The process of producing lead pencil is depicted in the illustration. On the whole, it contains around 12 steps, beginning with seedlings growing, followed by various processing stages and culminating in packaging of the final product.
To begin with, the saplings are planted in the fields for 4 months before being transferred to trays. After 3 years, they are returned to an open area and thinned out so as to facilitate growth. Once the trees have been chopped down, the logs are collected and then delivered to the factory.
In the following step, thin slats are made by a circular saw, then treated with chemicals, which preserve them from decaying. The wooden slat is then left to dry before it is subsequently grooved and, after that, black lead is stuck on it by being glued. Another slat is placed on top to create a sandwich, it is then hard-pressed by a heat press machine in order to stick them firmly together. Afterwards, the wood is cut into pieces. In the final step, each piece is painted, sharpened, and stamped prior to being packaged.