The Best Drafting Pencils

The art of drafting blueprints and schematics by hand may have fallen out of fashion, but drafting pencils are still as popular as ever. Designed to withstand the rigors of heavy-duty, professional use, they are a favorite among artists, designers, and anyone who values quality and reliability in their writing instruments.

In this article, we’ll share some of our favorite drafting pencils and explore what exactly makes a drafting pencil a drafting pencil.

Top Choice: Platinum Pro-Use 171

One of the newer entries to the drafting pencil world, the Pro-Use 171 has quickly earned a spot at the top of our list. It has all the essential features of a drafting pencil, plus a couple clever extras.

Like any great drafting pencil, it exudes sturdiness and reliability. The combination of a high-quality plastic barrel with a knurled metal grip section provides an excellent sense of stability and control. With the center of balance near your fingers, the pencil seems to melt away into an extension of your arm.

There is a lead grade indicator for the people who need one (though it could stand to be a bit tighter) and a nice long lead sleeve to provide a clear, unobstructed view of your work. If you don’t like the lead sleeve, however, you can change it! Twisting the nose cone extends and retracts it around the lead sleeve to make it as long or short as you want. You can even extend the nose cone until the lead sleeve is completely covered, making the pencil perfectly pocket safe for traveling.

This mechanism is even more clever than it initially seems. Many drafting pencils have lead sleeves that extend and retract into the nose cone of the pencil. It’s a perfectly functional design, but it also makes the lead sleeve a bit less stable because it isn’t directly anchored to the body of the pencil. With the Pro-Use 171, however, the lead sleeve is solidly anchored to the pencil’s internal mechanisms, providing a solid, rattle-free writing experience.

This pencil also features a spring-cushioning tip mechanism to minimize lead breakage. When you accidentally inflict too much pressure on the lead, the lead simply slides back a bit into the pencil. But like the lead sleeve, you don’t have to have it if you don’t want it. By twisting the grip section clockwise or counterclockwise, you can engage or disengage the spring mechanism whenever you want.

It is available in every size from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, except 0.4 mm.

Table of Contents

What Is a Drafting Pencil?

There’s no hard and fast rule for which mechanical pencils count as drafting pencils, but they generally incorporate at least a few of the following design elements.

Design Style

Drafting pencils typically have a rugged, utilitarian design. They are made from durable materials like brass, aluminum, and high-quality plastics. Knurled or otherwise textured grip sections are common, providing improved control for precise writing and drawing.

Lead Sleeve

Virtually all drafting pencils feature a long, narrow lead sleeve, also referred to as a guide pipe. The lead sleeve makes it easier to draw along the edge of a ruler or stencil, and it also gives a clearer view of the tip for precise drawing. Because they are so thin, lead sleeves are delicate and can poke through pockets and pencil cases. To protect both the pencil and its surroundings, some drafting pencils have lead sleeves that can retract into the tip when the pencil is not in use. Read our guide to Drafting Pencils with Retractable Tips to find out more about retracting sleeves.

Lead Grade Indicator

Pencil leads come in a range of hardness grades, and many designers prefer to keep multiple lead grades on hand in different pencils. To help keep things organized, drafting pencils often include adjustable lead grade indicators.

Range of Lead Sizes

Most mechanical pencils come in either 0.5 mm or 0.7 mm lead sizes, but drafting pencils often provide additional options, such as 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, and 0.9 mm. This is especially useful for artists and draftspeople who need to create a variety of line widths in their work, but it’s also fun for regular writers who want an especially bold or precise pencil experience.

Small Eraser

Drafting pencils typically have a small, thin eraser hidden under the top push button, which doubles as a stopper for the lead storage tube. This miniature eraser is useful for making precise corrections to a complex drawing or equation, but larger-scale corrections may require keeping a separate eraser on hand.

Clean-Out Rod

When a drafting pencil is used for hours a day, every day, the occasional lead jam is all but inevitable. To help clean out any bits of broken lead that get stuck in the lead sleeve, many drafting pencils include a clean-out rod attached to the underside of the eraser.

You can find our guide to clearing lead jams here.

Other Top Choices

The Pro-Use 171 may be our top all-around recommendation, but drafting pencils are nearly as diverse as the people who use them. And really, we just love them too much to leave it at that. So here are some more of our top drafting pencil recommendations.

Runner Up: Pentel Graph Gear 1000

The Graph Gear 1000 combines a number of unique and useful features into one surprisingly affordable package. Its aluminum construction feels solid but not heavy, making it comfortable to use for long sessions without fatigue. Adding to the comfort is the distinctive grip section, which features a combination of knurled aluminum and inlaid rubber pads.

It has a retractable tip that extends with a push of the top button and retracts with a push on the pocket clip. This ensures that the pencil can never be accidentally extended while it is clipped to something. The clip itself is large and spring-loaded, allowing the pencil to be clipped onto thick objects like book covers and notepads.

