Mechanical pencil

A mechanical pencil or clutch pencil is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core called a "pencil lead" /ˈlɛd/, which is often made of graphite and not bonded to the outer casing, thus the user can mechanically extend it, as it is worn away from use. Mechanical pencils often include erasers. Mechanical pencils were first used in the 18th century. The first mass-produced mechanical pencil, the Eversharp (originally "Ever Sharp"), was patented in 1913 by Charles R. Keeran

Other names include: microtip pencil, automatic pencil, drafting pencil, technical pencil, draughting pencil, click pencil (generally refers to a specific brand), pump pencil, leadholder, Pacer (Australian English, ca. the 1980s), propelling pencil (British and Australian English, often refers to higher-end mechanical pencils), pen pencil (Indian English), and lead pencil (Bangladeshi and American English).

Mechanical pencils are used to provide lines of constant width, without need of sharpening, for tasks such as technical drawing as well as for clean looking writing. They are also used for fine-art drawing. Since they do not have to be sharpened, they are also popular with students.