Mechanical Pencil Lead Replacement
Last updated on Oct 1, 2026
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Community-Contributed Guide
An awesome member of our community made this guide. It was not created by iFixit staff.
Introduction
Go to step 1 ↓A simple guide on how to replace the lead in a mechanical pencil. This guide uses the BIC Xtra Smooth Mechanical Pencil for the example images.
What you need
Parts
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Retrieve your mechanical pencil from your pencil case, the floor, or wherever you store it.
Ask FixBot
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Use your desired tool to remove the eraser from your pencil. This can be done with tweezers, your fingernails, etc.
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There should be a label somewhere on your pencil saying the compatible lead diameter. This is normally located on the clip. In this example, the pencil uses 0.7mm lead, which is the most common diameter.
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Cross reference the label to your pencil lead container to make sure the lead is compatible.
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Open your container of compatible replacement lead and pour out 1-3 sticks of replacement lead onto your hand.
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While holding your pencil tip-down, put the sticks of lead into the hole located under where the eraser goes.
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Put the eraser back into the eraser hole. Make sure none of the pencil lead is sticking out past the top of the barrel before you do this.
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If the pencil lead is sticking out past the top of the barrel, try shaking the pencil or tapping it gently on a flat surface. If this doesn't work, make sure there isn't too much lead inside the barrel.
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Push the button to push out the lead (in this example it's located at the top of the pencil) and check the pencil tip to see if the lead is coming out correctly.
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If the lead is NOT coming out correctly, or slipping when trying to write, the lead may not be compatible, or may be too short.
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You should now be able to use your mechanical pencil for a little while longer! :]
