What pencils do artists use?

Those categorised by how hard or soft they are. In order from hardest to softest, they range from 4H to 6B: 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B and 6B. HB is in the middle and is usually the type non-artistic pencils come under. What pencil to use depends on what it is intended to be used for. For example, hard pencils (Hs), should be used to draw detailed elements of a piece, and softer pencils (Bs) for shading and less detailed elements.