We call it ‘lead.’ What’s actually inside a pencil?
Graphite
The answer was Graphite. Here's the why, the decoys, and the source trail.
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It’s graphite, mixed with clay to form the core of an ordinary pencil. Graphite is a soft mineral, which makes it useful for leaving a mark as you move the point across paper. The clay helps hold the core together, and changing the mixture helps control its hardness. That little gray stick inside the wood is a manufactured blend of minerals, even though we casually call it ‘lead.’
It’s graphite, mixed with clay to form the core of an ordinary pencil. Graphite is a soft mineral, which makes it useful for leaving a mark as you move the point across paper. The clay helps hold the core together, and changing the mixture helps control its.
Graphite is the one to remember. It’s graphite, mixed with clay to form the core of an ordinary pencil.
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Sources: www.usgs.gov, www.usgs.gov, www.usgs.gov, www.usgs.gov