Ideal for musicians, woodworkers and anyone who prefer a soft, dark line, the Blackwing Matte is the softest of the four core Blackwing models. The Blackwing Matte pencil features a timeless matte black finish, iconic square Blackwing ferrule and black eraser. Blackwing Matte pencils come in a 12-pack gift box that also doubles as a pencil cup.

Made in: Japan

Materials: California cedar, graphite, metal ferrule, elastomere eraser

Specifications: 8" Length; available in a box of 12 or individually

Further Reading:

"Some of the world’s most legendary Grammy, Emmy, Pulitzer and Academy Award winners have created with Blackwing pencils. The list of known users includes John Steinbeck, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and Chuck Jones, who proudly used Blackwings to create Bugs Bunny and countless other Looney Tunes characters.

Its roots go back to the 1930’s when it was first introduced by Eberhard Faber. In 1998, after several corporate acquisitions, it was discontinued, but not forgotten. In fact, fans began paying as much as $40 on eBay for a single Blackwing pencil.

Artists from across the world soon noticed that Palomino’s range of premium pencils provided a comparable performance to the Blackwing and asked them to consider reviving the iconic brand. Palomino founder and CEO Charles Berolzheimer, whose family’s roots in the pencil industry date back to the mid 19th century, used his unique supply relationships to re-introduce the Blackwing pencil, both in its original form (the “602″) for devotees, writers and everyday users, as well as a modified version with a slightly softer lead for artists. And despite the 602 model being shipped with a black eraser, traditionalists were happy to learn that pink and other nontraditional colored replacement erasers are now available for those who like to “hack” their Blackwing.

Claimed by many to be the best writing utensil in the world, Blackwing pencils are famous for the quality of graphite, iconic shape, replaceable eraser, and the men and women whose works they’ve inspired throughout the years. Building upon the popularity of Blackwing pencils, Palomino recently released a unique line of luxury notebooks, sketchbooks and folios that help inspire your ideas from pencil to paper, from cultivation to culmination."

-Palomino "The Blackwing Story"

"The Great Blackwing Pencil Brouhaha", CNN Money

"Back in Blackwing", The New Yorker