What Does "Axially Magnetized" Mean?
Short answer
Axially magnetized means the poles are on the flat, round faces of a disc, cylinder or ring: north on one face, south on the other, along the magnet’s central axis. It’s the standard for round magnets. The alternative is diametric magnetization, where the poles are on opposite sides of the curved edge.
Axially magnetized disc
North on one flat face, south on the other.
Diametrically magnetized disc
North on one curved side, south on the other.
Axially magnetized ring
North on one flat face.
Diametrically magnetized ring
North on one curved side.
Axial or Diametric: Which Do I Need?
| Use | Choose |
|---|---|
| Sticking to steel, closures, stacking, holding | Axial |
| Magnet glued into a hole, face out | Axial |
| Spinning on a shaft, rotary sensors, couplings | Diametric |
| Rolling or side-to-side attraction | Diametric |
Unless a listing says “diametric,” our round magnets are axially magnetized.