---
title: "Which Metals Are Magnetic? Iron, Nickel, Cobalt and Steel"
source: "https://www.laxconsteels.com/which-metals-are-magnetic/"
description: "Iron, nickel, cobalt and gadolinium are ferromagnetic. Aluminium, copper, gold, silver, titanium and zinc are not. Carbon steel is; annealed 304 is not."
---
# Which Metals Are Magnetic? Iron, Nickel, Cobalt and Steel

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A metal is magnetic, in the everyday sense of being attracted to a magnet and held by it, when it is ferromagnetic. Four chemical elements are ferromagnetic at or near room temperature: iron, nickel, cobalt and gadolinium, the last only below about 20 degrees Celsius. Nearly every magnetic alloy in common use owes its response to one of these metals, usually iron, which is why carbon steel, cast iron and the ferritic, martensitic and duplex stainless steels are magnetic. Most other metals, including aluminium, copper, gold, silver, titanium, zinc and lead, are not magnetic in this sense. They are paramagnetic or diamagnetic: a magnetic field acts on them, but so weakly that only a laboratory instrument detects it. Austenitic stainless steel, such as grade 304 in the annealed condition, is the common exception inside the iron family. It is mostly iron, yet a magnet does not hold to it, because its crystal structure does not allow the magnetic order that iron shows on its own.

## Iron, nickel and cobalt: why they are magnetic

Each electron behaves as a tiny magnet. In most atoms the electrons pair off with opposite orientations and their moments cancel. Iron, nickel and cobalt have unpaired electrons in an inner shell, the 3d shell, so every atom carries a net magnetic moment. In the solid metal a quantum effect called the exchange interaction makes the moments of neighbouring atoms point the same way, and they line up over regions called magnetic domains. In an unmagnetised piece the domains point in different directions and cancel one another. Near a magnet, the domains aligned with the field grow at the expense of the others, the piece becomes a magnet for as long as the field acts, and the two attract. This is ferromagnetism, and it is many orders of magnitude stronger than any other magnetic response of a metal.

Magnetically soft materials let the domains fall back out of line when the field is removed. Magnetically hard materials keep the alignment and are made into permanent magnets. The name of the neodymium magnet misleads on this point: the magnet is an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron with the formula Nd2Fe14B, and neodymium on its own is paramagnetic at room temperature. Neighbours of iron in the periodic table are not automatically magnetic either. Chromium, the element that makes steel stainless, is antiferromagnetic at room temperature: its atomic moments alternate in direction and cancel, so a magnet does not hold to it. Manganese is not ferromagnetic either, yet its compound with bismuth, MnBi, is: ferromagnetism depends on how the atoms are arranged as well as on which atoms are present.

## The Curie temperature

Ferromagnetism weakens as a metal is heated, because thermal motion disturbs the alignment of the atomic moments. At a temperature called the Curie temperature the order is lost altogether. Above it the metal is paramagnetic and a magnet no longer holds to it; on cooling back through the same temperature the ferromagnetism returns. The Curie temperature of iron is 770 degrees Celsius, far below its melting point of 1,538 degrees, so iron heated above that temperature is no longer magnetic although it is still far from molten. Gadolinium has a Curie temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius. It is ferromagnetic in a cool room and paramagnetic in a warm one, which is why it is usually left off the everyday list.

*Curie temperatures of the ferromagnetic elements*

| Element | Curie temperature, degrees Celsius | Curie temperature, kelvin | At room temperature |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cobalt | 1,115 | 1,388 | Ferromagnetic |
| Iron | 770 | 1,043 | Ferromagnetic |
| Nickel | 354 | 627 | Ferromagnetic |
| Gadolinium | about 20 | about 293 | Ferromagnetic below, paramagnetic above |

## Paramagnetic and diamagnetic metals

A metal without ferromagnetic order still responds to a field, in one of two weak ways. A paramagnetic metal is drawn slightly into a strong field, because the field partly aligns the magnetic moments of its electrons. The alignment vanishes as soon as the field is removed, and no domains form. Aluminium, titanium, magnesium, tungsten and platinum are paramagnetic. A diamagnetic metal is pushed slightly out of a field, because the field changes the motion of its electrons so that they set up a small opposing moment. Every material has this diamagnetic response, but it shows only where nothing stronger outweighs it, as in copper, silver, gold, zinc, lead and mercury. Bismuth is the most strongly diamagnetic metal. For a hand magnet and a piece of any of these metals the force is far too small to feel, and in engineering they are all called non-magnetic.

*Magnetic behaviour of common metals and alloys at room temperature*

| Metal or alloy | Magnetic class at room temperature | Held by a hand magnet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Iron, nickel, cobalt | Ferromagnetic | Yes |
| Carbon steel, alloy steel, cast iron | Ferromagnetic | Yes |
| Ferritic, martensitic and duplex stainless steel | Ferromagnetic | Yes |
| Austenitic stainless steel (304, 316) | Paramagnetic when annealed | No; weakly after cold work |
| Monel 400 | Ferromagnetic or paramagnetic, by heat | Weakly, in some heats |
| Inconel 600, Inconel 625 | Paramagnetic | No |
| Aluminium and its alloys | Paramagnetic | No |
| Titanium | Paramagnetic | No |
| Platinum, tungsten, magnesium | Paramagnetic | No |
| Chromium | Antiferromagnetic | No |
| Copper, brass | Diamagnetic | No |
| Gold, silver | Diamagnetic | No |
| Zinc, lead, bismuth | Diamagnetic | No |

