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Below-the-hook

Permanent lifting magnets

Eriez SafeHold — no power supply, no batteries, and nothing to fail when the power goes out. Pick by material thickness first, because that's what actually decides how much a magnet will hold.

Read this before you pick a magnet

A magnet’s rated capacity is a best case. Thin material can cut it by more than ten times.

An RPL-25 is rated 2,500 lb. On 11 gauge sheet it holds 90 lb. That isn’t a derate, it’s a different magnet entirely — and some models are Not Recommended on thin stock at any weight. Every rating here assumes flat, clean, polished steel with the face in full contact. Use the numbers for your actual thickness, never the headline.

Find the magnet

Thickness first, then weight

Pick your material thickness and load, and this shows only the magnets Eriez rates for that combination.

1. How thick is the material?

Ask this before capacity. It changes the answer more than anything else — often by a factor of ten or more.

2. How heavy is the load?
lbs

Magnets rated for 500 lb on 1/4 in material

  • XPL-22/16Smallest that fits

    XPL series · 114 lb magnet · handles round stock

    500 lb

    1× the load · rated 2,200 lb max

  • XPL-35/27

    XPL series · 217 lb magnet · handles round stock

    530 lb

    1.1× the load · rated 3,500 lb max

  • APL-24

    APL series · 401 lb magnet · flat material only

    610 lb

    1.2× the load · rated 2,400 lb max

  • EPL-28

    EPL series · 235 lb magnet · flat material only

    750 lb

    1.5× the load · rated 2,800 lb max

  • APL-38

    APL series · 514 lb magnet · flat material only

    920 lb

    1.8× the load · rated 3,800 lb max

Not recommended at 1/4 in, at any weight

Eriez marks these “NR” on this thickness. They are excluded above regardless of how light the load is.

RPL-50

The range

Four series

All permanent — they hold with no power supply, so an outage can't drop the load.

SafeHold RPL Series

SafeHold RPL Series

Compact rare earth, for round and flat with one magnet

to 5,000 lb

on flat, at full thickness

A two-pole design with specially shaped poles, so the same magnet picks up flat plate and round bar. Compact for the capacity, with a locking mechanism built into the handle for one-handed operation.

Activation
Manual on/off
Material
Flat and round
Models
RPL-2, RPL-7, RPL-15, RPL-25, RPL-50
ModelMax on flat (lb)Full rating at thicknessMax on round (lb)Round OD (in)A (in)B (in)C (in)Magnet weight (lb)
RPL-22501 in1253 min3 9/162 1/24 13/167
RPL-77501 in3755 min6 3/83 5/87 3/3222
RPL-1515001 3/4 in7506 1/2 min9 1/84 13/169 1/853
RPL-2525001 3/4 in125010 min10 5/86 15/1611 17/32110
RPL-5050002 3/8 inNR—14 7/89 7/3215 1/32276

Capacity at every thickness — the number to size by.

SafeHold XPL Series

SafeHold XPL Series

Widest range of round diameters for the money

to 3,500 lb

on flat, at full thickness

Manually operated rare earth magnets built to handle a wide spread of round diameters as well as flat material — the XPL-35/27 covers 6 in through 18 in OD on one magnet. Easy to rotate handle with no backlash.

Activation
Manual on/off
Material
Flat and round
Models
XPL-3/2, XPL-6/4, XPL-10/6, XPL-17/12, XPL-22/16, XPL-35/27
ModelMax on flat (lb)Full rating at thicknessMax on round (lb)Round OD (in)A (in)B (in)C (in)Magnet weight (lb)
XPL-3/23003/8 in2002 1/2 to 53 3/847 3/1616
XPL-6/46001/2 in4003 to 94 1/26 1/167 15/1633
XPL-10/610003/4 in6003 to 105 5/167 1/410 3/859
XPL-17/1217001 1/4 in12004 to 155 5/169 1/212 5/1693
XPL-22/1622002 in16004 to 155 5/1610 3/814 1/4114
XPL-35/2735002 in27006 to 186 1/813 1/217 1/4217

Capacity at every thickness — the number to size by.

SafeHold EPL Series

SafeHold EPL Series

The highest capacity permanent lift magnet on the market

to 7,500 lb

on flat, at full thickness

Flat material only, and built for the heavy end — up to 7,500 lb with no power supply at all. Small and light for the capacity, with an easy-to-rotate handle. Because there is no electricity involved, a power failure cannot drop the load.

Activation
Manual on/off
Material
Flat only
Models
EPL-4, EPL-28, EPL-55, EPL-75
ModelMax on flat (lb)Full rating at thicknessMax on round (lb)Round OD (in)A (in)B (in)C (in)Magnet weight (lb)
EPL-44501 1/4 inNR—2 7/89 1/210 1/440
EPL-2828001 1/4 inNR—11 7/1611 13/1616 1/16235
EPL-5555002 inNR—14 1/21219 5/8374
EPL-7575001 3/4 inNR—15 7/81423 7/8586

Capacity at every thickness — the number to size by.

SafeHold APL Series

SafeHold APL Series

Crane activated — nobody has to reach the magnet

to 10,000 lb

on flat, at full thickness

These turn on and off automatically as the crane sets down and lifts, so the operator never reaches in to release the load. That is the point: they exist for places where getting a hand to the magnet is awkward or unsafe. Seven models to 10,000 lb.

