Magnet Safety
Neodymium magnets are safe for adults who handle them with care, but they are not toys and are not safe for children: they are strong enough to cause serious injury if swallowed, pinched or shattered. Apex Magnets sells neodymium magnets for use by adults 18 and older.
Swallowed magnets are a medical emergency
If someone swallows two or more magnets, or a magnet and a metal object, get emergency medical care right away, even if they seem fine.
Swallowed magnets can attract each other through the walls of the intestines and cause holes, blockages and infection that can be life-threatening. Symptoms may not appear until the damage is serious. Tell the medical staff that magnets were swallowed.
- Keep magnets out of reach of children and pets.
- Never put magnets in the mouth, nose or ears, or use them as fake piercings.
- Count small magnets after use so a missing one is noticed.
Pinching and crushing
Strong magnets jump together from a distance and can pinch skin hard enough to cause blood blisters; large magnets can break fingers.
Wear heavy gloves with large magnets, handle one magnet at a time, and keep other magnets and steel objects out of the work area.
Chipping and shattering
Neodymium magnets are brittle, and if they slam together they can chip or shatter and throw sharp fragments at high speed.
Wear safety glasses when handling strong magnets. Do not let magnets snap together, and stop using any magnet that is chipped or cracked.
Separating and storing magnets
Slide magnets apart sideways instead of pulling them straight apart; sliding takes far less force.
For a stack, push the end magnet over the edge of a table and slide it off. Store magnets with plastic or wood spacers between them, in their original packaging where possible, away from children, steel objects and electronics.
Pacemakers and implanted medical devices
Keep strong magnets at least 6 inches (15 cm) away from pacemakers, defibrillators and other implanted medical devices.
Magnets 2 inches or larger need much more distance: keep them at least 2 feet (60 cm) away. These devices can react to magnetic fields as weak as 10 gauss (1 mT); follow the device maker's guidance.
Electronics, cards and data
Strong magnets can erase magnetic-stripe cards and hotel key cards, damage older hard drives, and interfere with the compass and sensors in phones and tablets.
Solid-state drives, flash memory and chip cards are not affected by everyday magnets.
Heat, drilling and machining
Standard neodymium magnets begin to lose strength permanently above 80 °C (176 °F).
Do not drill, cut or grind neodymium magnets: the material cracks, the grinding dust is flammable, and heat from cutting can demagnetize the magnet. For a magnet you can screw down, choose a countersunk or ring magnet.
Shipping and returns
Apex Magnets packs strong magnets with an air gap, metal shielding or both, depending on their size and shape, so they ship safely.
If you return magnets, reuse the original packing and padding. See Shipping and Returns.
The bottom line
Like any tool, neodymium magnets are useful and educational, but they must always be handled with care. For more answers, see the Magnet FAQ.