Neodymium magnets are a member of the Rare Earth magnet family and are the most powerful permanent magnets in the world. They are also referred to as NdFeB magnets, or NIB, because they are composed mainly of Neodymium (Nd), Iron (Fe) and Boron (B).

 

Neodymium magnets are all graded by the material they are made of. Like N35, N38, N42, N48...As a very general rule, the higher the grade (the number following the 'N'), the stronger the magnet. The grades are range from N-M-H-SH to UH.

 

Neodymium magnets are also sensitive to heat .Different grade of magnets have a limited temperature range ,like N grade magnet can lose a fraction of their magnetic strength at temperatures above 80° C.

Rare Earth magnets have a high resistance to demagnetization, unlike most other types of magnets. They will not lose their magnetization around other magnets or if dropped.

 

Today, magnets are available in all sorts of shapes including discs, rings, blocks, rectangles, arcs, rods, and bars. They are made out of materials such as ceramic (strontium ferrite), alnico (aluminum, nickel, and cobalt), rare earth (samarium cobalt and neodymium) and flexible rubber-like material. Not only do the shape and material of magnets vary, so do their applications. Magnets are used for lifting, holding, separating, retrieving, sensing and material handling. You can find magnets in a car — even around your house! Magnets are used in the home to organize tools or kitchen utensils and can be found in doorbells,toys, loudspeakers, microwaves and televisions! Business offices and schools use magnetic planning boards to display schedules and charts.

 

Neodymium magnets are over 10x stronger than the strongest ceramic magnets. If you are currently using ceramic magnets in your project, you could probably use a much smaller neodymium magnet and have greater holding force.