A customer emailed us last winter with a photo of a snapped garden hose reel on his shed floor. He'd bought a set of magnetic hooks online, rated 25kg each. The hose weighed maybe four kilos.
The hooks weren't faulty. They were rated honestly — just measured in a way that had almost nothing to do with a shed wall.
This is the single most useful thing to understand before you buy magnetic hooks in Australia, and almost nobody explains it. So here it is, along with the sizing, the surfaces that work, the ones that don't, and an honest answer about where you can and can't buy them here.
Why do "heavy duty" magnetic hooks fail on a shed wall?
Because the number on the packet is almost always a pull rating measured on thick steel plate, and your shed is neither of those things.
Pull force is how hard you'd have to yank the magnet straight outwards to release it. It's the biggest, most flattering number a magnet can produce. It's also not what happens when you hang a ladder on a wall. Nothing in your shed pulls straight out from the wall — gravity pulls down.
The second problem is the test surface. Most pull ratings are measured on 12mm steel plate. A Colorbond shed is roughly 0.42mm. A toolbox might be 1mm. A shipping container is 1.6mm. Magnetic holding power drops sharply as steel gets thinner, because thin steel can't carry the full magnetic circuit.
So a hook advertised at 25kg pull on 12mm plate might deliver a few kilograms of usable downward hold on a shed wall. The rating wasn't a lie. It was just answering a question you weren't asking.
What is shear strength, and why does it matter more?
Shear strength is the downward load a magnet carries once your gear is hanging on it — the force that's actually acting on a wall hook. It is always a lower number than pull force, which is precisely why most brands don't advertise it.
When you're comparing magnetic hooks, the question worth asking is not "how strong is it?" but two much more specific ones:
- Is this a shear rating or a pull rating?
- What thickness of steel was it tested on?
If a seller can't answer both, the number is decoration.
Every capacity on the Gator Magnetics hook range is a shear rating, tested on 16-gauge steel — about 1.6mm galvanised. That's the thickness of real sheds, toolboxes, containers and work vans, not laboratory plate.
Is Colorbond magnetic?
Yes. Colorbond is steel with a paint and coating system on top, so magnets stick to it. The coating adds a fraction of a millimetre between magnet and steel, which slightly reduces holding power, but on standard Colorbond cladding the effect is small.
The thing that actually decides whether a magnet works on your shed isn't the brand of the cladding. It's the profile — whether there's a flat face for the magnet to sit against.
Will a magnetic hook hold on corrugated iron?
This is the most common question we get, and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on which profile you have, and one of the two common ones doesn't work well.
| Surface | Holds? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flat steel sheet | Full strength | Complete magnet-to-steel contact |
| Ribbed / trapezoidal cladding | Full strength | Wide flat pans between raised ribs — the profile on most modern sheds |
| Shipping containers | Full strength | 72mm flat faces on 1.6mm steel |
| Toolboxes, filing cabinets, work vans | Full strength | Flat steel panels |
| True corrugated (wavy sinusoidal) | Not recommended | Magnet only touches the crest of each wave — tiny contact patch |
| Aluminium, 304 stainless, timber, brick | No | Not magnetic |
The measurement that settles it: a magnet needs roughly 50mm of flat steel for full contact. On ribbed or trapezoidal cladding, measure the flat face between two ribs. Fifty millimetres or more and you're getting the full rating.
The five-second test
Stick a fridge magnet on the wall. If it sits flat and holds firmly, a proper magnetic hook will too. If it rocks, slides, or only touches in one spot, you're on a curved profile or a non-magnetic metal.
Got true corrugated, timber, brick or render? A Steel Wall Target gives you a flat steel face to work from. Fix it once, then move your hooks around it as often as you like.
What size magnetic hook do I need?
Match the hook to the heaviest thing you'll hang on it, then go one size up if it's something you'd rather not have fall.
| Size | Shear capacity | Hook sizes | Typical loads |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEGA | Up to 20kg | 3", 4.5", 6" | Bikes, hoses, ladders, whipper snippers, heavy garden gear |
| MIDI | Up to 11kg | 2.5", 4" | Hand tools, cables, extension leads, work bags |
| MINI | Up to 6.8kg | Single or dual prong | Kitchens, laundries, offices, lockers |
| Baskets | Up to 15kg | Small, large, towel bar | Sprays, bottles, cloths, small parts |
A rough field guide, using a garden shovel as the unit: a 2.5" open hook takes one, a 4" takes two, a 4.5" takes three, a 6" takes four.
