About House of Graphite — The Pencil Encyclopaedia

The Pencil Encyclopaedia

House of Graphite exists to do one thing properly: catalogue every wood-cased graphite pencil worth knowing about, and tell you honestly which one to buy and where. Not a curated handful — the whole world of them, from the Japanese masters (Mitsubishi Hi-uni, Tombow Mono 100) to the European classics (Staedtler Mars Lumograph, Faber-Castell 9000, Caran d'Ache) to the cult favourites (Blackwing, Palomino) and the everyday workhorses.

Why we built it

Information about pencils is scattered across forums, out-of-print catalogues, retailer listings and the memories of enthusiasts. Grades aren't comparable between brands. The same pencil is sold under three different names in three different countries. We're pulling all of it into one place, cross-referenced by brand, series, grade and barcode (EAN/JAN), so that when you want to know "what is the darkest pencil I can actually buy?" or "is the Hi-uni really worth triple the price of a 9800?", there's a straight answer.

How we catalogue

Every specimen is recorded with its manufacturer, series, grade and identifiers, and — wherever we can verify it — checked against the actual listing before we link to it. Our buy links point to the specific product on Amazon, routed to your local store where possible. If we can't verify a clean match for a grade, we say so rather than guess.

Who writes House of Graphite

House of Graphite is written and maintained by an independent, UK-based team of pencil enthusiasts — not a content farm. We buy the pencils, sharpen them and write with the full grade ladders before we describe them, so the guidance here comes from time spent with the actual tools rather than a rephrased top-ten. Where we can’t verify a manufacturing claim or whether a grade is genuinely available in the UK, we say so plainly instead of guessing.

A note for the curious

If you enjoy the obsessive end of this hobby, visit our Specimen Data-Base — the full catalogue presented as a 1982 mainframe terminal. It reads from the same records you see here.

How we're funded

House of Graphite is free to use and reader-supported through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. It never changes which pencil we recommend; the catalogue is built to be correct first and commercial second. Our long-term aim is to stock the very best pencils ourselves, at fair prices, sourced directly from Japan and Europe.