General Pencil Company

What General Pencil Company does

General Pencil Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of art, school, office, and specialty writing instruments headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, with a West Coast warehouse and customer-service office in Redwood City, California. Founded in 1889 by Oscar A. Weissenborn (with roots to Edward Weissenborn's 1860 American Pencil Company), the company operates continuous in-house pencil manufacturing in Jersey City using sustained-yield incense cedar wood and proprietary graphite, charcoal, watercolor, and colored-pencil lead formulations developed over more than a century, including formulas originated during the WWI-era British blockade on German lead imports.

The product portfolio spans core graphite lines (Cedar Pointe, Semi-Hex, Kimberly), charcoal and Charcoal White pencils, Sketch & Wash water-soluble graphite, Multichrome colored pencils, pastel chalks, kits for cartooning, drawing instruction, and quilting, plus complementary consumables such as The Masters brush cleaner and soap, Kiss-Off stain remover, Factis erasers, and Little Red sharpeners. Notable differentiated technology includes the signature Semi-Hex pencil shape, water-activated watercolor pencils, and artist-grade white charcoal.

The business runs a hybrid go-to-market combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce on GeneralPencil.com, a network of art-supply retailers (Blick Art Materials explicitly named), Amazon marketplace listings, and direct sales to educational institutions and conservation organizations. Pricing is publicly disclosed, with most items between $3 and $50 and premium artist-collab kits reaching approximately $108. International shipping now spans 25+ countries across North America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. A community-led growth layer featuring 10 named artists — most prominently Jonathan Martinez (Art of the Endangered) and David Kassan — produces co-branded kits, instructional content, public murals, and the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Project, while cultural partnerships (e.g., Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in 2026) sustain brand prestige.

Name

General Pencil Company

Legal name

General Pencil Company, Inc.

Website

https://generalpencil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

General Pencil Company is a family-owned U.S. manufacturer (founded 1889) of graphite, charcoal, watercolor, and colored pencils plus art consumables, selling direct-to-consumer, through art supply retailers, and via Amazon to artists, students, educators, and conservation organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Supplies & Writing Instruments

NAICS

Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Stationery & Office Paper Products (notebooks, pads, forms) (IMAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Art pencils
• Graphite pencils
• Drawing supplies
• Charcoal pencils
• Watercolor pencils

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-Commerce Sales: The company operates GeneralPencil.com as its primary direct-to-consumer online storefront, selling pencils, art kits, brush cleaners, soaps, stain removers, and accessories directly to artists, educators, and consumers. Products are available at published retail prices with options for various quantities and sizes.
2. Art Supply Retail Distribution: General Pencil Company products are sold through art supply retailers, with the website encouraging customers to call their favorite local art supply retailer. Products are distributed through physical retail channels alongside the direct e-commerce channel.
3. Third-Party Marketplace Sales: The company notes that customers who purchase from Amazon should contact Amazon directly for support, indicating Amazon is a sales channel, though the company directs primary support through its own website and retailers.
4. Artist Collaboration Products: Specialty products co-developed with featured artists including Jonathan Martinez (How to Draw Nature, Wildlife & Endangered Species Kit), Kathi Hanson (MultiPastel kits), David Kassan (Limited Edition Signature Drawing Set), and others. These collaborative products command premium pricing and serve as both revenue drivers and marketing vehicles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

General Pencil Company manufactures and sells a comprehensive portfolio of art and writing pencils — including graphite (Cedar Pointe, Semi-Hex, Kimberly), charcoal, watercolor, colored (Multichrome), pastel (MultiPastel), and specialty pencils — along with complementary products such as brush cleaners, soaps, stain removers, sharpeners, erasers, and artist-collaboration drawing kits. The company produces pencils from sustained-yield incense cedar wood at its Jersey City, NJ factory using proprietary lead formulations developed since 1889.

Product overview

General Pencil Company is a family-owned art supplies manufacturer founded in 1889, producing a comprehensive portfolio of drawing, sketching, and painting tools. The core product lineup centers on graphite pencils (including General's® Cedar Pointe®, Semi-Hex®, and Kimberly® Graphite lines), charcoal and Charcoal White® pencils, watercolor pencils, colored pencils (Multichrome®), and specialty products like Sketch & Wash® and Carbon Sketch™. The company offers drawing kits for various skill levels (#20 Classic Drawing Kit, #30 Learn to Draw Now!™, How to Draw Nature & Wildlife Kit with artist Jonathan Martinez), artist collaborations (David Kassan, Justin Maas, Kathi Hanson, and others), and complementary products including 'The Masters'® Brush Cleaner and Soap, Kiss-Off® stain remover, and Factis® erasers. Artisanal accessories include sharpeners (Little Red™ All-Art®, Tri-Dome™, Sav-A-Point™), drawing tools, stickers, and fabric/quilting supplies. The company operates as a single unified product ecosystem rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, serving artists from beginners to professionals through school/office writing pencils, premium art supplies, and specialty marking products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cedar Pointe: Premium graphite pencils made with incense cedar wood, available since 1889.
• Semi-Hex
• Kimberly
• The Masters
• Layout
• Charcoal White
• MultiPastel
• Sketch & Wash
• Factis
• Kiss-Off
• Primo Euro Blend Charcoal
• Carbon Sketch
• Little Red All-Art Sharpener

