New and Improved. The Classmates Stripe™ offers exceptional value for money. Quality robust pencils to rival the best selling HB pencil on the market. Hexagonal shaft of 8mm diameter. Can be used for handwriting drawing sketching and for general classroom or office use. Pack of 1 500 with tray.In our independent testing the CLASSMATES HB pencils vs other brands came first in 2 out of the 3 tests including strength at the midpoint of the pencil which is where a pencil would normally snap. With further testing the CLASSMATES HB pencils vs other brands scored joint first on core centralisation which is essential when sharpening the pencil for use.*Independent testing carried out in June 2023.