By combining metals like iron with carbon to make alloys, very strong materials can be made that are used for steel housings, supports in television tubes, and other important products. Iron's most common use in worldwide industry is to be used in alloys and steels for everyday use, some which even contain other elements in the Triad. The pure metal form of iron is rarely found due to its ability to easily react with other metals and environments. While it can be found in the sun and the stars, it is extremely common on planet earth and its abundance in the earth’s crust is 4.7%. Its most common and comfortable oxidation state is +3 and is usually a shiny silver color. Iron (Fe) is a transition metal with an atomic weight of 55.845 and an atomic number of 26. While very similar in magnetic properties and reaction, these elements are also very unique and used differently in both nature and industry. It is because of these magnetic properties and use in alloys that the three elements are typically grouped together and labeled as the 'Iron Triad'. In addition, elements in the iron triad are commonly combined with carbon and each other to create various types of alloys. The (T c)'s for iron, cobalt, and nickel are 768☌, 1121☌, and 354☌ respectively and are taken advantage of to make use of these elements in industry. When one of these elements is inside an environment where the temperature is at its individual Curie Point (T c), however, the specific paramagnetic lining of atoms is broken down by the energy within the element and ferromagnetism is lost. These types of ferromagnetic elements have the ability to create a large magnetic pole due to their unpaired electrons. The Iron Triad is known for possessing ferromagnetic elements similar to gadolinium (Gd), and neodymium (Nd).

Cobalt ore density