What does HB on pencils stand for?

Answer:

HB refers to the hardness of the pencil. In the scale H is used for harder pencils (H for hard) HH HHH HHHH all get progressively harder, and B (the B stands for black) BB BBB BBBB get progressively softer.

HB pencils (#2 on the US pencil-hardness scale) are right in the middle, so the HB stands for Hard Black.

First answer by Chewd. Last edit by Chewd. Contributor trust: 243 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 2 [recommend question].