Disposable electrode obtained by pencil drawing on corrugated fiberboard substrate

•A disposable electrode is proposed by using cardboard paper.•The developed electrode is made from a pencil by painting.•The electrode is easy to prepare and presents extreme low cost. In this work, we report the development of a new disposable electroanalytical device based on direct transfer of graphite from a common pencil, by drawing and painting a three electrodes system, on a corrugated fiberboard substrate (PD-CFB). Surface morphology and electrochemical features were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. Wide useful potential windows in different electrolyte solutions were verified. As proof of concept, the proposed sensor was applied for catechol (CA) detection in environmental samples. Following the optimal experimental conditions, a linear dynamic response (LDR) was in the range of 0.05–1.1 mmol L−1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 mmol L−1. The proposed architecture allowed the construction of electroanalytical device by easy and feasible procedure using non-toxic and renewable materials (ecofriend) with low cost. In addition, the electrodes can be used without any pretreatment of the electrode surface.