Pencil slats are thin, grooved wooden boards used to make pencils. These pencil slats are typically cut from cedar or basswood. A pair of pencil slats sandwiches a graphite core between them.
The grooves in pencil slats are precisely milled to hold the lead. Pencil slats are dried to a specific moisture content before gluing. High‑quality pencil slats have uniform thickness and straight grain.
Pencil slats come in various lengths, usually 7 or 7.5 inches. The surface of pencil slats is sanded smooth for even glue spread. Pencil slats are stacked in batches of 200 for pressing.
After gluing, the pencil slats are cured under pressure to form a solid block. The block of pencil slats is then cut into individual pencils. Pencil slats with a cedar aroma are preferred for premium pencils.
Pencil slats must be free of knots and resin pockets. The color of pencil slats can be natural or stained. Some pencil slats are painted after shaping into pencils.
A single tree yields thousands of pencil slats. The scrap from cutting pencil slats is used for biomass fuel. Pencil slats are a key component in the pencil manufacturing process.
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