A pencil case is a container used to carry pencils. Pencils are long and thin, and would be difficult to carry around if a pencil case was not used. A pencil case can also contain a variety of other stationery such as a pencil sharpener, pens, a stapler, and a calculator.
Pencil cases are usually made of either hard or soft plastic. Soft versions are typically fasted with a zipper. Decorated versions are popular with schoolchildren, a notable example being Hello Kitty pencil cases.
In 2005, a primary school in Manchester, England banned pencil cases because of an incident when a 9-year-old student hid a letter opener inside one and injured another student with it, in what was described as "boisterous play".