Dry lubricants or solid lubricants are materials which are able to reduce friction between two surfaces sliding against each other without the need of a liquid medium.

Graphite lubricants include graphite, hexagonal boron nitride, molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide. These are able to offer lubrication at temperatures higher than that of liquid and oil-based lubricants are able to operate.

Graphite as a lubricant dates to antiquity. It was first referenced in the mid 1500s as being used as pencils. Graphite is a soft, crystalline form of carbon. It is gray to black, opaque, has a metallic luster, and is flexible but not elastic. Graphite occurs naturally in metamorphic rocks such as marble, schist and gneiss. It exhibits the properties of a metal and a nonmetal, which makes it fit for industrial applications. Graphite coating lubricant has metallic properties and non-metallic properties. Metallic properties are thermal and electrical conductivity while nonmetallic properties include inertness, high thermal resistance and lubricity. Graphite can be used as high-temperature lubricants, brushes for electrical motors, friction materials, and battery and fuel cells.

Graphite is a layer lattice lamella crystal structure where the bonds between the carbon atoms in the crystal structure of the layer are stronger than the carbon bonds between layers. Graphite is comprised of carbon and water vapour. Each carbon atom is bonded to three other surrounding carbon atoms. The flat rings of carbon atoms are bonded into hexagonal structures. The hexagonal carbon structure is referred to as a benzene ring. These plates exist in layers, which are not covalently connected to the surrounding layers.

Graphite has excellent lubricating properties, as long as moisture vapour is available. Due to the requirement for entrained moisture vapour, graphite does not function well as a lubricant in a hard vacuum and is therefore seldom used in deep-space applications.

Graphite sheet blends and pure graphite dry film lubricant systems are commonly used in applications such as hot and cold forming, wire drawing and billet coatings and high-speed cutting tools or as a mould release for die cast, plastic and rubber mould applications and many common industrial applications.