It is available in every size from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, including 0.4 mm.

The Graph Gear 1000 is one of the most affordable drafting pencils to feature an all-metal body, but many of the internal mechanisms are made out of plastic that can eventually wear out over years of use. It is still a fantastic value, but if you want a pencil that you can hand down to your grandkids, take a look at our next recommendation.

Premium Choice: Rotring 600 & Rapid Pro

The Rotring 600 has a legendary status among drafting pencils, and the Rapid Pro expands on the classic with a sleeker, more modern style. Simple yet striking, they exemplify the principles of German design and engineering. Though they aren’t especially large, their brass construction gives them a weighty, almost indestructible feel. If you prefer quality and craftsmanship to a host of specialized features, these are the drafting pencils for you.

The 600 features a classic hexagonal barrel with a knurled grip section, lead grade indicator, and a fixed lead sleeve.

The Rapid Pro features a more rounded hexagonal barrel, ditches the lead grade indicator, and adds a retractable lead sleeve.

Both pencils are available in satin silver and matte black, as well as 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm lead sizes.

Rotring offers an expansive range of additional drafting pencils at higher and lower price points. You can check out our video on Rotring's entire drafting pencil lineup here.

Budget Choice: Pilot S3

The Pilot S3 is one of the most affordable drafting pencils around, yet it stands out against many that cost two or three times as much. Its plastic barrel is smooth and sturdy without any sense of cheapness, and its subtly contoured body pushes the center of balance toward the tip for a greater feeling of precision and control. Combined with the gentle flare and ridges of the grip section, these features help the S3 fit soundly and comfortably in the hand without any need for aggressive knurling.

A pleasantly surprising and thoughtful touch for a budget-grade pencil is the small bump on its center band, which keeps the pencil from rolling away even if you take off the removable pocket clip.

The S3 is available in every size from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, including 0.4 mm.

Staff Favorites

Here are some more unique drafting pencils that we also adore. They aren’t necessarily for everyone, but one of them might be perfect for you.

Ohto Super Promecha 1500P

The Super Promecha is the ultimate drafting pencil for anyone who enjoys tinkering and customization. Similarly to the Platinum Pro-Use 171, you can adjust how much of the lead sleeve is exposed by twisting the grip section clockwise or counterclockwise. You can also adjust how far the lead extends with each click using the rotating drum above the grip section.

The downside of all these advanced features is that the Super Promecha is a bit delicate and can break if it is dropped or treated roughly.

Like the Graph Gear 1000, the Super Promecha is made from sturdy yet lightweight aluminum and is available in a full range of lead sizes from 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, including 0.4 mm.

Pilot S20

Featuring a real wood body, the stylish S20 provides a warm, organic touch that’s often lacking in the modern computerized workspace. It has the same comfortably tapered shape as the S3, and the naturally grippy texture of the wood makes it even more pleasing to hold.

The S20 features a lead grade indicator and a choice of red or brown finish. Unlike the S3, it is only available in two lead sizes: 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm.

Platinum Pro-Use II

The Pro-Use II has a distinctively odd shape, but everything about it is designed to make it incredibly comfortable. The wide, lightweight aluminum body reduces hand fatigue and cramping, and the ridged grip section provides excellent control while still being smooth and pleasant to the touch. Its short, chunky design gives it a comfortable center of balance, and even the slight curve of the barrel is perfectly designed to rest against the side of the hand when in use.

Its equally unique lead grade indicator near the tip is certainly stylish but can be a bit difficult to read at a glance. Also, because much of the pencil’s comfort is derived from the way its contours match your hand, it may not be as comfortable for people with very small or large hands.

The Pro-Use II is available in 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.7 mm sizes.

Uni Shift Pipe Lock

The Shift Pipe Lock offers fresh twist on designing the perfect retractable drafting pencil. Like the Super Promecha 1500P, it maintains maximum tip stability by having the grip section extend and retract around a fixed lead sleeve. Unlike the Super Promecha, the Shift Pipe Lock uses a spring-loaded sliding mechanism. Twisting the grip section locks and unlocks the slide mechanism, and the spring ensures that the pencil will naturally want to stay retracted when unlocked. Not only does this make the mechanism quick and satisfying to engage, but it also makes the pencil less likely to accidentally extend in your pocket or pen case.

A chunky metal grip section and plastic barrel give the pencil a pleasantly low center of gravity when writing. The pencil can also rattle a bit when the tip is retracted (or rather when the grip section is extended), but when the tip is extended and locked into place, the pencil feels reassuringly solid.

The Shift Pipe Lock comes in a full range of lead sizes including 0.4 mm. The lead size is indicated by a sleek, color-coded inner tube that is visible when the pencil is not in use.

Compare These Pencils

If you’d like to see some in-depth, side-by-side comparisons of these pencils, be sure to check them out in our comparison tool here!

