Are dry erase boards magnetic? Some are. A magnetic surface expands the use of whiteboards for presentations in classrooms, conference rooms, home offices and elsewhere. Magnetic whiteboards are popular, especially in schools, but in some situations a non-magnetic marker board might be sufficient for your needs — and be a lower-cost solution than a magnetic whiteboard. SHOP OUR MAGNETIC WHITEBOARDS.
Whiteboards are manufactured with a variety of materials used for the dry erase surface. The resulting products are melamine, porcelain, glass, or a proprietary surface such as the EVERWhite surface. Not all can be magnetic.
So, which dry erase surface is best for your needs? A magnetic whiteboard or non-magnetic?
Magnetic whiteboards are commonly installed on walls in the front of K-8 school classrooms and in business settings. The magnetic feature of the board allows for it to be used as a bulletin board, where you can hang papers, notes, or other materials using magnets. With non-scratching magnets or clips, charts and documents can be posted on the whiteboard surface, and magnetic symbols can be used.
Die-cut symbols, such as arrows, dots, squares, stars, lines hearts, and letters of the alphabet also can be applied to enhance presentations on dry erase whiteboards with magnetic surfaces.
As mentioned above, make sure the magnets you use have smooth surfaces so the whiteboard surface is not scratched; a scratch can allow marker ink to penetrate the surface and that stain could be difficult to remove.
Some schools choose a non-magnetic whiteboard for the back or side of classrooms, where reminders, homework assignments or other written notes are the only needed use of the board. Room-wide whiteboards can also be a place for students to collaborate on lessons.
Magnetic whiteboards are a convenient and flexible tool for organization, brainstorming, and presentation purposes, and are often used in combination with other office or classroom equipment, such as markers, erasers, and magnetic accessories.
In high schools, non-magnetic whiteboards are more common, as they are largely used for writing or as projection surfaces.
EVERWhite manufactures and sells a wide variety of magnetic whiteboards — both framed and unframed, and as resurfacing panels. Magnetic whiteboards are available with graphics commonly used in classrooms imprinted below the surface, including penmanship lines, music staves, grid lines, polar coordinates and rectangular coordinates.
All of our mobile whiteboards have magnetic dry erase surfaces.
See our entire selection of magnetic whiteboards – with plain surfaces, lined surfaces, wall-mounted and mobile.
Combinations boards, which are part whiteboard and part cork board, can have a magnetic surface. We also offer custom-printed and custom-sized whiteboards with magnetic surfaces. See more about our classroom whiteboards.
See our Magnetic Whiteboard page for more information on boards with magnetic dry erase surfaces.
So, if you ask: Are whiteboards magnetic?, the answer is: Some are and some are not. EVERWhite offers you a choice – a magnetic whiteboard or a non-magnetic whiteboard.
Contact EVERWhite if you have questions about whiteboard surfaces.
Dan Griffin is general manager of EVERWhite, a U.S. manufacturer and seller of whiteboards and tack boards used for teaching, coaching, planning, collaboration and tracking. Along with his expertise in the use of whiteboards, Dan excels in leadership, new product development, business operations, continuous improvement and product marketing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a focus on marketing, from Temple University.
