ABSTRACT
The first magnetic material exploited by man as a navigational tool was a ceramic-the natural mineral magnetite (Fe30 4) also known as lodestone. It is thus somewhat paradoxical that it was as late as the mid-fifties of this century that magnetic ceramics started making significant commercial inroads. Since then magnetic ceramics have acquired an ever-increasing share of world production and have largely surpassed metallic magnets in tonnage. With the advent of the information communication revolution, their use is expected to become even more ubiquitous.