Products and services

• General's® Cedar Pointe® Graphite Pencils

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (Made in America exhibit through September 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design MuseumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026General Pencil Company was featured at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in the Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne exhibit (February 2026 through September 2026). The exhibit celebrates American craft and manufacturing, showcasing General Pencil's pencil-making heritage alongside other American industrial artisans. This is a prestigious cultural partnership that enhances brand visibility and credibility.
• Academy of Art UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Academy of Art University partnered with General Pencil and artist Jonathan Martinez on the Magical Monarch Butterfly Mural at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Jana Memel, Executive Director of Schools of Entertainment, collaborated on the project. The partnership supports art education and creativity.
• Hudson County Community College Art StudentsStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt students from Hudson County Community College created charcoal and graphite murals (Windows of Creativity) beautifying the General Pencil factory in Jersey City, NJ. This community partnership supports local art education and urban beautification.
• Jonathan Martinez (Art of the Endangered)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Martinez, known as Art of the Endangered, is a featured artist collaborator who creates murals, products, and educational content for General Pencil. He creates wildlife and endangered species murals around the country (San Francisco, Santa Ana, Sacramento) using General Pencil products, and his artwork appears on multiple product kits. He has been dedicated to his craft for close to 10 years.
• Ian A Nelson (Wilderness Conservation Filmmaker)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIan A Nelson, a wilderness conservation filmmaker from Santa Rosa, California, collaborates with General Pencil on the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Project. His documentary Western Monarch Butterflies: Protecting Our Pollinators features illustrations from Jonathan Martinez and is promoted through General Pencil's platforms. He has collaborated with organizations including Pepperwood Foundation, American Bird Conservancy, Bay Nature, and Golden Gate Audubon Society.
• Living DesertminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Martinez has worked with the Living Desert (a National Wildlife Federation partner organization) on environmental protection and art installations raising awareness for endangered species.
• National Wildlife FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Martinez has collaborated with the National Wildlife Federation on wildlife conservation art initiatives, creating public art installations that highlight endangered species.
• PangeaSeed FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Martinez has worked with the PangeaSeed Foundation, an environmental organization focused on marine conservation, on art installations raising awareness for endangered species.
• Pepperwood FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIan A Nelson collaborated with the Pepperwood Foundation on the Western Monarch Butterflies documentary, which was screened at Pepperwood Preserve in September 2025.
• American Bird ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIan A Nelson collaborated with American Bird Conservancy on wildlife documentary filmmaking projects.
• Bay NatureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIan A Nelson collaborated with Bay Nature magazine/organization on documentary content about wildlife and environmental conservation.
• Golden Gate Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIan A Nelson collaborated with Golden Gate Audubon Society on film projects about pollinators and wildlife conservation.
• Blick Art MaterialscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBlick Art Materials is listed as a project sponsor on the Magical Monarch Butterfly Mural (alongside Academy of Art University and Herc Rentals), indicating a collaborative partnership. Blick is a major art supply retailer that distributes General Pencil products.
• Brotherwise GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJulia Maddalina, a featured General Pencil artist, has worked with Brotherwise Games on fantasy illustration projects.
• D&DBeyondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJulia Maddalina, a featured General Pencil artist, has created works in the world of D&DBeyond (Dungeons & Dragons digital platform), indicating a professional collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tombow: Japanese writing-instrument and art-supply manufacturer (founded 1913). Directly comparable across drawing pencils, erasers, and specialty kits sold through art-supply retail channels domestically and internationally.
• Dixon Ticonderoga: US-based pencil manufacturer (Dixon, Ticonderoga brands) owned by Newell Brands. Directly comparable as an American pencil manufacturer serving school, office, and art segments with Made-in-USA positioning similar to General Pencil.
• Faber-Castell: German-based global pencil and art-supplies manufacturer founded in 1761. Directly comparable as a multi-century pencil manufacturer operating premium (Castell 9000, Polychromos) and student/office lines worldwide with established artist ambassador and education channels.
• Prismacolor (Newell Brands): Newell Brands' professional art-pencil portfolio (Premier, Verithin, Col-Erase). Directly comparable as a competitor in the colored-pencil and professional-artist category where General Pencil markets its Multichrome® set.
• Derwent: British fine-art pencil specialist (Acco Brands). Directly comparable as a manufacturer focused on professional-grade graphite, watercolor, and colored pencils with strong artist endorsements and a similar specialty SKU strategy.
• Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth: Czech art-supply manufacturer (founded 1790) producing pencils, drawing kits, and specialty tools. Comparable heritage pencil company with overlapping art-supply portfolios, museum-grade positioning, and similar premium artist kits.
• Lyra: German fine-art and school pencil brand (owned by FILA). Comparable as an art-pencil manufacturer serving both education and professional-artist segments with overlapping product categories (graphite, charcoal, colored pencils).
• Caran d'Ache: Swiss fine-art and writing-instrument manufacturer (founded 1915). Comparable as a heritage premium pencil maker with artist collaboration programs and limited-edition sets at similar price points to General Pencil's David Kassan Signature Set.
• Cretacolor: Austrian fine-art pencil specialist (graphite, charcoal, watercolor, pastel pencils). Comparable as a premium European art-pencil competitor with similar artist-grade positioning and specialized lead formulations.
• Staedtler: German writing-instrument and art-supply manufacturer (founded 1835) producing Noris, Mars, and Lumograph pencils. Directly comparable as a heritage pencil maker serving students, professionals, and fine-art markets across similar product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/generalpencil
• Instagraminstagram.com/generalpencil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/general-pencil-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about General Pencil Company