What kind of metal sets off airport metal detectors?

Metals such as iron, nickel and cobalt are detected by passive and active metal detectors. Other metals, such as copper, brass and aluminum, are detected only by active means. Walk-through metal detectors are categorized as single-zone or multiple-zone.



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Below are metals that a metal detector cannot detect:
  • Stainless Steel. Stainless steel is an alloy of iron and chromium. ...
  • Titanium. Titanium is a useful, strong, corrosion-resistant, and lightweight alloy. ...
  • Ceramic Ferrite Magnets. Ordinary magnets contain either iron or iron combined with copper, cobalt, or neodymium.


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Airport body scanners alert the TSO to threats—mainly weapons such as knives, guns and explosives. They are designed to detect “metallic and nonmetallic threat items,” according to the TSA. Those are things like explosives or knives made out of materials other than metal, like ceramics, says Malvini Redden.

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Metal detectors can detect both ferrous and non-ferrous metal types, although they detect ferrous metals more easily due to their magnetic properties. Ferrous metal contains iron and is often magnetic, while non-ferrous metal consists of other elements like nickel, aluminum, and zinc.

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Metal detectors create a magnetic field by using a brief pulse of electrical current. The magnetic field will be reflected back to the machine if there are any metal objects present, such as a watch or a belt buckle. The return signal is detected by the machine and a beeping noise is produced to alert the TSA agent.

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The sensitivity of metal detectors is based on a scale of 1 to 15 (1 being the least sensitive, 15 being the most sensitive), and the average airport detector is set at five. Some detectors, particularly in high-risk security areas of the world, are set at seven.

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The heavier the metal implant used in the body, the easier it is to be detected. Depending on the type of the joint replacement used, the weight could range from 130 g to 3 kg. There is a good chance of setting off the alarms if you had a joint replacement, have a rod in the bone or a big plate with more than 10 holes.

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Detectors set at 10 will be activated by objects with very low metal content, such as coins and jewelry, and thus would create many false alarms and even longer lines at security checkpoints.

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