The maximum magnetic force which can be permanently imparted to a steel bar. A bar may be magnetized beyond this point, but soon sinks to it. The magnetism produced in a bar is prevented from depolarization by the retentivity or coercive force of the bar. The higher the degree of magnetization the greater the tendency to depolarization. It is also defined as the maximum intensity of magnetism produced in a paramagnetic substance by a magnetic field as far as affected by the permeability of the substance in question. The more lines of force passed through such a substance the lower is its residual permeability. It is assumed that this becomes zero after a certain point, and then the point of saturation is reached. After this point is reached the addition of any lines of force is referred entirely to the field and not at all to the permeability of the substance. But such a zero is only definable approximately.

Seen in some magnetic materials, saturation is the state reached when an increase in applied external magnetic field H cannot increase the magnetization of the material further, so the total magnetic flux density B more or less levels off. (Though, magnetization continues to increase very slowly with the field due to paramagnetism.

Urban Hjärne (20 December 1641 – 10 March 1724) was a Swedish chemist, geologist, physician and writer.