## Is aluminium magnetic?

Aluminium is not magnetic. It is paramagnetic, so a magnetic field attracts it, but the force on a piece of aluminium beside a hand magnet is far below anything that can be felt. A magnet does not stick to an aluminium window frame, ladder or drink can, and the common aluminium alloys behave in the same way. Aluminium does react to a moving magnet. A magnet that moves past a good electrical conductor induces eddy currents in it, and those currents set up a field that opposes the motion. A strong magnet dropped down a thick copper tube falls slowly for this reason. Recycling plants use the same effect in eddy current separators: a spinning magnetic rotor at the end of a conveyor throws aluminium and copper pieces clear, while non-metallic material drops off the belt. The effect comes from electrical conductivity and motion, not from any magnetism of the metal. The [steel and aluminium comparison](https://www.laxconsteels.com/steel-vs-aluminium-guide/) sets out the other differences between the two metals.

## Is copper magnetic?

Copper is not magnetic. It is diamagnetic, so a strong field repels it slightly, and a magnet does not stick to copper pipe, wire or sheet. Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is not magnetic either, because both of its constituents are diamagnetic. A copper or brass part that does attract a magnet contains a ferromagnetic metal, usually iron, either as an alloying addition or as a steel component such as an insert, a screw or a spring.

## Is gold magnetic?

Pure gold is not magnetic; like copper and silver, it is diamagnetic. Jewellery gold is an alloy of gold with silver, copper and other metals. When a gold chain or ring clings to a magnet, the attraction comes from a ferromagnetic metal: a steel spring in the clasp, a base metal under a gold plating, or iron, nickel or cobalt in the alloy. A magnet test can therefore show that an item is not solid gold. It cannot show that an item is gold, because copper, brass, aluminium and lead ignore a magnet as well. Silver behaves in the same way.

## Magnetic and non-magnetic alloys

In the alloys used in engineering, magnetism depends on two things: enough of a ferromagnetic element, and a crystal structure that lets the moments align. In carbon and alloy steels most of the iron is ferrite, the body-centred cubic form of iron, and they are strongly magnetic; so is cast iron. Stainless steel divides by structure rather than by composition alone. The ferritic and martensitic grades are magnetic, the [duplex grades](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/duplex/) are magnetic because about half of their volume is ferrite, and the austenitic grades such as 304 and 316 are not magnetic when annealed, although cold work can make them weakly magnetic. The grade-by-grade detail is in the article [Is stainless steel magnetic?](https://www.laxconsteels.com/is-stainless-steel-magnetic/)

Nickel is ferromagnetic on its own, but alloying can remove the property. Inconel 600 and Inconel 625, both nickel-chromium alloys, have Curie temperatures well below room temperature and are not magnetic in service. [Monel 400](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/monel-400/), a nickel-copper alloy, has its Curie temperature inside the ordinary ambient range. The alloy originator states that some heats are magnetic at room temperature and others are not, and that another alloy should be considered where a part must be non-magnetic. Titanium is paramagnetic and is not attracted to a hand magnet; the [titanium reference page](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/titanium/) covers its grades.

## Magnetic and non-magnetic bar

Laxcon Steels makes stainless, carbon and alloy steel bar, all of it iron-based. [Hot rolled round bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/hot-rolled-round-bars/) is supplied from 16 to 125 mm and [bright bar](https://www.laxconsteels.com/products/bright-bars/) from 5 to 115 mm. Bar in the carbon, alloy, ferritic, martensitic and duplex grades is magnetic. Austenitic bar is non-magnetic in the annealed and pickled condition and weakly magnetic after cold drawing. The heat analysis on the mill test certificate, not a magnet, identifies the grade.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is titanium magnetic?

No. Titanium is paramagnetic: a magnetic field attracts it, but far too weakly for a hand magnet to hold it. A titanium part that clings to a magnet contains a ferromagnetic metal, such as a steel fastener or insert.

### Is steel magnetic?

Carbon steel, alloy steel and cast iron are magnetic because most of their iron is present as ferrite, the magnetic form of iron. Ferritic, martensitic and duplex stainless steels are magnetic too. Austenitic stainless steels such as 304 and 316 are not magnetic when annealed and become weakly magnetic after cold work.

### Which metals are not magnetic?

Aluminium, copper, brass, gold, silver, zinc, lead, tin, titanium, platinum, magnesium and tungsten are not magnetic in the everyday sense. They are paramagnetic or diamagnetic, and the forces on them are too small to feel. Annealed austenitic stainless steel and nickel-chromium alloys such as Inconel 625 are non-magnetic alloys.

### Is nickel magnetic?

Yes. Nickel is one of the four elements that are ferromagnetic at or near room temperature, and it stays magnetic up to its Curie temperature of 354 degrees Celsius. Many nickel alloys are not magnetic, because alloying with chromium or copper lowers the Curie temperature to near or below room temperature.

## Sources

- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics: Magnetic susceptibility of the elements and inorganic compounds, compiled from Landolt-Börnstein, New Series, Magnetic Properties of Metals.
- Tables of Curie temperatures after F. Keffer, Handbuch der Physik, volume 18, part 2.
- Special Metals Corporation technical bulletins: Monel alloy 400, Inconel alloy 600 and Inconel alloy 625, physical constants.
- The grade properties in the [Laxcon grade reference](https://www.laxconsteels.com/grades/).

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