Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
Main DifferenceThe main difference between Paramagnetism, and Ferromagnetism is that Paramagnetism occurs in the direction of an external magnetic field and disappears when the external magnetic field is removed, while Ferromagnetism occurs in the direction of an external magnetic field and can continue to exist when the external magnetic field is removed.

Difference Between Paramagnetism and Ferromagnetism
Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
The materials which have a weak attraction towards magnetic fields are paramagnetic, while the materials which are strongly attracted by external magnetic fields are ferromagnetic.
Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
Paramagnetism also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed, while the material of ferromagnetism can keep their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed.
Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
Paramagnetic materials can be separated by using high-intensity separators; on the contrary, the materials of ferromagnetism can be separated by using low-intensity magnetic separators.
Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
Paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons, whereas ferromagnetic materials consist of many unpaired electrons.
Paramagnetismnoun
(physics) The tendency of magnetic dipoles to align with an external magnetic field; materials that exhibit this tendency become temporary magnets.
Ferromagnetismnoun
(physics) The phenomenon whereby certain substances can become permanent magnets when subjected to a magnetic field.
Paramagnetismnoun
materials like aluminum or platinum become magnetized in a magnetic field but it disappears when the field is removed
Ferromagnetismnoun
phenomenon exhibited by materials like iron (nickel or cobalt) that become magnetized in a magnetic field and retain their magnetism when the field is removed
Comparison Chart
Paramagnetism | Ferromagnetism |
The process in which paramagnetic materials are weakly attracted by a magnetic field is paramagnetism. | The process by which many materials produce permanent magnets, or are attracted to magnets is the ferromagnetism. |
Magnetic Moments of Individual Atoms | |
The paramagnetic materials consist of atoms, and each atom have its magnetic moment | The ferromagnetic materials consist of atoms which also have their magnetic moment |
Behavior in External Magnetic Fields | |
Paramagnetic materials line up their magnetic fields in the same direction as the external magnetic fields | Ferromagnetic materials make parallel their magnetic fields in the same direction as the direction of external magnetic fields. |
Retention of Magnetism | |
Paramagnetic materials also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed | Ferromagnetic materials can maintain their magnetization even when the external magnetic field is removed |
Magnetic Properties | |
Paramagnetic materials weakly attracted to external magnetic fields | Ferromagnetic materials strongly get attracted to external magnetic fields |
Unpaired Electrons | |
Paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions | Ferromagnetic materials have many unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions |
Separation | |
Paramagnetic materials separated by using high-intensity magnetic separators | Ferromagnetic materials can be separated by using low-intensity magnetic separators |
Paramagnetism vs. Ferromagnetism
In the paramagnetism, the paramagnetic materials consist of atoms, and each atom has its magnetic moment; on the contrary, in ferromagnetism, the ferromagnetic materials consist of atoms which also have their magnetic moment.
Paramagnetic materials in paramagnetism line up their magnetic fields in the same direction as the external magnetic fields; on the contrary, ferromagnetic materials in ferromagnetism make parallel their magnetic fields in the equivalent direction as in the direction of external magnetic fields.
Paramagnetic materials also lose their magnetization when the external magnetic field is removed; on the flip side, ferromagnetic materials can maintain their magnetization even when the external magnetic field is removed.
Paramagnetic materials weakly attracted to external magnetic fields, whereas ferromagnetic materials strongly get attracted to external magnetic fields. Paramagnetic materials have unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions, while in ferromagnetic materials, it has many unpaired electrons in the atoms or ions.
Paramagnetic materials separated by using high-intensity magnetic separators, whereas ferromagnetic materials can be separated by using low-intensity magnetic separators.
What is Paramagnetism?
In paramagnetism, the paramagnetic materials have atoms that consist of unpaired electrons, and the magnetic moments of each of the separated electrons cannot completely cancel out, so as a result, the atoms are left with a resultant magnetic field.
In some cases, the magnetic moments of atoms are associated in random directions, so the paramagnetic material as a whole does not display magnetism. Though, if materials are placed in the external magnetic field, then the magnetic moments of distinct atoms can be associated with the external magnetic field and causing the paramagnetic material to become magnetized.
The magnetic field formed by the paramagnetic materials is directing in the same direction as in the direction of the external magnetic field. So if the external magnetic field is switched off, then the paramagnetic material will lose its magnetization. Some examples of paramagnetism are hematite, chalcopyrite, garnet, and Ilmenite.
What is Ferromagnetism?
The ferromagnetic materials of ferromagnetism have unpaired electrons present in their atoms, so each atom has a clear magnetic moment. The magnetic moments of adjacent atoms incline to become associated and creating different regions in the materials known as domains. Though, many different domains may have their magnetic moments directing in different directions.
Whenever a ferromagnetic material is generally placed inside an external magnetic field, the many different domains present inside the magnetic fields become all align with the external magnetic fields. Some ferromagnetic materials are cobalt, nickel, iron, and their alloys.
ConclusionThe above discussion concludes that the paramagnetism, and ferromagnetism have differences, and the main difference between these is that the paramagnetism of some materials have a weak magnetic attraction, while ferromagnetism of some materials has a strong magnetic attraction.