Initially, the substance had a variety of names ​ — black lead, wad, and plumbago, meaning “that which acts like lead. ” Because it had a greasy texture, people wrapped chunks of it with sheepskin or short sticks of it with string.
त्याच दरम्यान, पेन्सिल उत्पादकांनी काळ्या शिशापासून चांगल्या प्रतीचे लेखनाचे साधन तयार करण्याचे प्रयोग सुरू केले.