Here's why:

* Electrical conductivity: While graphite conducts electricity, it does so differently than metals. Metals conduct electricity through a "sea" of free electrons, while graphite's conductivity is due to the delocalized electrons in its layered structure.

* Luster: Graphite has a dull, grayish appearance, unlike the shiny luster of metals.

* Malleability and ductility: Graphite is brittle and can be easily broken, unlike metals which are malleable (can be hammered into sheets) and ductile (can be drawn into wires).

* Chemical properties: Graphite is chemically inert and resistant to corrosion, unlike many metals that readily react with acids and other chemicals.

Graphite is actually classified as a metalloid, sometimes referred to as a semimetal. Metalloids possess properties of both metals and nonmetals, and graphite exhibits this duality in its conductivity and other characteristics.