Neodymium magnets are the strongest permanent magnets available. Even small ones exert a force that can surprise you, and larger ones can cause serious injury. Please read this guidance before handling our products and pass it on to anyone who uses, installs or resells them.
Warning: Not a toy. Keep out of the reach of children. Swallowed magnets can cause serious internal injury: seek medical help immediately. Keep away from pacemakers and other medical implants.
1. Pinching and crushing
- Strong magnets attract each other and steel objects suddenly and with great force, from a greater distance than you might expect.
- Fingers or skin caught between two magnets, or between a magnet and steel, can be pinched, bruised or, with large magnets, crushed.
- Handle one magnet at a time and keep magnets well apart from each other and from steel surfaces, tools and workbenches.
- Wear sturdy gloves when handling larger magnets, and never let magnets fly together.
- Separate magnets by sliding them apart sideways, not by pulling them straight apart. Use a non-magnetic wedge (wood or plastic) for strong magnets.
- Take extra care with large magnets and pot magnets: they can pull tools, knives or other steel objects towards them with considerable force.
2. Children and swallowing
- Our magnets are not toys. Keep them, including their packaging and spacers, out of the reach of children.
- If two or more magnets, or a magnet and a metal object, are swallowed, they can attract each other through the walls of the intestines. This can cause perforation, blockage or other life-threatening injuries.
- Swallowed magnets often cause no symptoms at first. If you suspect a child (or anyone) has swallowed a magnet, seek emergency medical help immediately, and take the product or its packaging with you if possible.
- Small magnets can also be inhaled or pushed into the nose or ears. Keep them away from anyone who may put objects in their mouth, including people with cognitive impairments, and away from pets.
3. Pacemakers and medical implants
- Strong magnetic fields can affect pacemakers, implantable defibrillators (ICDs), insulin pumps, cochlear implants, programmable shunt valves and other active medical implants. A magnetic field can switch some devices into a different operating mode.
- If you or someone near you has a medical implant, keep magnets at a safe distance and follow the advice of the device manufacturer or your doctor.
- Don't carry strong magnets in a breast pocket, and don't let people with medical implants handle large magnets.
4. Electronics, cards and data carriers
Strong magnets can damage or erase:
- Bank cards, credit cards, key cards and other cards with a magnetic strip
- Hard disk drives, magnetic tapes and other magnetic storage media
- Mechanical watches, hearing aids and loudspeakers
- Compasses and the compass (magnetometer) sensors in phones, tablets and navigation devices
- Monitors and televisions with picture tubes, and some measuring instruments
Keep magnets at a safe distance from these items, and store them away from computers and electronic equipment.
5. Brittleness, chipping and splinters
- Neodymium magnets are hard but brittle. If they snap together or hit a steel surface, they can chip, crack or shatter, sending sharp splinters flying at high speed.
- Wear safety glasses when handling strong magnets, especially when separating or assembling them.
- Don't use magnets that are chipped or cracked; the splinters are sharp and still magnetic.
- Don't drill, saw, grind or machine neodymium magnets. They break easily, and the dust from grinding or drilling is flammable and can ignite.
6. Heat and fire
- Every magnet has a maximum operating temperature. Above it, the magnet permanently loses part of its strength. Standard neodymium grades are generally rated to about 80 °C; see our technical guide for other grades.
- Keep magnets away from open flames, soldering and welding work, and don't heat them to remove them from a surface.
- Rubber, plastic and self-adhesive layers can soften or burn at lower temperatures than the magnet itself.
7. Skin contact and nickel allergy
- Many neodymium magnets have a nickel (Ni-Cu-Ni) coating. People with a nickel allergy may react to prolonged skin contact. If you're allergic, avoid prolonged direct contact, wear gloves, or choose an epoxy, rubber or plastic-coated product.
8. Shipping and transport, including by air
- Strong magnets can interfere with other parcels and with sorting and navigation equipment. For air freight, magnetised material is regulated as dangerous goods when its magnetic field outside the package exceeds the limits set in the international air transport rules.
- Strong magnets are packed securely to protect them in transit. For some destinations or very strong magnets, only certain shipping methods may be available.
- If you send magnets yourself (for example a return), keep the original packaging if possible, keep magnets apart with spacers, place them in the centre of a sturdy box, away from the outer walls, and shield them so they don't attract each other or steel objects. Check your carrier's rules before sending magnets by air.
9. Storage and handling tips
- Store magnets in their original packaging or with spacers between them, in a dry place at room temperature.
- Store them away from children, electronics, cards and medical implants.
- Keep a clear, non-magnetic workspace when handling or assembling magnets.
- Label containers of strong magnets so others know to handle them with care.
Questions about safe use?
If you're unsure whether a magnet is suitable or safe for your application, email us before use at info@magneticsolutions.net.
This page gives general guidance on handling magnets and doesn't replace the safety information supplied with each product or professional advice for your specific application.