What Objects Do Magnets Stick To? A Complete Guide
If you have a magnet and a handful of random items from around the house, you can sort them into two piles: the ones that stick and the ones that don’t. The short answer to “what objects do magnets stick to” is that magnets are attracted to materials that contain iron, nickel, or cobalt. These are known as ferromagnetic metals. Most other common metals, like aluminum, copper, or brass, will not stick at all. A magnet will also stick to steel, because steel is an alloy made mostly of iron.
How Magnetism Works on a Material Level
Magnets produce a magnetic field, an invisible area of force around the magnet. This field is created by the alignment of electrons within the magnet itself. When you bring a magnet close to a ferromagnetic material, the magnetic field causes the electrons in that material to temporarily align in the same direction. This creates a temporary magnetic attraction that pulls the two objects together.
The strength of the attraction depends on two factors: the strength of the magnet and the amount of ferromagnetic material in the object. A weak refrigerator magnet might barely hold a thin steel paperclip, but it will have no effect on a thick steel pipe. A strong neodymium magnet, on the other hand, can attract a steel object through a layer of plastic or wood.
Common Household Objects That Attract Magnets
You can test the answer to “what objects do magnets stick to” by walking through your home. The list is shorter than you might think.
- Kitchen tools: Steel knives, forks, and spoons (check with a magnet; some are stainless and non-magnetic). Steel pans and cast iron skillets.
- Hardware: Nails, screws, paperclips, staples, and most hand tools like wrenches and screwdrivers.
- Appliances: The outer shell of a refrigerator, a washing machine, or an oven is usually made of steel.
- Furniture: The legs of a metal desk or chair, the frame of a sofa, or the springs inside a mattress.
- Electronics: Small screws inside phones and laptops, and the speakers in headphones (which contain a permanent magnet).
A quick test: hold a magnet near the object. If you feel a pull, it contains ferromagnetic metal. If you feel nothing, the object is made of non-magnetic material like aluminum, copper, brass, plastic, wood, glass, or ceramic.
Common Objects That Will Not Stick
This list is often surprising.
- Coins: Most modern coins are made from copper, nickel, or zinc alloys. US pennies (after 1982) are mostly zinc with a copper coating. US nickels are a copper-nickel alloy. None of these stick strongly to a typical magnet. Some older steel pennies from 1943 will stick.
- Aluminum foil: Aluminum is not ferromagnetic. A magnet will not stick to it.
- Brass and copper: These are common in plumbing fittings, decorative items, and wiring. They are not magnetic.
- Gold, silver, and platinum: Precious metals are not magnetic. This is sometimes used as a quick authenticity test for jewelry or coins.
Why Some Metals Are Magnetic and Others Are Not
The difference comes down to the arrangement of electrons in the atoms of the metal. In a ferromagnetic material, the electrons in the outer shells are arranged in a way that allows them to align their magnetic moments (think of them as tiny bar magnets) in the same direction. When you apply an external magnetic field, these tiny magnets all point the same way, and the material becomes magnetized.
In non-ferromagnetic metals like aluminum or copper, the electrons are arranged differently. When you apply a magnetic field, the electrons create a weak opposing field (this is called diamagnetism), which results in a very slight repulsion. You cannot feel this with a typical magnet. Other materials, like wood or plastic, have no free electrons that can respond to a magnetic field at all.
Practical Examples and a Simple Test
If you want to know exactly what objects do magnets stick to, you can do a simple experiment. You need a strong magnet (a neodymium disc magnet works well) and a selection of objects.
- Test a steel paperclip. It will stick strongly.
- Test an aluminum soda can. It will not stick.
- Test a stainless steel sink. Most kitchen sinks are made from 304 stainless steel, which is non-magnetic. If your sink is magnetic, it is likely a different grade of steel.
- Test a US nickel. It will not stick.
- Test a steel nail. It will stick.
This test works because the magnetic field passes through non-magnetic materials. You can place a piece of paper or plastic between the magnet and the steel object, and the magnet will still hold it. This is how magnetic whiteboards and refrigerator magnets work.
The strength of the magnet matters. A typical ceramic refrigerator magnet might only hold one sheet of paper. A neodymium magnet, which is made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron, can be hundreds of times stronger. The National MagLab provides detailed information on how different types of magnets are made and how their strength is measured.
Key Takeaways
- Magnets stick only to ferromagnetic materials, which are metals that contain iron, nickel, or cobalt.
- Steel, cast iron, and most common hardware items (nails, screws, tools) are magnetic because they contain iron.
- Aluminum, copper, brass, gold, silver, and most stainless steel are not magnetic.
- The strength of the attraction depends on the magnet’s power and the amount of ferromagnetic material in the object.
- A simple test with a strong magnet can tell you whether any object contains magnetic metal.
