Types of magnets are numerous in the planet earth. They are made of different alloys and are of different shapes, sizes and designs. These also possess different magnetic strength. The magnetic strength varies along with the proportion, quantity and quality of the different metallic alloys which are mixed for making the magnets. The different types of magnets and their uses vary according to their composition and the field that they produce.

Different Types of Magnets
There are three main types of magnets. They are:

1. Permanent Magnets
2. Temporary Magnets
3. Electro-Magnets

Permanent Magnets: Permanent Magnets are those one is most familiar with, such as the magnets hanging onto the refrigerator doors. They are permanent in the sense that once they are magnetized, they retain a level of magnetism. Different types of permanent magnets have different characteristics or properties concerning how easily they can be demagnetized, how strong they can be, how their strength varies with temperature, and so on.

Temporary Magnets: Temporary Magnets are those which act like a permanent magnet when they are within a strong magnetic field, but lose their magnetism when the magnetic field disappears. Paperclips, nails and other soft iron items are some of the examples of Temporary magnets.

Electro-Magnets: An electro-magnet is a tightly wound helical coil of wire, usually with an iron core, which acts like a permanent magnet when current is flowing in the wire. The strength and polarity of the magnetic field created by the electro-magnet are adjustable by changing the magnitude of the current flowing through the wire and by changing the direction of the current flow.

There are some commonly used shapes and designs of the permanent magnets which are as follows:

Bar magnets
Cylindrical solid magnet
Cylindrical magnets with holes
Ring magnets
Rectangular magnets with holes and without holes
Chuck magnets
Arc or Crescent magnets
U-shaped magnets
Horse-shoe magnets
Square magnets with holes or without holes
Cup shape covered magnets

The sizes of these magnets differ as per the requirements and the purposes for which they are made.