{"id":3531,"date":"2026-10-08T10:03:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.k4sport.com\/blog\/?p=3531"},"modified":"2026-10-08T10:03:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:03:24","slug":"which-metals-can-be-attracted-by-ndfeb-magnets-4cd1-ca694b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.k4sport.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/08\/which-metals-can-be-attracted-by-ndfeb-magnets-4cd1-ca694b\/","title":{"rendered":"Which metals can be attracted by NdFeB Magnets?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, it\u2019s Jake from the NdFeB Magnet team here. Let\u2019s cut to the chase\u2014if you\u2019ve ever held a super-strong Neodymium magnet (that\u2019s NdFeB, by the way) and wondered why it sticks like crazy to some stuff and not at all to others, you\u2019re not alone. I get this question every single week<\/em> from customers, from hobbyists building speaker projects to manufacturers sourcing parts for robotics. Today, I\u2019m breaking down exactly which metals our NdFeB magnets actually attract, why some common metals flop, and a few pro tips I\u2019ve picked up over 7 years selling these things. No boring textbook jargon, promise\u2014this is straight from the shop floor. NdFeB Magnet<\/a><\/p>\n

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First, let\u2019s get one tiny, important clarification out of the way: not all \u201cmetal\u201d sticks to NdFeB. I see this all the time\u2014folks grab a random paperclip (metal, obviously) and it works, then grab a shiny aluminum soda can and get confused when it doesn\u2019t cling. The key here is magnetic permeability, basically how well a material can hold and conduct magnetic force. NdFeB magnets are permanent<\/em> rare-earth magnets, way stronger than the old ferrite bar magnets your high school science teacher used to hand out. Their magnetic field is concentrated and dense, so only metals with high permeability (and the right atomic structure) are actually attracted. Let\u2019s go through the actual ones that work, in no particular order, with real examples I\u2019ve seen daily.<\/p>\n

First up: Iron. Duh, right? But not just any iron\u2014ferromagnetic<\/em> iron, which is the stuff used in cast iron pans, steel beams, and raw iron bars. Wait, hold on\u2014steel is iron, but steel has other metals mixed in, right? Let\u2019s be clear: carbon steel, stainless steel (most types), tool steel, even mild steel<\/em> all work. I had a customer last month doing custom shelf brackets for a warehouse\u2014they ordered 500 NdFeB hook magnets because they stick like glue to standard steel stud framing. That\u2019s a perfect example. Even wrought iron, like the old garden fence posts you might have in your yard, sticks. I once brought a NdFeB magnet to a backyard BBQ and stuck it straight to the cast iron grill\u2014everyone was shocked at how hard it was to pull off. Pro tip: raw, pure iron (like the kind you\u2019d find in a chemistry set) is super<\/em> attracted, but it\u2019s rare to find that stuff in everyday items. Most of the iron we use is alloyed with other metals for strength, and the alloys here still stay magnetic.<\/p>\n

Next: Nickel. Nickel is another ferromagnetic metal, and it\u2019s way more common than you might think. Wait, but nickel plating? Oh yeah\u2014if something has a nickel coating, that\u2019s enough to attract NdFeB, even if the core metal isn\u2019t magnetic. I used to work with a model maker who\u2019d order small NdFeB discs to mount tiny metal figurines\u2014some of the figurines were brass-plated, but wait no, actually the ones that worked had a nickel undercoat. Wait, let\u2019s confirm: pure nickel is ferromagnetic, and nickel alloys (like nichrome, which is used in toaster heating elements) are weakly magnetic, but wait\u2014wait, no, nichrome is mostly nickel and chromium, and I\u2019ve tested it, it does<\/em> attract NdFeB, just not as strongly as steel. Another example: coins. The US 5-cent coin (nickel) is magnetic, right? I test that every time a customer asks for a quick example. Drop a NdFeB on a nickel coin, it sticks. The US penny? Wait, pre-1982 pennies are 95% copper, post-1982 are zinc coated with a thin copper layer\u2014those don\u2019t stick at all. That\u2019s a quick test anyone can do with stuff in their change jar.<\/p>\n

Third: Cobalt. Cobalt is another ferromagnetic metal, mostly used in high-temperature alloys (like in jet engines or superalloys for turbines). It\u2019s less common in everyday stuff, but I\u2019ve had aerospace clients come to me for NdFeB magnets to test with cobalt-based components. A quick test I did in the shop: I grabbed a piece of cobalt wire we had for a project, and the NdFeB stuck to it immediately. It\u2019s not as strong of an attraction as steel, but it\u2019s noticeable. Now, why don\u2019t you see cobalt lying around your house? Because it\u2019s expensive, so it\u2019s mostly industrial. But if you\u2019re working on a high-heat project where you need magnetic parts that won\u2019t break down, cobalt is one to keep in mind.<\/p>\n

Wait a second\u2014hold on, what about things that are \u201cmetal\u201d but not on this list? Let\u2019s get the big ones out of the way because this is where most people mess up. Aluminum: I bet you\u2019ve tried this. Grab a soda can, hold a NdFeB to it\u2014nothing happens. Aluminum is paramagnetic, which means it barely<\/em> reacts to magnetic fields, so weak magnets like ferrites won\u2019t pick it up, and even strong NdFeB magnets don\u2019t stick. I once had a customer who swore aluminum was magnetic because he\u2019d seen a video where a magnet \u201cfloated\u201d over aluminum\u2014oh right, that\u2019s eddy current levitation, not attraction. It\u2019s cool, but it\u2019s not the same as sticking. Copper: same deal. Copper is diamagnetic, so it actually repels weak magnets, and NdFeB magnets just slide right off. I tested a copper pipe last week for a plumbing supply customer, and yep\u2014no stick. Brass: brass is copper and zinc, also diamagnetic, so no attraction. I\u2019ve had hobbyists ask about brass hardware for their projects, and I have to tell them to swap for steel brass-plated stuff if they want it to stick. Silver, gold, platinum\u2014all diamagnetic, no stick. Even titanium, which is used in medical implants and phones, is paramagnetic and doesn\u2019t attract NdFeB (though it\u2019s weakly repelled, but you\u2019d never notice that with a regular magnet).<\/p>\n

