| Chemical Formula: | Fe2O3 (Iron Oxide) |
| Class/Group: | Oxides and Hydroxides: Spinel |
| Appearance: | Black, gray to silver gray, brown to reddish brown, red, sometimes iridescent, opaque, metallic, known for red to reddish brown streaks. |
| Characteristics: | Is paramagnetic, very brittle. |
| Hardness: | 5.5 - 6.5 |
| Specific Gravity: | 4.9 - 5.3 (typical of metallic minerals) |
| Crystal Forms: | Hexagonal, although occasionally scalenohedral and rhombohedral occur. Crystals occur in thin plates and splinters. |
| Often Found With: | Albite, Barite, Biotite, Calcite, Magnesite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Quartz |
| Varieties: | lodestone (large and magnetic), titano (titanium rich), chrome (chromium rich) |