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Deep hole carpenter pencil or a flat carpenter pencil

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are marking the far side of a joist, or the back of a kitchen unit through a drilled hole, and the pencil in your pocket stops at the rim. A deep hole carpenter pencil is the body meant to pass that opening. A flat carpenter pencil is the simpler tool on an open face, such as a cut line on timber or plasterboard. Printed millimetres are the maker's claim, not a depth we measured. The [carpenter's pencil comparison](/hub/measuring-and-marking-tools/carpenter-s-pencil) holds the amazon.co.uk shelf we stored. If the body cannot enter the hole, buy a nose the listing says will reach. If the face is open, stay with wood.

You are marking the far side of a joist, or the back of a kitchen unit through a drilled hole, and the pencil in your pocket stops at the rim. A deep hole carpenter pencil is the body meant to pass that opening.

Our top picks

Tracer Tracer AMK1 deep-hole kit

Best overall

Tracer Tracer AMK1 deep-hole kit
9.2/10about £11.71
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Tracer Tracer 4H pencils, 12 pack

Preis-Tipp

Tracer Tracer 4H pencils, 12 pack
8.9/10about £5.95
View offer
MECHEER MECHEER deep-hole pencil set

Alternative

MECHEER MECHEER deep-hole pencil set
8.5/10about £7.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A flat pencil stops at the rim
  2. 2.Read the reach that is actually printed
  3. 3.The lead still snaps if you lever it
  4. 4.Which body to take to which job

A flat pencil stops at the rim

The wooden pencils on this shelf stop at a narrow opening. The Tracer ACP1, about £5.95, is flat-sided in the bullets, though the shape field on the same listing says cylindrical. The Trademaster TriGrip, about £9.99, is triangular. The XTSUN, about £4.99, is a flat oval about 17.6 mm across. Hultafors still sends a wooden pencil to open cuts, and a deep-hole marker to the hole a pencil will not enter. A body around 17 mm across will not pass a 3 mm hole, or the far side of a joist. Colouring the rim of a bracket screw hole still leaves the far side blank. Hardness stays on the carpenter's pencil lead grades page.

Read the reach that is actually printed

Bradfords and Rackhams repeat one Tracer claim: up to 100 mm in a 3 mm hole, or 145 mm in a 6 mm hole. The number belongs only to the hole size printed beside it. The AMK1 (ABS, 2.8 mm lead, about £11.71, 4.7 from 7,148 reviews) and the Pencil 2.0 (metal, 2.8 mm lead, about £16.79) both print that pair. The aluminium Pro, about £24.95 and 3.8 from 551 reviews, prints 145 mm and does not repeat the 3 mm hole. Its line-size field and a later diameter block disagree, so do not treat 0.7 mm and 2.8 mm as one width. The MECHEER, about £7.49, and the Nicpro, about £19.99 with a removable grip, print a 45 mm tip. That is not the 145 mm claim. The Olivvia, about £4.99, prints no depth. The Precision, about £10.99, prints a 110 mm lead length, the refill rather than a hole. The Tough, about £25.42, prints a 5.2 mm lead and no hole claim, and that lead is wider than a 3 mm opening.
Tracer Tracer AMK1 deep-hole kit

Testsieger

Tracer Tracer AMK1 deep-hole kit
9.2/10about £11.71
View offer

The lead still snaps if you lever it

AMK1 reviews say the lead snaps if you leave it extended and then holster the pencil. That is a carry mistake, not a failed depth claim, and it makes the kit fussier than a flat pencil in a pocket. The Pencil 2.0 listing includes a retract-under-pressure note, so the clutch is described as giving way when you press, unlike a wooden core you can lean on. Lever a 2.8 mm stick sideways and you can lose the mark. Precision reviews say the 1.3 mm lead pops out of the sleeve. Retract the lead before the case closes. Round refills use the holster sharpener, while a wooden chisel edge is a separate job on the how to sharpen a carpenter's pencil page.

Which body to take to which job

For an open face, start with the ACP1 at about £5.95, or the XTSUN oval at about £4.99. The Trademaster, about £9.99, is triangular and will not stay behind your ear. For a hole, take the AMK1 at about £11.71 unless you want the metal Pencil 2.0 at about £16.79. The Pro's lone 145 mm print, a 45 mm tip, Olivvia's missing depth and the Tough 5.2 mm lead are the weaker fits for a 3 mm hole. Take the ACP1 on an open face, and leave the Tough for a bold line across a stud. Peter F. checked these amazon.co.uk listings and the Hultafors and Bradfords pages on 22 October 2026, and did not measure the holes.

Common questions

What hole size is the 100 mm figure for?
Tracer's 100 mm figure, repeated by Bradfords and Rackhams, is for a 3 mm hole. The paired figure is 145 mm in a 6 mm hole. The AMK1 and the Pencil 2.0 print both. That is the maker's claim for those hole sizes, not a depth we measured. A different hole diameter does not inherit the number.
Is a 45 mm nose the same claim as 145 mm?
No. The MECHEER and the Nicpro print a 45 mm tip. The 145 mm figure is the longer Tracer claim, on the AMK1, the Pencil 2.0 and, alone, the Pro. A 45 mm nose can mark a shallow hole when that depth is enough. It is not a 145 mm pencil, and those listings do not say that it is.
Does the 5.2 mm Tough kit reach into a 3 mm hole?
No. The Tough prints a 5.2 mm lead and no hole depth. That lead is wider than a 3 mm opening, so it cannot pass the hole in the Tracer claim. Use it for a bold line on an open face, at about £25.42. For the hole, use a 2.8 mm nose that prints a reach.
Will a deep-hole pencil stay behind your ear?
No. A long nose belongs in a holster, not on your ear. The plain review is about the triangular Trademaster: light gloves make it hard to pick up, and it does not stay behind the ear. A flat oval is the body people tuck away. Put a nose in the case with the lead retracted.
Which body is ABS and which is aluminium?
The AMK1 is ABS, with a 2.8 mm lead, at about £11.71. The Pro is aluminium, at about £24.95, and it prints 145 mm rather than the paired 100 mm in a 3 mm hole. The Pencil 2.0 is metal, at about £16.79, and it prints both hole sizes. ABS costs less when the printed reach is the point. Aluminium is for the housing, with a shorter claim.

Related pages

Carpenter's pencil buying guide

Best carpenter's pencil

Carpenter's pencil

How to sharpen a carpenter's pencil to a chisel edge

Carpenter pencil lead grades: 4H, HB and 2B labels

Sources

Public UK sources listed below, then the stored amazon.co.uk listings for these eleven pencils. Prices are the stored shelf prices, not a live ticker.

  1. Axminster Tools, measuring and marking (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. ISO 9180:1988, wood-cased black leads (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Faber-Castell UK, pencil FAQ (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, hand knives (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Wonkee Donkee, parts of a pencil (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Hultafors, which marker or pencil (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Bradfords, Tracer deep-hole pencil (retrieved 22 October 2026)