What Metals Cannot Be Detected by a Metal Detector?
A metal detector is an electromagnetic device that you can use to find metals. Metal detectors are widely used, especially in industrial and commercial spaces. People also use metal detectors as a fun activity to detect hidden metals and rarely precious metals.
What Metals Can a Metal Detector Detect?
There’s a list of metals and alloys that a metal detector can detect. These include iron, copper, zinc, nickel, including precious metals like gold and silver. The real question is, what are some of the elements, or metals, that a metal detector can’t detect?
Non-detectable Metals and Elements
Non Conductors of Electricity
A metal detector can’t detect any element, metal or alloy that doesn’t conduct electricity. This is because a metal detector generates a magnetic field by passing an electric current through a coil. The shape of the field is disturbed whenever a conductive material is brought close enough to the detector. The detector can detect this change in flux or field shape and send out a signal in the form of a sound or a light—for example, paper, bones, stones, etc.
Non Magnetic Materials
Since the metal detector notices the disruption in the magnetic field, if an object isn’t magnetic, it simply won’t be detected, for example, diamonds, pearls, glass, etc.
Too Small or in Powdered Form
An object too small or in powdered form doesn’t have enough magnetic field to disrupt the metal detector’s magnetic field; hence such objects will not show up as well.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is a very difficult metal to detect using a metal detector due to its poor electrical conductivity and low magnetic permeability. This means that a metal detector will not pick up or identify stainless steel since it doesn’t emit a strong enough signal.
Too Far Underground
Depending on your metal detector, it can only detect an object up to a certain distance, where the object’s magnetic field is detectable to the metal detector’s magnetic field. Any object buried too far down won’t be detected.
These are some of the metals and other objects that a metal detector can’t pick up, but we can ensure our pure, precious metals will be. Invest in our gold coins and bullions. At Orion Metal Exchange, we offer gold, silver, platinum, and palladium of the highest quality, as well as IRA services. Contact us now to know more.
