The steel layer behind a ceramic steel surface is part of the panel’s core construction, not an accessory. Magnets attach to that steel through the thin ceramic coating, which is why the magnetic pull is consistent across the entire writing surface, from corner to corner, rather than concentrated in one area.

Glass itself has no magnetic properties, so Chameleon bonds a 0.4 mm galvanised steel backing sheet to the rear of every glass panel during manufacture, as a standard part of the product rather than a site-fitted extra. That backing sheet is what lets a glass whiteboard hold magnets at all. Because the magnet has to reach through the glass thickness to that backing sheet, standard whiteboard magnets don’t grip as reliably, so glass whiteboards are used with dedicated, stronger glass board magnets instead.

On a ceramic steel board, a document, printed card or accessory holds with any standard whiteboard magnet, anywhere on the surface. On a Chameleon glass board, the same is true, but only with glass board magnets designed for the purpose: a standard whiteboard magnet that works well on ceramic steel is unlikely to hold securely through the glass.

If magnetic function is central to how a board gets used, for planning boards, project walls, or anywhere documents and cards are attached regularly, ceramic steel is the more straightforward and consistent option. If a board is used mainly for writing and occasional light magnetic use in a space where the glass aesthetic is the priority, a glass board with a backing plate can still work, provided that’s confirmed at the specification stage rather than assumed.

For a surface that’s magnetic by default, our ceramic steel whiteboard.