their pencils with the letters H ( commonly interpreted as `` hardness '' ) to B ( commonly `` blackness '' ) , as well as F ( usually taken to mean `` fineness '' , although F pencils are no more fine or more easily sharpened than any other grade . Also known as `` firm '' in Japan ) . The standard writing pencil is graded HB . This designation might have been first used in the early 20th century by Brookman , an English pencil maker . It used B for black and H for hard ; a pencil 's grade was described by a sequence or successive Hs or Bs such as BB and BBB for successively softer leads , and HH and HHH for successively harder ones . The Koh - i - Noor Hardtmuth pencil manufacturers claim to have first used the HB designations , with H standing for Hardtmuth , B for the company 's location of Budějovice , and F for Franz Hardtmuth , who was responsible for technological improvements in pencil manufacture . </P>
what does the b in hb pencil stand for
what does the b in hb pencil stand for
black
black