Why Yellow Became the Standard Color for Pencils

The Process explored the history of pencils, specifically what led to a particular shade of yellow becoming the industry standard in the United States. The color was chosen because it symbolized power and luxury in Chinese culture, where a certain brand of pencils was made. These perceptions were further cemented by a marketing campaign that used color recognition to sell pencils, a program that still exists today.

Pencils were not always yellow. Before the 1890s, most were dark wood or unpainted. Then one company painted theirs yellow to signal that the graphite inside came from China — because in Chinese culture, yellow meant royalty and prestige. The pencil was not better. The paint told you it was supposed to be.

The narrator also explained that while yellow is standard in the US, the colors vary in other countries.

British pencils often come in traditional red and black. Yellow pencils? Rare. The yellow obsession is almost entirely American. The rest of the world never bought into the myth.