Lifting Magnets

Lifting Magnets — Switchable & Permanent Magnetic Lifters

Lifting magnets give you a fast, sling-free way to move flat steel plate, billet, and machined ferrous components — no drilling, no chaining, no threading a sling through an awkward load. AIMS Industrial stocks two genuinely different technologies side by side: Magswitch switchable permanent lifters (rotating-magnet hand lifters, the MLAY array series, and Extenda-Lift/MagReach reach attachments), and traditional lever-release permanent lifters from Austlift, Prolift, Beaver and Challenger, rated from as little as 100 kg through to 3,000 kg.

Every lifting magnet in this range is a permanent-magnet device — none of them need mains power or an air line to hold a load — but they switch the magnetic field on and off in different ways, and that difference genuinely changes which job each one suits. Below we've laid out the range by series and rated capacity, then gone through how the two technologies actually differ, how surface condition and shape affect what you can safely lift, and the questions our team gets asked most often when customers are specifying a magnetic lifter.

Lifting Magnet Quick Reference

Capacities above are drawn from the specifications and variant data published against live SKUs in this range. Where a product is offered in more than one size, always confirm the exact rated capacity for the size you need on the individual product page before ordering.

Switchable vs Permanent Magnetic Lifters — How They Actually Differ

Every unit in this range is a permanent-magnet lifter in the sense that none of them rely on mains power to hold a load — that's what makes them fail-safe on a power cut. The real difference between the two families is the mechanism used to switch the magnetic field on and off, and it's worth understanding before you specify one.

Magswitch — rotating magnet array

Magswitch's hand lifters and MLAY series use an internal array of permanent magnets that physically rotates when you turn the handle. In one position the magnets' fields align through the base plate and grip the steel; rotated 180°, the fields cancel each other out at the pole face and the lifter releases. It's a purely mechanical switch — no batteries in the Manual (60-M) version, a small onboard battery in the Cordless Electric (60-CE) version purely to power the release trigger. The MLAY range extends this into multi-magnet arrays (the x2, x3 and x4 configurations) — multiple 600 kg or 1,000 kg magnets mounted on a common frame so a wider or longer section of plate is supported across several contact points rather than one, which matters when you're lifting long structural sections that would otherwise flex or tip off a single magnet.

Austlift, Prolift, Beaver & Challenger — lever-release permanent lifters

These are the classic hook-mounted magnetic lifter shape familiar on any steel service centre floor: a rated permanent magnet in a steel housing, with a lifting eye or shackle on top and a hand lever that engages or releases the magnetic circuit. Prolift's range, for example, uses a two-action, spring-locked lever with an NdFeB (neodymium) magnet for a deep, reliable field, backed by a 3:1 safety factor as standard across its 300 kg to 3,000 kg range. Austlift, Beaver and Challenger cover the lighter end of the same category, from 100 kg through to 1,500 kg depending on model, and are the more familiar choice where a simple single-lever lifter suits the job better than a switchable array.

Reach attachments and handling accessories

The Extenda-Lift (600 lb and 1,000 lb) and MagReach 400 telescope out to let you position a magnet from 1.3 m to over 2 m away — useful for reaching into a tank, over a guard rail, or down into a pit without leaning over the load. The Mag Dolly is a wheeled accessory for rolling plate around a workshop floor rather than a lifting device in its own right, and shouldn't be treated as one.

Choosing the Right Lifting Magnet

Rated capacity assumes clean, flat, thick mild steel

Every lifting magnet's headline rating is measured on a specific test surface — typically clean, flat mild steel plate at a manufacturer-specified minimum thickness. Scale, rust, paint, an air gap, or plate thinner than the rated thickness all reduce the magnetic circuit's efficiency and cut the effective holding force. The size of that reduction is model-specific, so treat the rated capacity as a best-case figure and check the manufacturer's derating information for the actual surface condition and thickness you're lifting — don't assume the plate on your floor matches the plate on the spec sheet.

Flat plate is not the same job as round bar

Contact area drives lifting capacity, and a curved surface simply contacts less of the magnet's pole face than a flat one. This isn't a rounding error — Beaver's own permanent magnetic lifter range, for instance, publishes a separate round-bar rating for every model that's roughly a third of its flat-plate rating (its 1,000 kg flat-plate model is rated to just 300 kg on round bar). Always use the round-bar or curved-surface rating specifically published for the model you're using, never the flat-plate figure, when the load isn't flat.

Non-ferrous metal will not lift at all

Lifting magnets work on ferromagnetic material only. Stainless steel (in most common grades), aluminium, copper, brass and other non-ferrous metals won't be gripped by any magnet in this range, regardless of rated capacity — there's no partial hold to derate from, the magnet simply won't engage.

A backup sling is standard practice, not an optional extra

Magnetic contact can be compromised by a surface you can't fully inspect, an unexpected vibration, or a knock to the switching lever — and unlike a shackle or a chain, there's no visual mechanical connection holding the load once it's off the ground. A secondary rigging point — a sling, chain, or strap run through an existing lifting point on the load — run in parallel with the magnetic lift is standard rigging practice for any sustained or overhead lift, and several manufacturers build a secondary attachment eye into the lifter housing specifically for this. See our rigging and lifting slings range for backup sling options.