How We Approach Research & Testing

Our writers draw on their personal expertise, consult our in-house subject matter experts, and do extensive research to make our guides as accurate and comprehensive as possible. We then test every finding that makes it through the research stage. Only the techniques and tools whose performance we personally confirm make it into our guides as recommendations.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're a die-hard mechanical pencil user or just someone who appreciates good craftsmanship, drafting pencils make a great addition to any collection of writing tools. The pencils listed above represent a range of styles and price brackets, but there are many more great options that we didn’t have room to include. Below, we have organized a handy reference table of the drafting pencils we currently carry.

Do you have a favorite drafting pencil? Let us know in the comments below!

Product / Lead Size (mm)	Lead Sleeve	Lead Grade Indicator	Clean-Out Rod Included	Grip / Body Material
Alvin Draft-Matic 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	4H–2B	No	Metal / Plastic
Faber-Castell TK-Fine Vario L 0.35, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0	Fixed	4H–2B	No	Metal / Plastic
LAMY Scribble 0.7, 3.15	Retractable	No	No	Plastic / Plastic
Ohto Promecha 500P 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	None	Yes	Metal / Metal
Ohto Promecha 1000P 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.9	Adjustable, Retractable	4H–B	Yes	Metal / Metal
Ohto Super Promecha 1500P 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Adjustable, Retractable	4H–B	Yes	Metal / Metal
Pentel 120 A3DX 0.5	Fixed	No	No	Rubber / Plastic
Pentel Graph 1000 for Pro 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	4H–B (no F) (0.3) 3H–B (no F) (0.5) 2H–B (no F) (0.4, 0.7, 0.9)	0.3, 0.4, 0.5 only	Metal, Rubber / Metal
Pentel Graph 1000CS Creator's Style 0.3, 0.5	Fixed	3H–B	Yes	Metal, Rubber / Plastic
Pentel Graph Gear 500 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	None	No	Metal / Plastic
Pentel Graph Gear 800 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	None	No	Metal, Rubber / Plastic
Pentel Graph Gear 1000 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Retractable	2H–2B (no F) (0.3, 0.4, 0.5) H–2B (no F) (0.7, 0.9)	0.3, 0.4 only	Metal, Rubber / Metal
Pentel Graphlet 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	4H–B (no F) (0.3) 3H-B (with F) (0.5) 2H–B (no F) (0.4, 0.7) 2H–2B (no F) (0.9)	0.3, 0.4 only	Metal / Plastic
Pentel PG5 Slim 0.5	Fixed	4H–B (no F)	No	Plastic / Plastic
Pentel Sharp 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	None	No	Plastic / Plastic
Pilot S3 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	None	Yes	Plastic / Plastic
Pilot S5 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	2H–2B	Yes	Rubber / Plastic
Pilot S10 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	2H–2B	Yes	Metal / Plastic
Pilot S20 0.3, 0.5	Fixed	2H–2B	Yes	Wood / Wood
Platinum Pro-Use I 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	3H–2B	No	Metal / Metal
Platinum Pro-Use II 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	3H–3B	No	Metal / Metal
Platinum Pro-Use 171 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Adjustable, Retractable	4H–2B (No 3H)	No	Metal / Plastic
Platinum Pro-Use Black 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	4H–2B	No	Rubber / Plastic
Platinum Pro-Use Original 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	3H–B	No	Plastic / Plastic
Retro 51 Hex-O-Matic 0.7	Retractable	None	Yes	Metal / Metal
Rotring 300 0.35, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	4H–2B (no 3H)	No	Plastic / Plastic
Rotring 500 0.35, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	4H–2B (no 3H)	No	Metal / Plastic
Rotring 600 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	4H–2B (no 3H)	No	Metal / Metal
Rotring 800 0.5, 0.7	Retractable	None	No	Metal / Metal
Rotring 800+ 0.5, 0.7	Retractable	None	No	Metal / Metal
Rotring Rapid Pro 0.5, 0.7	Retractable	None	No	Metal / Metal
Staedtler 925 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Rubber / Plastic
Staedtler 925-15 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Rubber / Plastic
Staedtler 925-25 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.3	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Metal / Metal
Staedtler 925-35 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Metal / Metal
Staedtler 925-65 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Plastic / Plastic
Staedtler 925-65 Color Series 0.5	Fixed	3H–2B	Yes	Plastic / Plastic
Uni 552 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	4H–2B	No	Metal / Plastic
Uni Shift Pipe Lock 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Retractable	None	No	Metal / Plastic
Zebra Drafix 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9	Fixed	4H–2B	No	Plastic / Plastic
Zebra Tect 2way 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	None	No	Plastic, Rubber / Plastic
Zebra Tect 2way 1000 0.3, 0.5	Fixed	None	No	Metal, Rubber / Plastic
Zebra Tect 2way Light 0.3, 0.5, 0.7	Fixed	None	No	Plastic, Rubber / Plastic

The Best Drafting Pencils

The Best Drafting Pencils

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