Graphite

Soft, black carbon in stacked sheets — the 'lead' in pencils.

Graphite specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify graphite

Leaves black marks on paper and fingers.
Greasy, slippery feel.
Light for a metallic-looking mineral.

Often confused with

Molybdenite
Molybdenite is heavier, bluer and has a greenish streak.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Borrowdale, England
Sri Lanka
Madagascar
Heilongjiang, China

Uses

Pencils, lubricants, battery anodes and refractories.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

A deposit at Borrowdale, England, discovered in the 1500s, gave rise to the pencil.

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