Best Drawing Pencils: Lumograph, MONO & More

Seven graphite drawing pencils lying point right, labelled with their picks — The seven picks at one scale where lengths are published; the Hi-Uni, Derwent and Kimberly are drawn at a typical 176 mm.

Products compared

Product	Brand origin	Made in	Price range
Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 graphite drawing pencil (12B–10H)Staedtler	Germany	Germany^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
Tombow MONO 100 graphite pencil (6B–9H)Tombow	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
uni Hi-Uni graphite pencil (10B–10H)uni	Japan	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
Faber-Castell Castell 9000 graphite pencil (8B–6H)Faber-Castell	Germany	Germany^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
Derwent Graphic graphite pencil (13B–9H)Derwent	United Kingdom	United Kingdom^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
General's Kimberly 525 graphite drawing pencil (9XXB–9H)General's	United States	United States^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil
Blackwing Matte (soft graphite, set of 12)Blackwing	United States	Japan^*	Price range: $under $5 per pencil

Notes on these facts

Staedtler Mars Lumograph 100 graphite drawing pencil (12B–10H): Made by Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG (Nuremberg). Made in Germany: Staedtler's German and international product pages carry a "Made in Germany" mark. Galaxus lists Germany as the country of origin for the 2B, and JetPens also describes it as made in Germany. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Brand Name Pencils says the Mars Lumograph (then No. 2886) replaced the Mars 1225 in 1930; we found no Staedtler-published date.
Tombow MONO 100 graphite pencil (6B–9H): Made by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd.. Made in Japan: The Journal Shop lists Japan as the country of origin, Brand Name Pencils lists its MONO 100 HB as made in Japan with the JIS mark, and The Gentleman Stationer also says made in Japan. Tombow's Japanese pages don't state a country. CW Pencil Enterprise wrote in 2017 that "the Mono pencils are no longer made in Japan, but rather in Vietnam", without saying whether that covered the MONO 100, and bleistift.blog found other Tombow pencils (ippo!) made in Vietnam, so check the pencil or box you buy. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Tombow's Japanese 100-year history gives September 1967, for the company's 55th anniversary; retailers and CW Pencil Enterprise also give 1967.
uni Hi-Uni graphite pencil (10B–10H): Made by Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.. Made in Japan: Hunter Paper Co. lists the single Hi-Uni pencil and the Art Set as made in Japan, and STL Art Supply and The Journal Shop say the same; we found no retailer listing another country. Mitsubishi Pencil's Japanese product pages don't state it. Source. Price: example listing.
Faber-Castell Castell 9000 graphite pencil (8B–6H): Made by Faber-Castell AG, Stein, Germany. Made in Germany: Faber-Castell Singapore lists the Castell 9000 tin of 6 as "Made in Germany", and the German retailer office-partner.de gives "Made in: Germany" for the HB box of 12. Carl Roth and Digitec have also listed Germany (both now block automated reading). Faber-Castell's German site says almost all writing instruments made at its main plant in Stein use its water-based lacquer. Source. Price: example listing.
Derwent Graphic graphite pencil (13B–9H): Made by ACCO UK Ltd.. Made in United Kingdom: Derwent says it has made pencils in the Lake District, UK, since 1916, and a 2010 PencilTalk review shows a Graphic HB stamped England. Derwent's Graphic page doesn't state a country for current pencils, so check the barrel. Source. Price: example listing.
General's Kimberly 525 graphite drawing pencil (9XXB–9H): Made by General Pencil Company (New Jersey). Made in United States: PencilTalk's review shows the pencil stamped "U.S.A. General Pencil Co. Kimberly 525" and describes General's New Jersey factory, which makes its own graphite cores. General's own site blocked our reader. Source. Price: example listing.
Blackwing Matte (soft graphite, set of 12): Made by California Cedar Products Company (Cal Cedar), Stockton, California. Made in Japan: Blackwing's own FAQ says its pencils use genuine incense-cedar from California and Oregon and premium Japanese graphite, but doesn't name the factory country. Tacto Studio and Boston General Store list the Matte as made in Japan, and The Journal Shop's Blackwing FAQ says the pencils are crafted in Japan. One retailer (Jenni Bick) says "Made in U.S.A.", which may refer to the final imprinting and packing that coverage of Blackwing's factory film places in Stockton, California. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Cal Cedar's September 26, 2011 post marks October 1 as the first anniversary of the Palomino Blackwing. Blackwing's blog of February 3, 2020 gave the black pencil the Matte name and dropped Palomino from all pencils.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.

Key takeaways

Grade ranges differ: Mars Lumograph 24 grades (12B–10H), uni Hi-Uni 22 (10B–10H), Derwent Graphic 24 (13B–9H, per Derwent UK), Kimberly 20 (9XXB–9H, per Blick), Tombow MONO 100 17 (6B–9H) and Castell 9000 16 (8B–6H).
Lengths run from 173 mm for the Castell 9000 and 175 mm for the Lumograph to 177 mm for the MONO 100 and 205 mm (8 in) for the Blackwing Matte with its eraser.
STAEDTLER and Faber-Castell make theirs in Germany, Derwent in the UK and General's in New Jersey; retailers list Japan for the MONO 100, the Hi-Uni and the American Blackwing.
Blackwing's Japanese store rates the Matte about 3B; it is the only pick here with an eraser.
Every pick sits in our $ band, under $5 a pencil, when bought singly or by the dozen.

What is the best drawing pencil?

The STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph 100 is the best drawing pencil for most people, but the best pick for smooth Japanese graphite, classic sets, very dark shading, a budget or loose sketching is a different pencil. The Lumograph is #1 because its 24 grades, 12B to 10H, match the most of any pick here, so one line covers a whole drawing, and it’s made in Germany.