Browse the full range of magnetic hooks and magnetic baskets, or see the complete Gator Magnetics range including cup holders and wall targets.
Open or closed hooks — which should you buy?
Open hooks are for things you grab daily. Closed hooks are for anything that moves.
An open hook lets you lift gear off in one motion without threading it over a lip — right for the shovel you use every weekend, the extension lead, the hose. A closed hook keeps the load captive, which matters in a horse float, a work van, a trailer, or anywhere the wall itself is going to move. If you're fitting out a vehicle, closed is almost always the answer.
What about magnetic baskets?
Hooks handle anything you can hang. Baskets handle everything you can't — and in most sheds that's the bigger problem.
Spray cans, cloths, cable ties, pegs, sunscreen, offcuts, the fistful of small things that end up in a pile on the bench. A magnetic basket holds up to 15kg and comes in small, large, or with a towel bar across the front for rags and gloves.
The towel bar version is the one people underestimate. In a laundry it takes a hand towel; in a workshop it takes rags; in a horse float it takes lead ropes. Same 15kg capacity either way.
Do magnetic hooks come in white?
Yes — Gator hooks and baskets come in black and white, and the choice is more practical than it sounds.
Black disappears against a dark shed wall or a tool board and looks right in a workshop. White disappears in a laundry, kitchen or office, where a row of black industrial hooks would read as clutter. Inside the house, white is almost always the better call.
There's also an all-white range if you're fitting out a laundry or pantry and want the hooks and baskets to match.
Are rare earth and neodymium magnets the strongest option?
Neodymium is a rare earth magnet, and it is the strongest commercially available type — but on thin steel, the arrangement of the magnetic field matters as much as the material.
A traditional magnet has one pole on each face. That creates a single large looping field that reaches well out into space — impressive on thick plate, wasteful on a shed wall, because most of that field never passes through the thin steel at all.
Gator Magnetics uses a patterned approach: multiple north and south poles printed onto the same face in a precise arrangement. This creates many short, concentrated magnetic circuits instead of one wide loop, so the force stays right at the contact surface where it does the work. On thin steel, that's the difference between a number on a box and a hook that actually holds.
It's also why the easy-release lever works. Lift the lever and the magnetic circuit is interrupted — the hook comes off in your hand instead of requiring you to fight it off the wall.
How much weight will a magnetic hook really hold on my shed?
On flat or ribbed steel of 1.6mm or thicker, a properly rated hook holds its full shear rating — 20kg for a MEGA. On thinner cladding such as 0.42mm Colorbond, expect meaningfully less; the magnet still works, but thin steel saturates and can't carry the full circuit.
Three practical rules:
- Test before you trust it. Hang the load, then give it a firm downward tug. If it holds that, it will hold the load sitting still.
- Clean the surface. Dust, cobwebs and flaking paint all add air gap, and air gap is the enemy of magnetic hold.
- Spread heavy loads. Two hooks under a ladder beat one hook doing all the work.
Magnetic hooks vs adhesive strips vs screws — which should you use?
Each one wins in a different situation, and the honest comparison is more useful than pretending magnets suit everything.
| Magnetic hooks | Adhesive strips | Screws / anchors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall damage | None | Can lift paint on removal | Permanent hole |
| Repositionable | Yes, in seconds | No — single use | No |
| Typical load | Up to 20kg | 1–3kg | Limited by the fixing |
| Works on | Steel only | Most smooth surfaces | Most surfaces |
| Humidity / heat | Unaffected | Adhesive fails over time | Unaffected |
| Install time | Seconds | Minutes, plus curing | Drill, plug, screw |
| Best for | Sheds, containers, vans, rentals | Light indoor items on plaster | Permanent heavy fixtures |
The practical read: if the surface is steel, a magnet beats adhesive on every axis that matters — load, longevity, and the fact that you can change your mind. Adhesive is for plasterboard where there's no steel to work with. Screws are for anything structural, or anything whose failure would be dangerous.
