10 Best Charcoal Pencils 2025 in the United States

The Aenir Charcoal Pencil Set offers a versatile and well-rounded collection of 22 pieces that includes a variety of charcoal pencils in different hardness levels (soft, medium, hard), white charcoal pencils, charcoal sticks, blending tools, and erasers. This variety allows users—from beginners to professional artists—to explore different drawing techniques like shading, sketching, and blending with good control and precision. The inclusion of both soft and harder pencils means you can achieve smooth gradients as well as fine details, which is important for realistic and expressive charcoal artwork.

The Derwent Tinted Charcoal Pencils offer a neat twist on traditional charcoal drawing by combining charcoal particles with fine clays inside cedar wood barrels. This means you get the classic charcoal look but with more control and less mess, which is great for both beginners and experienced artists who dislike smudging or dust. The 4mm core is fine enough for detailed work but still soft enough to blend and smudge beautifully, adding depth with the included 12 vibrant colors. The hardness level is marked as H, indicating a firmer lead that holds a point well but might require more pressure for darker strokes compared to softer options.

ThePortraitArt Artist Woodless Pure Charcoal Pencils offer a unique take on charcoal drawing tools by using a woodless design that packs in 5 times more charcoal than typical wooden pencils. This makes the pencils ultra soft and dark, providing rich tones and deep contrast that are great for shading and adding depth to your artwork. The set includes six pencils with varying softness — from regular to super-soft — giving you a good range of hardness to experiment with. Their smooth consistency and ergonomic shape help with comfortable handling during long drawing sessions.