Ferromagnetic materials are further classified as soft or hard. Hard magnets are also called permanent magnets. These require a large field to demagnetise (and magnetise). Generally hard magnets have a large remenant magnetisation. Soft magnets, however, are easily magnetised and demagnetised, they have a small coercive field, and generally a small remanent magnetisation. Soft and hard magnets have different applications depending on the ease of magnetisation and demagnetisation required. See the animation below for examples of hard and soft magnets, their hysteresis curves and applications.