Pencils; we’ve all held them. At some point in your life, you may have wondered why they come in the shapes and sizes that they do, and in particular why they are hexagonal.
There are a few reasons why most pencils ended up with a hexagonal shape to them, though they weren’t like that to begin with.
“Originally, when pencils were handmade, they were made round,” pencil shop owner Caroline Weaver explained in a TED Talk video. There was no easy way to make them, and it was the Americans who really mechanized the craft. A lot of people credit Joseph Dixon for being one of the first people to start developing actual machines to do things like cut wood slats, cut grooves into the wood, apply glue to them.”
Round pencils still exist, as do triangular and [shudders] rectangular “carpenter” pencils.
However, hexagonal pencils have come to dominate the market, and are the most familiar design to most of us. Why? It turns out to be a mix of ergonomics, practical issues, and manufacturer costs.
“They figured out it was easier and less wasteful to do a hexagonal pencil,” Weaver added, “and so that became the standard.”
The idea has been backed up by Charles Berolzheimer, CEO of pencil manufacturer California Cedar Products Company.
“By having a hexagonal shape, you could get an extra pencil out of a standard width of slat,” Berolzheimer told 11Alive, per MSN News. “A typical slat for pencils produces maybe eight round pencils, but nine hexagonal pencils.”
While that might be one reason, it is not the full story. As you can probably intuit, it should be possible to get more carpenter pencils out of a slat than hexagonal. But there are a few problems with these pencils for the user.
“The disadvantage of the shape of pencil is also obvious: its flat shape does not facilitate the use of a pencil sharpener,” pencil manufacturer Honeyoung explains. “The current market for pencil sharpeners is mainly designed for round pencils, and it is not suitable for rectangular pencils. So nowadays, people who use rectangular pencils use pocket knives or other sharp tools to sharpen them.”
As well as being easier to pack and slightly better for economic reasons, the hexagonal pencil wins on ergonomics.
“The hexagonal shape is best suited to the structure of the human hand. The shape of pencil is versatile and easy to use. It has well-defined edges that allow the user to get a firm grip on the shape of pencil in any position,” Honeyoung continues.
“Hexagonal pencils do not roll off the table as easily as round pencils. With its hard edge, the shape of pencil can even be stabilized on a tilted table.”
In short, pencils are generally hexagonal as standard due to their superior feel, their tendency not to roll off the table, and their compatibility with pencil sharpeners. Wonder no more.
All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.
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