What ferromagnetic materials are there?

What does ferromagnetic mean?

A material is considered ferromagnetic if it is attracted to a magnet. Typical ferromagnetic materials are iron, nickel and cobalt. It should be noted that not all metals are ferromagnetic. Copper, zinc and gold, among others, are not ferromagnetic. This means that they do not adhere to magnets.

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The difference between "ferromagnetic" and "magnetic"

The two terms "ferromagnetic" and "magnetic" are often used as synonyms, but this is not correct. An object is said to be ferromagnetic when a magnet sticks to it. For example, if a magnet adheres to a steel shelf, the shelf is said to be ferromagnetic. Colloquially, this example is incorrectly referred to as a magnetic surface.

Describing an object as magnetic is only correct if it behaves like a magnet.

What ferromagnetic materials do exist? Or: What attracts a magnet?

Magnets will only attract objects made of certain materials. The three best-known ferromagnetic elements are:

Iron (Fe)
Cobalt (Co)
and Nickel (Ni)

Some rare earth metals are also ferromagnetic, but only at significantly lower temperatures. At room temperature they are only paramagnetic. This means that they are very weakly attracted by a magnet. These are the following metals:

Dysprosium (Dy)
Erbium (Er)
Gadolinium (Gd)
Holmium (Ho)
Terbium (Tb)

Excursus: diamagnetic and paramagnetic substances

In addition to ferromagnetic materials, there are also diamagnetic and paramagnetic materials. Both diamagnetic and paramagnetic substances are primarily characterised by the fact that they do not adhere to magnets. Diamagnetic substances are repelled very weakly by a magnet. Paramagnetic substances, on the other hand, are weakly attracted to magnets.

If you are interested, you can find detailed information on this topic in our magnetism glossary under Diamagnetism, paramagnetism and ferromagnetism. If you are generally interested in further information on the subject of magnetism, we recommend our Magnetism Glossary.

Which materials exhibit ferromagnetism and which do not?

In this section, we discuss which materials are ferromagnetic and briefly explain their properties. We also list surfaces to which magnets do not adhere and explain the reasons why. Here, among other things, you can also find tips on authenticity testing or fascinating videos that illustrate the effect of the materials.

Are gold or silver ferromagnetic?

No, gold and silver are not ferromagnetic - this means that magnets do not attract the two metals. Gold and silver belong to the diamagnetic substances. This means that they are weakly repelled by magnets. Magnets therefore definitely cannot adhere to gold or silver. However, if a magnet sticks to a gold bar, you can assume that the ingot contains impurities of ferromagnetic metals. For that reason, magnets are a practical tool for the authentication of gold and silver.

Our customer project "The gold ingot test" shows in detail how you can test whether gold is genuine or not.

Is aluminium ferromagnetic?

Aluminium is one of the paramagnetic metals. This means that a magnet will only weakly attract it. So weak in fact, that you might think that magnets have no effect on aluminium. However, the video shown here reveals that magnets definitely do have an effect on aluminium.

Incidentally, you will find three exciting experiments with aluminium and magnets in our customer projects:

Is copper ferromagnetic?

No, magnets do not stick to copper. Like gold and silver, copper is one of the diamagnetic metals. Magnets therefore weakly repel copper.

Some interesting experiments with copper and magnets can be found in our customer projects:

Is brass ferromagnetic?

No, brass is not ferromagnetic - magnets therefore do not attract brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, which are both metals with diamagnetic properties. If a magnet sticks to an object made of supposedly solid brass, you can assume that it is only coated with brass.

Is titanium ferromagnetic?

No, titanium is not ferromagnetic. This means that titanium does not react to an external magnetic field and does not experience magnetic attraction or repulsion. Due to its non-magnetic properties, titanium, known in the medical field as medical titanium, is used, for example, as an alloy for bone or joint implants.

Is zinc ferromagnetic?

No, zinc is not ferromagnetic. Magnets, therefore, do not adhere to zinc. Zinc is diamagnetic, which means that zinc does not react to external magnetic fields but is easily repelled. This is because zinc’s ability to absorb and transmit magnetic fields is particularly low.

Is bronze ferromagnetic?

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin and is therefore not ferromagnetic. This means that it has no natural magnetic attraction and cannot be magnetised. Even when bronze is exposed to considerable external magnetic influence, it usually remains non-magnetic. In contrast, iron and nickel are magnetic or can be magnetised. An interesting fact about bronze is that its authenticity can be tested with magnets. It is a common practice among counterfeiters to replace bronze with iron, for example, in art sculptures, because making them from bronze is very expensive.

Is nickel ferromagnetic?

Yes, nickel, along with iron and cobalt, is one of the three metals that are ferromagnetic. The fact that nickel, iron and cobalt are ferromagnetic is particularly exciting for the development of magnetic materials for use in various fields, such as electronics and medical devices.

Is lead ferromagnetic?

No, lead in its natural state is not ferromagnetic. Just like silver, for example, this metal cannot attract magnets because lead is one of the "weak metals". However, lead can exhibit low diamagnetic properties.

Are textiles ferromagnetic? Is fabric ferromagnetic?

No, fabrics are not ferromagnetic. Textiles consist of organic or chemical compounds that have no metallic elements. Even if the metal is incorporated into the fabric, it is difficult or impossible for a magnet to adhere as the concentration is too low and because textiles are also very flexible.

Is glass ferromagnetic?

No, glass is not ferromagnetic. Glass consists of different materials such as sand, lime and other non-metallic substances, which means that glass cannot react to magnets. Magnetic glass boards have an embedded thin, ferromagnetic metal plate to which magnets can adhere. Since the ferromagnetic force has to work through the glass, magnetic boards made of glass are much less ferromagnetic than magnetic boards made of metal.

Is wood ferromagnetic?

No, wood is not ferromagnetic. Wood is an organic material. The substances it contains have no metallic components and therefore cannot be magnetised. In order for wooden surfaces to be used as a surface for magnets, metal plates or screws must be installed underneath the wooden layer.

Is ceramic ferromagnetic?

Ceramics, such as porcelain, clay ceramics or glass ceramics, do not have ferromagnetic properties and are therefore not ferromagnetic.

Is stainless steel ferromagnetic?

There is no straightforward answer to this question as the composition of the stainless steel needs to be taken into account. Stainless steel can certainly be ferromagnetic, whereupon it would be labelled ferritic steel. In contrast, so-called austenitic steel is largely non-ferromagnetic. However, since we do not have expert knowledge on the subject of stainless steel, we cannot give you any further information.