There are two types of graphite used in the industry: natural graphite and synthetic graphite. Natural graphite is a naturally occurring element and it is used mainly as a lubricant, carbon additive and pencil lead. Synthetic graphite is a petroleum based composite material used in a variety of applications requiring superior to natural graphite properties. Synthetic graphite is also called artificial graphite, and is classified by a method of manufacturing and/or by production stage. There are four methods of manufacturing synthetic graphite: extrusion, vibration molding, compression molding and isostatic molding. There are also four production stages: baking, graphitization, purification and impregnation. The combination of methods of manufacturing and production stages determines the future properties of graphite. Manufacturing graphite is a lengthy and expensive process. However, the result of this process is a material offering a combination of some very unique properties: