HB pencil is a common type of pencil. H is the abbreviation for Hardness, which means firmness; B stands for Black, representing deep or dark tone. HB means medium hardness and gray scale, slightly darker. HB pencils are mainly used for writing. Their handwriting is darker than H-grade pencils and easier to erase than B-grade pencils.

H – Hardness. The higher the number before B, the softer and darker the pencil lead; the higher the number before H, the harder and lighter the pencil lead. HB sits in the middle. HB pencils fit daily writing, B pencils are ideal for art painting, and H pencils are used for marking on hard surfaces.
Pencils are graded mainly by H and B. "H", short for Hardness, refers to lead hardness. The larger the digit before H, the more clay the lead contains, resulting in harder and lighter lead. "B", short for Black, stands for blackness and softness of lead. The larger the digit before B, the higher graphite content, making the lead darker and softer.

H is short for Hardness, meaning hard; B is short for Black, meaning black. HB balances hardness and blackness equally, representing medium hardness and gray tone (slightly dark). Common pencil lead grades include (but are not limited to): 10B,9B,8B,7B,6B,5B,4B,3B,2B,B,HB,F,H,2H,3H,4H,5H,6H,7H,8H,9H,10H. Higher H values create harder, lighter leads; higher B values create softer, darker leads. Both HB and F are medium grades. HB is medium-slightly dark (most widely used), while F is medium-slightly hard (less common).

Lead Classification
Pencils are categorized by lead hardness, ranging from 10B~2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H~10H. Most pencil leads are made of graphite, yet pure graphite is too soft, so clay is added to strengthen the lead. Pencil grades are divided according to the different proportions of graphite and clay inside the lead, generally split into three categories: H grade, HB grade (including F), and B grade. H-grade pencils feature relatively hard leads, suitable for marking on hard or rough surfaces, such as carpentry marking lines and mechanical drawing. HB-grade pencils have moderate lead hardness, perfect for daily writing. B-grade pencils come with soft leads, designed for art painting (especially sketching). Among them, 2B pencils are widely used for filling machine-readable answer sheets. Besides, colored pencils (commonly known as crayons) are popular drawing supplies.