In order to understand pickup ability to compare magnets, you need to know how we measure pickup ability and performance. We briefly introduce in this article. The weight form of the steel is very important. For example, a 50-pound nail is harder to "grab" than a 50-pound rebar. The rebar is flat and dense and can be very close to where the magnet's gauss strength is highest, allowing the magnet to "grab" more weight in the form of the rebar than in the form of a nail.