DeWalt Magnetic Tray

Why I reach for this tray

Small parts go missing in the most predictable ways—rolled off a fender, lost under a bench, or mixed into a pocket full of unrelated fasteners. After a few months using DeWalt’s magnetic tray on automotive jobs, cabinet installs, and general bench work, I’ve found it reduces that everyday friction in a simple, durable way. It’s a single, compact bowl that sticks where you put it and hangs onto the parts you drop in. There’s not much to it, and that’s the point.

Build and design

This is a straightforward, single-bay metal tray finished in silver with a 6-inch footprint. The size hits a nice balance: large enough for a handful of sockets, driver bits, and a small pile of fasteners, but small enough to live on a crowded cart or perching on the corner of a ladder top. The walls have enough height to keep round parts from hopping out when the tray gets bumped, without feeling cramped for fingers.

The construction feels solid. The bowl resists flexing when I lift it loaded by the rim, and it hasn’t shown any dings from everyday use. Edges are smooth; I don’t worry about scratching my hands or snagging gloves when I’m fishing for a specific fastener. The finish wipes clean easily with a shop towel. There are no compartments or dividers—this is a single catch-all—so organization is up to how you stage parts.

Magnet strength and behavior

The magnet is the defining feature and it’s genuinely strong. It serves two jobs at once: anchoring the tray to a ferrous surface and magnetizing the bowl so metal parts stick inside. On a steel fender, the tray stays put through casual bumps, and on a vertical steel cabinet it holds securely when half full of screws and bits. If I load it heavily with large sockets and tug sideways, I can make it slide on a vertical surface, which is expected. On horizontal surfaces, it’s difficult to knock out of position.

Inside the bowl, the magnetic pull is enough to keep fasteners from skating around. I can tilt the tray to 45 degrees and short fasteners and bits stay put; lighter items cling even when I’m a bit clumsy. I’ve inverted it (carefully) with small screws as a test, and they stayed attached. That said, long or heavy items still obey gravity—don’t expect miracles if you fling a half-pound socket in there and turn the tray upside down.

One practical note: only ferrous parts stick. Stainless fasteners of the right alloy, aluminum rivets, brass hardware, and many specialty bits won’t stay put. Chrome-plated sockets, however, typically do, because the steel under the plating is magnetic.

Real-world use

• Automotive: On brake jobs and front-end work, the tray sits on the strut tower or fender and takes lug nuts, caliper bolts, and a couple of sockets. I like that it stays where I put it when I’m working around the area—no creeping or rattling its way off the edge.
• Carpentry/installation: On a ladder drive, I stick it to the top rail or a nearby steel hinge plate, and it keeps cabinet screws and hinge plates from doing their vanishing act. The compact size is ideal in tight kitchens where staging space is at a premium.
• Bench work: It lives at the edge of my tool cart, corralling detents, set screws, and hex bits while I move between stations. The magnet is strong enough to anchor through a thin shop towel, which protects painted surfaces when I’m being cautious.

Capacity and workflow

At six inches across, capacity fits roughly a handful of sockets or a modest batch of fasteners. For a single small assembly, it’s perfect. For jobs with multiple hardware types, the lack of compartments means everything lives together. I handle that two ways: either bring a second tray to split fastener types, or drop small paper cups into the bowl to create makeshift zones. If you routinely manage dozens of categories of hardware at once, a multi-compartment magnetic tray or a larger rectangular bowl might suit you better. For everyday tasks, this one feels like the right size—large enough to be useful, small enough to be unobtrusive.

Surface protection and placement

Magnetic trays can mar delicate finishes if grit gets trapped between the tray and the work surface. I haven’t seen visible scratching on shop-grade steel, but I avoid placing any magnetic accessory directly onto a finished car body or painted cabinet door. A simple workaround is a clean microfiber or a masking-tape pad beneath the tray; the magnet still holds through thin material while the surface stays safe. On rough steel or a toolbox lid, I place it directly and call it good.

Maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance is minimal. Wipe out the bowl periodically to remove metal dust and shavings that slowly accumulate. If fine debris builds up, a strip of painter’s tape or a magnet wrapped in a cloth pulls filings cleanly. Avoid dropping adhesives and oily rags in the bowl; the magnet tends to hold onto anything with embedded metallic fines. If the exterior picks up shop grime, a mild degreaser restores the finish quickly.

To keep the magnet gripping at its best, make sure the underside stays clean. A thin layer of dust or a stray washer stuck under there can reduce holding strength more than you’d expect.

Durability and long-term impressions

After steady use, the tray shows the kind of wear I want to see: a few light scuffs inside, no warping, no looseness in the magnet, and no flaking finish. The magnet hasn’t weakened, and it remains uniformly strong across the base. I’ve dropped it a couple of times from bench height; it shrugged off those hits without deforming. The simple design means there’s little to go wrong, which is part of its appeal.

What could be better

• No divisions: A single open bowl is fast but not organized. I’d love optional dividers or a companion tray with compartments for sorting similar fasteners.
• Size options: This six-inch format is a sweet spot, but a stackable two- or three-tray system would help scale up for larger disassembly jobs.
• Surface pad: While I can add my own protection under the base, a thin non-marring layer would make it more confidence-inspiring on finished surfaces without sacrificing hold.

None of these are deal-breakers for what the tray is designed to do. They’re more about expanding utility than fixing deficiencies.

Who it suits best

• DIY mechanics and pros who need a compact, stick-anywhere parts catcher.
• Installers and technicians working in tight spaces where a larger tray is cumbersome.
• Anyone who’s lost the same bolt twice in the same hour and vowed to change their ways.

If you’re looking to overhaul how you organize every fastener on a complex job, you’ll likely want this tray plus a larger, compartmentalized solution. If you just need a reliable catch basin that never slides off the cart, this hits the mark.

Final recommendation

I recommend this magnetic tray. It’s compact, strong, and durable, with a 6-inch footprint that fits real workspaces without getting in the way. The magnet holds confidently on both horizontal and vertical steel, and it keeps sockets and small fasteners where you leave them. While it lacks compartments and could benefit from a built-in non-marring layer, those are easy issues to work around with a second tray or a thin cloth. For day-to-day tasks—from a brake service to a hinge install—it does exactly what it should: reduce lost parts and keep your focus on the job.