Tracer

A Tracer deep hole pencil is for marking drill points and cut lines down inside holes and tight spots where a regular pencil or marker won’t reach. When the lead wears down, you replace it and keep using the same pencil. Builders, carpenters, electricians and contractors carry Tracer markers, pencils and crayons for layout.

Tracer is a U.K.-based maker of professional marking products and precision measuring tools for the construction trades, and its tagline is Mark of a Pro. The company started by rethinking traditional marking, launched the Deep Hole Pencil and has since expanded into more than 30 countries. It’s best known for its deep-hole construction markers with interchangeable leads, its clog-free construction markers and its heavy-duty carpenter pencils.

The Deep Hole Pencil and its leads

The lead sits out the end of a long, narrow body, so you can put the tip down a drilled hole or into the gap between cabinet boxes. That puts the mark where the bit or blade will actually go, not up at the rim where a fat marker stops. For layout through a plate or inside a cabinet, this is the pencil to carry.

The pencil is refillable, and that’s the reason to pick it over a marker you throw away. Leads come with the pencil and in a six-lead replacement pack, so when one wears down you load another and keep the pencil. Load the new lead from the tip, not the top, because it goes in easier that way. The standard graphite is 2B, which is soft. It leaves a dark line with light pressure and rubs off on your fingers, so use a light hand on finish surfaces. The yellow leads in the six-pack are for dark material like weathered lumber, dark tile and steel. Red and white leads come in their own set for surfaces where graphite and yellow both disappear.

Hang on to the holster, because Tracer doesn’t sell replacement parts. If you lose a holster you’re buying a whole new kit. Start with the Pro Series deep-hole pencil kit, which comes with the holster, and keep the holster clipped to your pocket.

Pencil and markers in one kit

The Tracer marking kit comes with a deep-hole pencil, a replacement lead set and two clog-free construction markers. For an electrician or carpenter starting from nothing, it covers deep marks, spare lead and surface marks in one purchase. The kit’s two markers are one black and one red.

Clog-free and permanent construction markers

Every Tracer marker uses permanent ink, and Tracer sells its construction markers for marking on many different surfaces. The clog-free marker kit gives you three colors, and each marker comes with a site holster so it rides on your belt instead of rolling around the bottom of a bucket. Give each color one job across the crew, black for cut lines and red for do-not-cut, so everyone reads a mark the same way. If you already carry the pencil, a single black permanent construction marker covers most of your surface marking.

Tracer’s range also includes a black heavy duty marker, a white paint marker and a 12-pack of black lumber crayons.

Lumber crayons

Tracer’s yellow lumber crayons are for rough framing lumber and concrete, where a pencil point snags and tears the grain. Yellow stays readable on dark, weathered wood. For a crayon worn down to a stub, Tracer sells a plastic crayon holder that comes with a crayon.

Tracer lines at a glance

For ink marks inside a hole, Tracer’s long nib markers mark up to 40-50mm (1.5”) deep, even in tight crevices, on wood, plastic, tile and metal. For anything deeper, use the pencil. For layout, Tracer also makes imperial speed squares in 4.5, 7 and 12 inch, a 100m high-visibility string line, the ProScribe scribing tool, and a 12-inch carpenters square. The square has a CNC-machined aluminum handle, a stainless steel ruler and etched metric markings that resist wear.

Item	What’s in it	Use it for
Deep Hole Pencil	2.8mm lead, holster	Marks inside drilled holes and tight spots
Marking kit	Deep-hole pencil, replacement lead set, 2 clog-free markers (black, red)	A starter set for deep marks and surface marks
Clog-free marker kit	3 markers (black, blue, red), site holsters	Color-coded layout across a crew
Permanent construction marker	Permanent ink, black or red	A single marker to carry with the pencil
6-piece replacement lead holster	4 2B graphite leads, 2 yellow leads, site holster	Refilling the pencil, with yellow for dark material
12-piece replacement lead set	12 graphite leads	Refilling the pencil on heavy-use jobs
12-piece alternative lead set	6 red leads, 6 white leads	Surfaces where graphite and yellow don’t show
Yellow crayon set	12 yellow crayons	Rough lumber and concrete
Crayon marker holder	Plastic holder with a crayon	Holding a crayon down to the stub

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you refill a Tracer marker pen?

Tracer sells refills for its products and promotes replaceable tips as well as leads, but the tool in the line built around reloading is the Deep Hole Pencil. Besides the graphite, yellow, red and white leads, there’s a pack of 2.8mm carbide-tipped leads for it. If you want one marking tool you keep and reload for years, carry the pencil and use the permanent-ink markers for surface marks.

What sizes do Tracer pencils come in?

The TRACER 2.0 pencils come in three styles, each with a holster: a 1.3mm Precision pencil, the 2.8mm Deep Hole pencil and a heavier Tough pencil. Use the Precision for fine cut lines on trim and finish work, and the Deep Hole for anything down a hole or in a gap. For a plain pencil you sharpen, Tracer also sells a 12-pack of 4H carpenter pencils with a sharpener, and 4H is a hard lead that keeps a thin, clean line.

What is the Tracer long nib marker used for?

It’s a permanent construction marker for general marking in spots a regular marker’s tip won’t fit, and it comes in a twin pack. Each one rides in a Tracer site holster with a built-in clip for a pants or shirt pocket, so it stays on you instead of in the bottom of the bucket.

What is the Tracer ProScribe tool?

The ProScribe is a multifunctional scribing tool that Tracer says has over 16 applications. It comes with a deep-hole pencil and a 6x replacement lead holster, so you get the scribe and the pencil that marks with it in the same package. Use it for scribing trim, countertops or panels to an uneven wall.

What is the Tracer string line for?

The Tracer String Line is a 100m (328ft) high-visibility green line for aligning walls, tiles and paving slabs. It unspools with a low-profile rotating handle and stores under a clear anti-tangle cover, so you can wind it back up without a snarl at the end of the day. The bright green shows up against gravel, dirt and gray concrete.