Activation
Crane activated — automatic on/off
Material
Flat only
Models
APL-6, APL-11, APL-24, APL-38, APL-52, APL-70, APL-100
ModelMax on flat (lb)Full rating at thicknessMax on round (lb)Round OD (in)A (in)B (in)C (in)Magnet weight (lb)
APL-66001/2 inNR—10 5/169 9/1617 1/4167
APL-1111001 1/4 inNR—11 15/1610 13/1621 1/2291
APL-2424002 inNR—11 15/161424 3/16401
APL-3838002 inNR—1218 1/425 15/16514
APL-5252002 inNR—14 1/820 1/229796
APL-7070002 inNR—14 1/825 1/1630 3/16992
APL-100100002 inNR—14 1/834 1/1631 3/161357

Capacity at every thickness — the number to size by.

Full capacity tables

Every model, every thickness

NR means Eriez does not recommend that magnet on that thickness at any load.

SafeHold RPL Series

ThicknessRPL-2RPL-7RPL-15RPL-25RPL-50
11 gauge5010010090NR
1/4 in110250260220NR
3/8 in180500670600NR
1/2 in2106801,050900NR
3/4 in2407101,3501,500NR
1 in2507501,4301,880NR
1 1/4 in2507501,4602,260NR
1 1/2 in2507501,4602,4003,660
1 3/4 in2507501,5002,5004,000
2 in2507501,5002,5004,660
Magnet weight7 lb22 lb53 lb110 lb276 lb

SafeHold XPL Series

ThicknessXPL-3/2XPL-6/4XPL-10/6XPL-17/12XPL-22/16XPL-35/27
11 gauge90100120150160160
1/4 in240360380440500530
3/8 in3005507008301,0001,000
1/2 in3006009001,3201,3601,330
3/4 in3006001,0001,5501,6802,080
1 in3006001,0001,6302,0002,830
1 1/4 in3006001,0001,7002,0002,830
1 1/2 in3006001,0001,7002,1002,960
1 3/4 in3006001,0001,7002,1003,260
2 in3006001,0001,7002,2003,500
Magnet weight16 lb33 lb59 lb93 lb114 lb217 lb

SafeHold EPL Series

ThicknessEPL-4EPL-28EPL-55EPL-75
11 gauge100210NRNR
1/4 in2807501,0101,180
3/8 in3601,3201,9602,080
1/2 in4101,8002,4602,910
3/4 in4202,1802,6803,680
1 in4402,2803,9004,700
1 1/4 in4502,8004,6906,450
1 1/2 in4502,8004,7506,520
1 3/4 in4502,8004,8407,500
2 in4502,8005,5007,500
Magnet weight40 lb235 lb374 lb586 lb

SafeHold APL Series

ThicknessAPL-6APL-11APL-24APL-38APL-52APL-70APL-100
11 gauge130120150190250300368
1/4 in4504006109209601,0401,068
3/8 in5306201,0701,4401,6501,8101,972
1/2 in6007601,5501,8802,1902,5202,828
3/4 in6007801,7802,4102,8303,6204,212
1 in6008801,9802,6103,3604,6705,388
1 1/4 in6001,1002,1603,4603,8705,2207,200
1 1/2 in6001,1002,2603,6604,4406,0508,400
1 3/4 in6001,1002,3303,7804,7806,5909,182
2 in6001,1002,4003,8005,2007,00010,000
Magnet weight167 lb291 lb401 lb514 lb796 lb992 lb1,357 lb

Capacities in pounds. Source: Eriez SafeHold Lifting Magnets brochure MB-2311. Specifications subject to change — we confirm the figures on every quote.

What reduces holding power

Six things that change the number

Every one of these takes capacity away. None of them are optional reading.

Material thickness

Thin material carries far less than the headline rating — often a fraction of it. Always read the capacity for your actual thickness, not the model's maximum.

Surface condition and air gap

Paint, coating, mill scale, rust, or ice between the magnet face and the load reduces holding power. Both faces should be clean and smooth.

Carbon content

Ratings are based on low-carbon steel. Material with more carbon and less iron holds less. Alloy and tool steels need to be checked.

Centre of gravity

The magnet must sit over the load's centre of gravity. A tilted or unbalanced load significantly reduces holding power.

Unsupported overhang

A long overhang lets the material sag, and that bending peels the load off the magnet face. Past published limits the lift is unsafe and needs more than one magnet.

Safety factor

Eriez requires a minimum three-to-one safety factor based on the actual breakaway force for the load being lifted.

Unsupported overhang

A magnet is rated with the pull perpendicular to its face. When the ends of a long piece sag, that bending peels the load off. This is how much the material droops under its own weight — UNSAFE means one magnet will not hold it and you need more than one.

Material12 in18 in24 in30 in36 in48 in60 in72 in
22 ga (0.0299 in)11/321 11/165 5/1613 5/32UNSAFEUNSAFEUNSAFEUNSAFE
18 ga (0.0478 in)1/811/162 3/325 5/3210 5/8UNSAFEUNSAFEUNSAFE
16 ga (0.0598 in)3/327/161 11/322 9/326 3/421 9/16UNSAFEUNSAFE
14 ga (0.0747 in)1/169/327/82 1/84 3/813 13/16UNSAFEUNSAFE
11 ga (0.120 in)—3/3211/3213/161 11/165 11/3213 1/32UNSAFE
3/16 in—1/161/85/1611/162 3/325 1/810 5/8
1/4 in—1/323/323/163/81 7/322 15/166 3/32
5/16 in——1/161/81/425/321 7/83 29/32
3/8 in——1/323/325/3217/321 15/162 23/32
1/2 in———1/163/325/163/41 17/32
3/4 in————1/161/85/1611/16

Sag in inches, caused by the material’s own weight over the unsupported overhang shown.

Tell us the material, not just the weight

Thickness, surface condition, and how long the piece is. We'll size the magnet — or tell you honestly that a magnet is the wrong tool for that lift.