How deep can a metal detector detect?

There is no single answer, and Minelab's tech specs give no detection depth for any model we read. How far a detector senses changes with the size of the target, the ground and the coil, from one hole to the next. What the specs do give is coil size, such as the 14 x 13-inch GPZ14 on Minelab's GPZ 7000.

Updated Oct. 17, 2026

6 inSmall coil supplied with the Equinox 900

14 x 13 inCoil supplied with the GPZ 7000

11 inCoil supplied with the Manticore

The target decides first

A large object is easier to sense from far away than a small one. A coin lying flat answers better than the same coin on edge, and a thin flake of gold answers least of all. Two finds in the same field can lie at very different levels.

That is why we quote no figure for any model. A figure without the target, the soil and the coil would mean little. First Texas's Tracker IV FAQ, read Oct. 16, 2026, ties the answer to the size and type of metal.

Target size and depth

Small target: nearest the coil
Coin-size target
Large object: picked up deepest

The bigger the target, the deeper a detector can pick it up. Real depth depends on the detector, the coil, the ground and the target. Drawing, not to scale; no depth figures are implied.

What the coil changes

In general, a larger coil sweeps a wider strip and senses larger targets from a greater distance. A smaller coil reads a narrower patch, which helps pick one target out of many in trashy ground.

Minelab supplies both kinds. It puts two round coils in the Equinox 900 box, the EQX11 and the smaller EQX06. The GPX 6000 also comes with two, a 14-inch Double-D and an 11-inch monoloop, while the Manticore ships with one, the M11.

Coils supplied, five Minelab modelsFacts from each maker's page, rewritten. A value a maker does not publish is marked.
Model	Coil	Technology	Weight
Minelab Equinox 900	11-inchEQX11, round, DD, plus 1 more	Multi-frequencyMulti-IQ	2.8 lb1.27 kg
Minelab Manticore	11-inchM11, round, DD	Multi-frequencyMulti-IQ+	2.9 lb1.3 kg
Minelab CTX 3030	11-inchCTX 11 Smart Coil, round, DD	Multi-frequencyFBS 2	5.2 lb2.36 kg
Minelab GPX 6000	14-inchGPX14, round, DD, plus 1 more	Pulse inductionGeoSense-PI	4.6 lb2.1 kg
Minelab GPZ 7000	14 x 13-inchGPZ14, Super-D	ZVTZVT (Zero Voltage Transmission)	7.32 lb3.32 kg

Facts from the pages of Minelab, read Oct. 16, 2026.

Ground and technology

Mineral soil and wet salt sand send back signals of their own, which can hide a faint target. Minelab's GPX 6000 and GPZ 7000 use other technologies: pulse induction and ZVT. Minelab publishes no kHz value for either.

Some finds are off limits whatever the detector. On National Forest System lands, 36 CFR 261.9 (read Oct. 16, 2026) prohibits digging in, disturbing or removing any prehistoric, historic or archaeological resource.

What the display shows, and what it does not

A target ID number describes the metal, not how deep it lies. The CTX 3030 places each target on two scales, ferrous 1-35 and conductivity 1-50. Neither scale is a depth; the CTX 3030 shows depth on a separate indicator.

Treat any depth indicator as a rough guide, and dig with care. A pinpointer helps close in once the hole is open; our pinpointer guide compares seven.

Questions

We don't quote a number. It depends on the coin's size and angle, the soil and the coil. Minelab's tech specs give no detection depth, and we don't add one of our own.

In general, it senses larger targets from a greater distance and covers more ground per sweep. Minelab's GPZ 7000, for one, comes with the GPZ14 Super-D.

Not as a rule. Minelab's tech specs give no detection depth for its multi-frequency models either, such as the Multi-IQ+ Manticore.