Can I drill or saw magnets?

Magnets - especially neodymium magnets - are very brittle materials that can break when drilled or sawn.
For this reason, we advise against mechanical processing - unless you have special knowledge or experience.

Drilling neodymium magnets

Drilling or sawing neodymium magnets is not recommended for the following reasons:

- It is a very brittle and fragile material, making it very difficult to machine.
- The heat generated can demagnetise the material during processing.
- Highly flammable dust is produced during processing.
- The magnets are no longer protected against corrosion after processing due to the lack of coating


Of course, mechanical processing, for example using a special process (diamond tool under constant water cooling), is not impossible, but it is challenging. As a rule, this should therefore be done before the magnet is magnetised.

Our recommendation:
Avoid subsequent mechanical processing of the magnets and instead opt for ready-made neodymium magnets to screw on. This guarantees optimum quality:
If you cannot find the right size, we will be happy to provide you with a quote for a customised product.

Block magnet 80.0 x 25.0 x 4.0 mm neodymium N35 nickel-plated - 2 x 4.5 mm countersunk North

Disc magnet Ø 15.0 mm x 3.0 mm neodymium N35 nickel-plated - 4.5 mm countersunk. South

Disc magnet Ø 25.0 mm x 4.0 mm neodymium N35 nickel-plated - 4.5 mm countersunk. North

Disc magnet Ø 30.0 mm x 4.0 mm neodymium N35 nickel-plated - 4.5 mm countersunk hole north - holds 11 kg

Neodymium flat gripper with countersink Ø 20 x 7.0 mm holds 8.2 kg

Neodymium flat gripper with countersink Ø 25 x 8.0 mm holds 17.5 kg

Neodymium flat gripper with countersink Ø 42 x 9.0 mm holds 55.0 kg

Neodymium flat gripper with countersink Ø 75 x 15.0 mm holds 165 kg

Drilling ferrite magnets

We also do not recommend mechanically processing ferrite magnets by drilling or sawing them afterwards:

- It is a brittle and fragile material

However, this is not quite as critical with ferrite magnets, as it is a ceramic material that does not require a coating anyway. All our ferrite magnets are supplied uncoated and are still 100% corrosion-resistant even after mechanical processing.
For this reason, you can try to scratch and break them, but you cannot expect a clean break as the material is very brittle.

In case of doubt, we also recommend our ready-made ferrite magnets with countersunk hole:

Ferrite flat gripper with countersink Ø 20.0 x 6.0 mm holds 2.7 kg

Ferrite flat gripper with countersink Ø 25.0 x 7.0 mm holds 3.8 kg

Ferrite flat gripper with countersink Ø 40.0 x 8.0 mm holds 9.3 kg