A magnetic alloy is a combination of various metals from the periodic table such as ferrite that exhibits magnetic properties such as ferromagnetism. Typically the alloy contains one of the three main magnetic elements : iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), or cobalt (Co). However, alloys such as Heusler alloys exhibit ferromagnetic properties without any of the preceding 3 elements, and alloys of iron and manganese such as stainless steels may be essentially nonmagnetic at room temperature. Magnetic properties of an alloy are highly dependent not only on the composition but also on heat treatment and mechanical processing.