For many applications powder metallurgy (PM) is the only way to economically produce so-called impossible materials e.g. homogenous fine grained immiscible materials, nanomaterials, highly alloyed segregation free tool steels or nickel base alloys, functionally graded materials, bonded hard materials or rare earth hard magnets, just to name few. The scope of this data collection is the authoritative coverage of critically evaluated and reviewed data on physical, chemical and mechanical properties, including information available from conference proceedings, company literature and the internationally very different standards on PM materials, industry catalogues and brochures, research reports and scientific journals. The collected data was so extensive that the editors decided to divide the volume in two parts, subvolume VIII/2A1: Metals and Magnetic Materials, and subvolume VIII/2A2: Refractory, Hard and Intermetallic Materials. The subvolume VIII/2A1 contains information on powders and shaping technologies, semifinished products and structural parts as well as more functional materials for friction, electrical contact or magnetic applications or materials where the porosity is technically exploited.

The editors are obliged to the authors which achieved a density of hard core information that will long stay unsurpassed and that is invaluable for application and for all practicians, engineers and scientists, which are working in this field.