Pencils Wholesale & Retail

Yes. Every pencil, lead refill and sharpener on SNILLC is a new, genuine product from Pentel, Prismacolor, BIC, Paper Mate, uni-ball, Zebra, Rotring or Bostitch in the manufacturer's original packaging. SNILLC does not sell generic or relabeled pencils.

Yes. Business members with a $49 per year membership get wholesale and case-pack pricing on mechanical pencils, leads, wooden pencils and colored pencils, usually sold 12 to a box. For 6 or more boxes or pallet quantities, add the items to your cart and choose Request a bulk quote.

SNILLC carries over 500 pencils and leads from Pentel, Prismacolor, BIC, Paper Mate, uni-ball, Zebra and Rotring, plus Bostitch pencil sharpeners. Pentel makes up most of the mechanical pencil and lead selection, and Prismacolor covers graphite drawing pencils and artist colored pencils.

SNILLC ships pencils to every US state from its Rancho Cordova, California warehouse, with tracking on every order. Items marked Ready to ship leave fastest. Transit time depends on the carrier and your distance from Northern California.

No. Retail shoppers can buy a single pencil or tube of lead. Shipping is free on retail orders of $60 or more and $9.99 under that. Business members buy by the box or case at wholesale prices, and bulk quotes start at 6 or more packs.

Both describe the same medium hardness. #2 is the American scale and HB is the European scale, and they are interchangeable. HB graphite is dark enough for scanned answer sheets but hard enough not to smudge badly, which is why it is the standard for schools, tests and offices. Softer grades are B and 2B; harder grades are H and 2H.

Wooden #2 pencils are cheapest, required for the SAT and ACT and simplest for young children. Mechanical pencils with 0.9 mm or 1.3 mm lead, such as the Paper Mate Handwriting, avoid sharpening and keep a consistent line, which many classrooms prefer. Many schools buy both and keep lead refills on hand.

Prismacolor Premier pencils have soft, wax-based, heavily pigmented cores that blend, layer and burnish smoothly, and they are sold individually so artists can restock single colors like white. Student colored pencils have harder cores that resist breaking, cost less and come in class sets, but they do not blend as richly.

Yes, as long as the diameter matches. A 0.7 mm Pentel Super Hi-Polymer lead works in a 0.7 mm BIC, Paper Mate, uni-ball or Zebra pencil. Eraser refills are specific to the pencil model, so match those to the brand. SNILLC stocks leads in its Mechanical Pencil Leads category.

No. Graphite and colored pencil cores do not dry out, so pencils and lead refills store for years at room temperature. Keep wooden pencils dry so the wood does not warp, and store colored pencils flat and out of heat so the wax cores do not soften. Schools can safely buy a year's supply at once.