Australian Standard for lifting devices

AS 4991 Lifting devices is the Australian Standard covering the design, manufacture, testing and marking of lifting devices used below the hook — including magnetic lifters, alongside spreader beams, C-hooks and vacuum lifters. It requires a legible rated capacity (WLL/SWL) marking and sets out inspection and testing obligations for the equipment's working life. Some models in this range — Magswitch's MLAY series among them — are available with AS 4991 load-test documentation on request; if your job specifically requires certified test documentation, ask our team before ordering and we'll confirm what's available for the model you need.

Not Every Magnet in This Range Is a Lifter

The Strong Hand MPD20 Magnetic Retrieving Tool sits in this collection because it's a magnetic handling tool, not because it's rated for load lifting — it's a telescoping wand designed to fish dropped nuts, bolts, blades and swarf out of machinery, floor gaps and awkward recesses in a fabrication workshop. It carries no working load limit and shouldn't be used, or mistaken for, a load-rated magnetic lifter. If you need a genuine parts-retrieval tool alongside your workholding gear, it's a handy addition — just don't reach for it when the job calls for a rated lifting magnet.

Companion Ranges

Round out a magnetic lifting setup with:

• Magswitch — the full Magswitch brand range, including welding magnets and angle holders alongside the lifters listed here.
• Rigging & Lifting Slings — for the backup sling every magnetic lift should carry.
• Lifting Hooks — swivel and safety-latch hooks to connect a magnetic lifter's eye to your crane hook or hoist.
• Lifting Equipment — chain blocks and lever hoists to pair with a magnetic lifter for overhead positioning.
• Height Safety — harnesses and fall-arrest gear where a lift is being rigged from an elevated position.

Order Lifting Magnets from AIMS Industrial

Not sure which lifting magnet — or which technology — suits your load, surface and environment? Our team can talk you through capacity, surface condition and safe working practice before you order. Call us on (02) 9773 0122, get in touch via our contact us page, or send through your requirements on our request a quote page for a fast, competitive quote across the Magswitch, Austlift, Prolift, Beaver and Challenger ranges.

People Also Ask — Lifting Magnets

Q: What's the difference between a switchable and a permanent lifting magnet?

Both are technically permanent-magnet devices — neither relies on mains power to hold a load. The difference is the switching mechanism. Magswitch lifters rotate an internal magnet array to align or cancel the field at the pole face. Traditional lever-release lifters (Austlift, Prolift, Beaver, Challenger) use a hand lever to engage or disengage the magnetic circuit through the housing. Both switch on and off — the mechanism, not the on/off capability, is what differs.

Q: How much weight can a lifting magnet safely lift?

It depends entirely on the model and, critically, on the surface you're lifting. The range at AIMS spans roughly 100 kg to 3,000 kg rated capacity — Prolift's range alone covers 300 kg to 3,000 kg with a 3:1 safety factor — but every rating assumes clean, flat, sufficiently thick mild steel. Scale, rust, paint, thin plate or a curved surface all reduce the effective capacity below the rated figure, so always check the model's derating information against your actual load.

Q: Can a lifting magnet lift stainless steel or aluminium?

No. Lifting magnets only grip ferromagnetic material, and most common grades of stainless steel are not strongly magnetic, so they won't be lifted at all — nor will aluminium, copper, brass or other non-ferrous metals. There's no reduced-capacity fallback here; the magnet simply doesn't engage.

Q: Do I still need a sling if I'm using a lifting magnet?

Yes, for any sustained or overhead lift. Standard rigging practice is to run a secondary sling or chain through an existing lifting point on the load in parallel with the magnetic lift, so the load has a mechanical backup if magnetic contact is ever compromised. See our rigging and lifting slings range for suitable backup options.

Q: Why is a magnetic lifter's rated capacity lower on round bar than on flat plate?

Because lifting capacity depends on contact area between the magnet's pole face and the steel, and a curved surface simply presents less contact area than a flat one. Beaver's permanent magnetic lifter range, for example, publishes a separate round-bar rating for every model that runs at roughly a third of its flat-plate figure — its 1,000 kg flat-plate lifter is rated to only 300 kg on round bar. Always use the specific round-bar or curved-surface rating published for your model, not the flat-plate number.

Q: What Australian Standard applies to lifting magnets?

AS 4991 Lifting devices covers the design, manufacture, testing and marking of below-hook lifting devices, including magnetic lifters, and requires a legible rated capacity marking plus ongoing inspection. Some models in this range, including Magswitch's MLAY series, are available with AS 4991 load-test documentation on request — ask our team if your job requires certified test paperwork.

Q: What's the difference between the Magswitch hand lifters and the MLAY series?

The Fixed Single and Fixed Dual Hand Lifters (235 kg – 780 kg) are compact, single-operator units designed to be picked up and moved by hand for workshop-scale plate handling. The MLAY series (600 kg and 1,000 kg per magnet) is built for crane or hoist-mounted lifting, and is also available in multi-magnet array configurations (x2, x3, x4) that spread the lift across several contact points for wider or longer sections — better suited to structural steel and larger fabricated plate than a single hand lifter.

Q: Can the Strong Hand MPD20 be used to lift steel plate?

No. The MPD20 is a telescoping magnetic retrieving tool for picking up dropped fasteners, blades and swarf in a fabrication workshop — it carries no rated working load and isn't designed or built for load lifting. For actual plate or component lifting, choose from the rated lifting magnets in this range instead.