Best overall: STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph. Why it’s here: 24 grades from 12B to 10H, as many as any pick, so one line runs from light construction to deep shadow, with thicker leads (about 4.5 mm) in 12B.
Best Japanese, smoothest: Tombow MONO 100. Why it’s here: the smooth Japanese pick: Tombow says its core holds 10 billion graphite particles per cubic millimeter, though its 17 grades stop at 6B.
Best wide Japanese range: uni Hi-Uni. Why it’s here: 22 grades from 10B to 10H, the widest Japanese range here and close to the Lumograph’s; Mitsubishi Pencil launched it in 1966.
Best classic set: Faber-Castell Castell 9000. Why it’s here: its common 12-pencil art set (8B to 2H) is a ready-made starter range, from a line of 16 grades.
Best for dark shading: Derwent Graphic. Why it’s here: Derwent’s UK site lists 24 degrees from 13B to 9H, the softest grade of any pick.
Best budget, made in USA: General’s Kimberly 525. Why it’s here: the only US-made pick, made in New Jersey, with 20 grades from 9XXB to 9H, per Blick.
Best for loose sketching: Blackwing Matte. Why it’s here: a soft pencil of about 3B with a replaceable eraser, for sketching and writing rather than a graded set.

How did we choose these picks?

We compiled these picks from published sources, not hands-on testing: makers’ grade ranges and claims, JetPens and Blick listings, US availability and price band. All seven cost under $5 a pencil, so we chose mostly on grade range and on what each line is known for.

How do the seven drawing pencils compare?

The drawing lines differ mainly in how many grades they reach at the soft end; all seven cost under $5 a pencil.

Pencil	Grades	Range	Length	Eraser	Made in
Mars Lumograph 100	24	12B–10H	175 mm (6.9 in)	No	Germany
Tombow MONO 100	17	6B–9H	177 mm (7.0 in)	No	Japan
uni Hi-Uni	22	10B–10H	Not published	No	Japan
Castell 9000	16	8B–6H	173 mm (6.8 in)	No	Germany
Derwent Graphic	24 (UK)	13B–9H	Not found	No	United Kingdom
General’s Kimberly 525	20	9XXB–9H	Not found	No	United States
Blackwing Matte	1 (soft)	About 3B	205 mm (8 in)	Yes	Japan

Lengths are from JetPens and retailer listings in each guide. Blick’s drawing-pencil chart lists 20 grades from 9B to 9H for Derwent’s drawing pencil, so the extra 10B–13B grades may not be sold everywhere.

Which grades should you buy for sketching?

Start with six grades, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B and 8B, rather than a full set. Hard grades lay in light construction lines that erase cleanly; the B grades build value.

Our pencil grades guide explains why one maker’s HB can be darker than another’s. Japan’s JIS standard sets HB by how much light the line reflects, and Tombow says it holds its own HB to the darker end.

Japanese or European drawing pencils?

Both make excellent pencils; the Japanese lines are known for smoothness and the European lines for range. The Lumograph goes softer (12B) than the MONO 100 (6B), while the Hi-Uni matches the Lumograph almost grade for grade.

The MONO 100 and Hi-Uni come in glossy black and maroon barrels with no eraser. The Castell 9000 is the classic green pencil that Faber-Castell has sold since 1905.

Is the Blackwing good for drawing?

Yes for sketching and writing, but not as a full drawing set, because Blackwing makes four firmnesses instead of grades. The Matte is the softest; the Blackwing 602 is firm, about B.

What do you need besides the pencils?

A plastic eraser, a kneaded eraser and a long-point sharpener. STAEDTLER recommends its Mars plastic eraser, and the KUM Long Point sharpener exposes a long cone for shading.

For a budget alternative to the Lumograph, the Czech KOH-I-NOOR 1500 comes in 20 grades from 8B to 10H.

Where are drawing pencils made?

STAEDTLER and Faber-Castell make theirs in Germany, Derwent in England, General’s in New Jersey, and retailers list Japan for the MONO 100, Hi-Uni and Blackwing. A 2017 CW Pencil Enterprise post said some Tombow MONO pencils had moved to Vietnam, so check the barrel.

Frequently asked questions

What pencils do artists use for sketching?

Wood-cased graphite drawing pencils sold in many grades, such as the STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph, Faber-Castell Castell 9000, Tombow MONO 100 or uni Hi-Uni. Most artists keep an HB or 2B for line work and a 4B to 8B for shading.

Which pencil grades do I need for drawing?

A starter set of about six grades covers most work: 2H for light layout, HB and 2B for lines, and 4B, 6B and 8B for dark values. STAEDTLER's 12-pencil Lumograph tin runs from 6B to 4H.

Is Tombow MONO 100 better than STAEDTLER Lumograph?

Neither is better on paper specs; they differ in range and origin. The Lumograph has 24 grades from 12B to 10H and is made in Germany; the MONO 100 has 17 from 6B to 9H and is listed as made in Japan.

How long is a STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph pencil?

Retailer listings give 175 mm (6.9 in). That puts it between the 173 mm Castell 9000 and the 177 mm Tombow MONO 100.

What is the darkest drawing pencil?

Among these, Derwent's Graphic 13B, the softest grade on Derwent's UK site. STAEDTLER's Lumograph goes to 12B, and General's Kimberly to 9XXB.

Are drawing pencils made in the USA?

Some are. General's Kimberly is stamped U.S.A. and made in New Jersey, per PencilTalk; the other picks here are made in Germany, the UK or Japan.

Do you need a special sharpener for drawing pencils?

No, but a long-point sharpener exposes more graphite for shading. Soft grades such as 8B break easily, so a sharp blade or a craft knife helps.

Sources (9)

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