IEC 60404-1:2000

Intended to classify commercially available magnetic materials.
The term "magnetic materials" denotes substances where the application requires the existence of ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic properties.
The classification of magnetic materials is based upon the generally recognized existence of two main groups of products.
- soft magnetic materials (coercivity less than or equal to 1000 A/m)
- hard magnetic materials (coercivity greater than 1000 A/m)
Within these main groups, the classification when appropriate recognizes the following characteristics:
- the main allowing element and the metallurgical state and physical properties of the material;
- when possible and convenient, the relationship between these characteristics is identified.
A classification  by specific areas of application cannot be applied to all materials because different materials can very often be used for the same application depending on the characteristics required.