Ferromagnetic materials
Magnetically 'hard' or 'soft'?
Of all magnetic materials, ferromagnetic materials are the only materials that are strong enough to be attracted by a magnet or to be used as magnet material.
We divide ferromagnetic materials into magnetically soft and hard materials. Soft magnetic materials, such as annealed iron, are easily magnetized, but do not stay magnetic after magnetization. The magnetism disappears quickly and almost completely. Hard magnetic materials do stay magnetic.