Where magnets genuinely change the calculation is in rentals and workplaces, where drilling isn't yours to authorise, and in shipping containers and vehicles, where drilling means compromising a weatherproof shell.
Where can you buy heavy duty magnetic hooks in Australia?
Worth being straight about this, because it's a common search and the honest answer is more useful than a sales pitch.
Genuine Gator Magnetics are not stocked in Australian hardware chains. You won't find them at Bunnings, Mitre 10 or Kmart. The hooks sold in those stores are generally conventional single-pole magnets, which is why the ratings are quoted as pull force on thick steel.
In Australia and New Zealand, Gator Magnetics is available exclusively through Amarra DIY Hub, which is the licensed distributor. Be careful with imitations sold through overseas third-party marketplaces — the shape gets copied, the magnet arrangement doesn't, and the holding power isn't the same.
What can you actually hang on magnetic hooks?
The useful framing isn't "what will it hold" but "where has drilling been the blocker". Magnetic storage earns its place anywhere you can't, or don't want to, put a hole in the wall.
- Sheds and garages — ladders, hoses, extension leads, garden tools, folding chairs, whipper snippers
- Work vans and utes — closed hooks for gear that has to stay put while you drive
- Shipping containers — full holding strength, and no drilling through a container wall
- Horse floats and stables — halters, lead ropes, grooming kit, on steel that's usually off-limits to fixings
- Laundries and kitchens — MINI hooks on the side of a washing machine, fridge or steel cabinet
- Rentals — the whole point: storage that leaves when you do, with no holes to patch
- Workshops — the layout you want this month, not the one you drilled in two years ago
What magnetic hooks won't do
A few honest limitations, because knowing them up front saves returns:
- They won't work on non-magnetic surfaces. Aluminium, 304 stainless, timber, brick and render are all out without a wall target.
- They won't hold well on true corrugated. Covered above — this is a genuine limitation, not a technique problem.
- They won't replace a structural fixing. Anything where a fall would be dangerous — heavy shelving, anything above a workbench you stand at — should be bolted.
- They will slide if overloaded. A magnet that's beyond its shear rating doesn't pop off dramatically; it creeps down the wall. If you see a hook migrating, it's overloaded.
How to choose, in four steps
- Check the surface. Fridge magnet test. Flat and firm means you're good.
- Measure the flat face. 50mm or more between ribs for full rating.
- Weigh the heaviest item you'll hang, then pick the size above it.
- Open or closed. Closed if the wall moves, open if it doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
Do magnetic hooks damage the wall?
No. There's no hole, no adhesive and no residue. The only realistic risk is dragging a magnet sideways across a painted surface, which can scratch it — lift the hook off rather than sliding it.
Can magnetic hooks be used outdoors?
Yes, provided the magnet has a proper protective coating. Look for rust-resistant finishes if the hook will live on an exterior wall or in a coastal area.
Will a magnetic hook damage my phone or bank cards?
Modern cards use chips rather than magnetic stripes, and phones are shielded. Keep strong magnets away from mechanical watches and old-style hard drives as a sensible precaution.
How do I get a strong magnetic hook off the wall?
On a Gator, lift the release lever and it comes away in your hand. On a conventional magnet, slide it to the edge of the steel rather than pulling straight out — far easier and much kinder to your fingers.
Do magnetic hooks lose strength over time?
Neodymium magnets lose well under 1% of their strength per decade under normal conditions. Heat is the real enemy — sustained temperatures above roughly 80°C will permanently weaken them, so keep them off surfaces that get genuinely hot.
Are magnetic hooks strong enough for a bike?
A 20kg MEGA hook handles most bikes, though two hooks spread the load better and stop the frame swinging. Check the wall profile first — a bike is exactly the load you don't want migrating down a shed wall.
The short version: ignore pull ratings, ask for shear ratings on thin steel, check you've got 50mm of flat face, and size up rather than down.
Shop heavy duty magnetic hooks — MEGA, MIDI and MINI, open and closed, black and white. Or see the full Gator Magnetics range, exclusive to Amarra DIY Hub in Australia and New Zealand.