Wait, what about stainless steel? I touched on this earlier, but it\u2019s worth a deeper dive because it\u2019s a common point of confusion. Most stainless steel is a mix of iron, chromium, nickel, and sometimes other metals. The most common type\u2014304 stainless steel, which is used in kitchen sinks, appliances, and utensils\u2014is austenitic<\/em>, which is non-ferromagnetic. Wait, so if you hold a NdFeB to a 304 stainless spoon, does it stick? No. But 400-series stainless steel, like 410 or 430, is ferritic<\/em>\u2014it has high iron content and no nickel, so it does<\/em> attract magnets. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll see some fridge magnets stick to the back of your stainless steel fridge, but not to your stainless steel spoon. I had a customer last year who bought a bunch of NdFeB magnets to put on their stainless steel fridge, and they were upset when they didn\u2019t work\u2014turns out their fridge was 304, so I recommended they swap for our thicker NdFeB magnets to boost the field enough to get a tiny stick (still not great, but enough for light items). That\u2019s a common mix-up, so I always tell customers: if it\u2019s stainless steel, grab a magnet from your junk drawer first\u2014if it sticks, great, if not, don\u2019t waste your order.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the stuff that\u2019s not<\/em> metal, but people think is. Like, ceramics? No, unless they have a magnetic metal core. Rubber magnets? Wait, those are ferrites, not NdFeB, and way weaker, so they barely stick to anything. Even some composite materials have metal particles in them\u2014like certain types of steel-reinforced concrete, those will<\/em> attract NdFeB, but the concrete itself is not magnetic, just the metal inside.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s add a few edge cases because I\u2019ve run into these. What about a metal that\u2019s been coated with a non-magnetic metal? Like, a steel nail plated with brass\u2014if the brass is thick enough, you might not notice the stick, but if you scrape a little brass off the end, the steel core will stick. I tested this yesterday with a hardware store nail, and sure enough, scratch the brass with a knife, the NdFeB pulls right to the steel. Another edge case: very thin metal sheets. Like, a thin sheet of aluminum foil\u2014since it\u2019s so thin, you won\u2019t feel attraction, but if you stack a bunch of them, you might get a tiny response. Not enough to stick, but it\u2019s something.<\/p>\n

Now, why does this matter? Because as a NdFeB supplier, I get customers calling all the time ordering the wrong magnets for their project. Last month, a customer ordered 100 NdFeB hooks to hang tools in his garage, and he sent a video saying they wouldn\u2019t stick to his steel tool chest\u2014turns out his tool chest was aluminum, not steel. That\u2019s a $20 mistake he could\u2019ve avoided if he\u2019d known to test a magnet first. Another customer, a jewelry maker, tried to use NdFeB magnets to make magnetic clasps for silver necklaces\u2014silver is diamagnetic, so they didn\u2019t work, and he had to go back to traditional clasps. So knowing which metals work saves time and money, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m here for.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s also mention what makes NdFeB magnets different from other magnets, because that\u2019s why their attraction is more noticeable. NdFeB is a rare-earth magnet, made from neodymium, iron, and boron. Their magnetic field is way more concentrated than old ferrites, so they can attract even weakly magnetic metals, like certain stainless steels, more strongly. A ferrite bar magnet might barely stick to 430 stainless, but a NdFeB magnet will pull on it hard enough to hold a small tool. That\u2019s why so many customers prefer them for heavy-duty applications.<\/p>\n

Now, a quick pro test you can do at home to check if a metal will attract NdFeB: Grab any old magnet (even a cheap fridge magnet) and hold it to the metal. If the fridge magnet sticks, the NdFeB will stick way<\/em> harder. If the fridge magnet doesn\u2019t stick, the NdFeB might still weakly stick to ferromagnetic metals, but it\u2019s worth testing. I do this test with every random metal someone sends to me\u2014last week, a guy sent me a random metal bolt he found in his workshop, it was a stainless bolt, and it stuck, so I knew it was 400-series, perfect for his project.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about how I see this playing into our business, because I\u2019m not just here to teach science\u2014I\u2019m here to help. A lot of customers don\u2019t realize that NdFeB\u2019s strength means they can use smaller magnets than they would with ferrites, which saves on cost and space. For example, a customer building small robotic grippers used to use big ferrite magnets, but now uses our tiny 10mm NdFeB discs that pull just as hard, making the gripper smaller and lighter. But they have to make sure the gripper parts are steel, not aluminum, otherwise the magnets won\u2019t work. That\u2019s why I always include a note in our order confirmation to test the metal first\u2014no exceptions.<\/p>\n

Wait, one more thing: demagnetization. If a metal is already demagnetized, it won\u2019t attract a magnet, right? Wait, no\u2014most metals that are ferromagnetic (like steel) aren\u2019t permanent magnets on their own, they only become magnetic when exposed to an external magnetic field, like a NdFeB. So even if a steel bar isn\u2019t magnetic on its own, it will be attracted to a NdFeB, because the NdFeB\u2019s field induces a magnetic field in the steel. That\u2019s why you can pick up a stack of paperclips with a NdFeB magnet\u2014each paperclip becomes a small magnet when near the NdFeB, so they stick to each other. That\u2019s a cool party trick I show every time I have people over.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s wrap this up. To make it simple, here\u2019s a quick cheat sheet for which metals attract NdFeB:<\/p>\n