Can Metal Detectors Detect Non-Magnetic Metals?


can metal detectors detect non magnetic metals

I’ve heard that some people claim that non-magnetic  metals are not detectable with a regular metal detector! This is might be right 70 years ago, but now, this couldn’t be further from the truth …

… In this post I provide more relevant and important details!

Can metal detectors detect non-magnetic metals?

My straightforward answer is Yes! In fact, they were designed for that matter!

In other words, the non-magnetic aka non-ferrous metals are the ones that hold the most value like gold. And metal detectors are supposed to help you find such metals.

What you should keep in mind is that what matters for a detecting machine is not how magnetic the target is, but how conductive is it electricity wise! Indeed, if you target can conduct electricity, chances are, your machine can pick it up.

The science behind that, to make it simple, is that the machine’s coil emits a magnetic field that once it collides with your target it triggers an electrical current that the machine can sense back …

… So, if the target can’t conduct electricity, then there is no way it can detect it.

Finally, keep in mind that detectors can also find magnets if you wish!

What Metal Detector to use to find non-magnetic metals?

To be quite honest, any modern detector can find those targets! The challenge is not that, it is rather the ground conditions you are dealing with …

… Indeed, if you are dealing with a trashy ground (like in parks or beaches) where there is lot of junk metals, then your machine might struggle quite a bit.

Especially, if it doesn’t have a decent discrimination that will ignore all the trash to focus on the non-magnetic metals that would potentially hold the most value.

Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV

A good choice here is the cheap Bounty Hunter Tracker 4 (Check its Current Price Here at Amazon). Despite its affordable price, it has a decent discrimination that will allow you to focus on the non magnetic targets as much as possible.

Examples of non-magnetic metals?

Below, couple examples of non-magnetic metals that you can come up with using your machine:

Are non-magnetic metals more valuable than magnetic?

Obviously, nonmagnetic metals  are way more valuable than the magnetic ones! Not only because they hold actual value that you as a detectorist can cash in immediately like a gold object …

… But also, because these metals are the ones they are used for actual industrial applications from which they make valuable metallic elements.

Final Thoughts …

Hope this very short post has given you some useful ideas and helped you to get your questions well answered …

… This Website is designed for this! Indeed, once I find a relevant question that people ask about the topic, I just jump in and give a simple answer to, hopefully, spread value.

Finally, if you are a beginner in this hobby, I highly invite you to have a look at this Metal Detection Guide for Beginners. You will find many useful tips that will make you get the most out of this hobby.

Carissa Harmer

Carissa is the huge metal detecting enthusiast that loves collecting coins. She is also highly interested in other treasure hunting activities like magnet fishing and gold prospecting/panning.

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