Provided are a magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer and a carrier for electrophotographic developer, which are excellent in charging characteristics and strength with low specific gravity and with which a satisfactory image free of defects can be obtained, and a developer containing the carrier. A magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer, having a sulfur component content of from 60 to 800 ppm in terms of a sulfate ion and a pore volume of from 30 to 100 mm.sup.3/g.

A magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer, satisfying a value of Expression (1): a+b×10+c+d+e+f, being from 200 to 1,400, when an amount of fluorine ion is denoted by a (ppm), an amount of chlorine ion is denoted by b (ppm), an amount of bromide ion is denoted by c (ppm), an amount of nitrite ion is denoted by d (ppm), an amount of nitrate ion is denoted by e (ppm), and an amount of sulfate ion is denoted by f (ppm), which are measured by combustion ion chromatography; and having a pore volume of from 30 to 100 mm.sup.3/g.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier comprises carrier particles each comprising a core particle and a coating layer. The coating layer comprises a coating resin and inorganic particles comprising chargeable particles A and conductive particles B. The amount of the inorganic particles is from 195 to 350 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the coating resin. The carrier particles consist of small carrier particles (D1≤25 μm), medium carrier particles (25 μm<D2≤38 μm), and large carrier particles (38 μm<D3). A constituent element variation, that is a ratio of an amount of a constituent element of the inorganic particles contained in the coating layer of the small carrier particles to an amount of the same constituent element of the inorganic particles contained in the coating layer of the medium carrier, is from −10.0% to 10.0%.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier comprises a core particle and a resin layer coating the core particle. The resin layer contains a chargeable particle A, a conductive particle B, a dispersing agent, and a defoaming agent.

A magnetic carrier including a magnetic carrier particle having a magnetic core particle and a coating layer of an organosilicon polymer on a surface of the magnetic core particle, wherein the organosilicon polymer has the structure given by formula (T3) below; in .sup.29Si-NMR measurement of the THF-insoluble matter of the organosilicon polymer, the ratio ST3 of the peak area for the structure given by formula (T3) to the total peak area for the organosilicon polymer is at least 0.05; and in the roughness curve measured on the magnetic carrier particle, the mean width (RSm) of the roughness curve elements of the magnetic carrier particle, and the ratio (/RSm) to this RSm of the standard deviation of the width of the region where one period of a protrusion and a recess occurs, are in prescribed ranges.

RSi(O.sub.1/2).sub.3(T3)

R in the formula represents a prescribed substituent.

To provide a magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer and carrier for electrophotographic developer which have small environmental dependence of the electric resistance, can suppress the carrier scattering, and can stably provide good images; a developer contains the carrier; a method for producing the magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer; a method for producing the carrier for electrophotographic developer, and a method for producing the developer.

The magnetic core material for electrophotographic developer, satisfying a value of Formula (1): a+b10+c+d+e+f, being from 20 to 150, when a fluoride ion amount is denoted by a (ppm), a chloride ion amount is denoted by b (ppm), a bromide ion amount is denoted by c (ppm), a nitrite ion amount is denoted by d (ppm), a nitrate ion amount is denoted by e (ppm), and a sulfate ion amount is denoted by f (ppm), which are measured by a combustion ion chromatography method.

The present disclosure provides a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus in which fogging is reduced so as to reduce an amount of toner consumed. A process cartridge configured to be detachably attachable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus includes a developing unit containing a toner, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member, wherein the toner is a toner that has a toner particle, and has a metal salt of a polyvalent acid at least on a part of a surface of the toner particle; wherein the metal salt of the polyvalent acid includes at least one kind of metal element selected from metal elements belonging to from Group 3 to Group 13, and a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains an acrylic resin or a methacrylic resin.

A toner for developing electrostatic images, comprising colored resin particles that contain a binder resin, a colorant and a charge control agent, and external additives, wherein the external additives contain at least an external additive A and an external additive B; wherein the external additive A is metal oxide particles charged to the same polarity as a polarity of the colored resin particles, with a specific charge amount per unit surface area and a specific number average particle diameter; wherein the external additive B is resin particles charged to the opposite polarity to the polarity of the colored resin particles, with a specific number average particle diameter; and wherein a content of the external additive A and a content of the external additive B are in specific ranges.

A toner comprises a toner particle and an external additive, the toner satisfies a certain relationship with regard to l (C/m.sup.2) and s (C/m.sup.2). The toner is divided into two groups i.e. a first group and a second group with inertial classifier, the first group including a larger size of the toner particles, and the second group including a smaller size of the toner particles, and the number of the toner particles in the first group being substantially equal to the number of the toner particles in the second group. Then, al (C/m.sup.2) represents an absolute value of average surface charge density of the toner included in the first group, and s (C/m.sup.2) represents an absolute value of average surface charge density of the toner included in the second group.

A carrier includes carrier particles. The carrier particles include first carrier particles and second carrier particles. The first carrier particles each include a first carrier core and a first coat layer covering a surface of the first carrier core. The second carrier particles each include a second carrier core and a second coat layer covering a surface of the second carrier core. The first coat layers contain no fatty acid metal salt. The second coat layer contains a coat layer binder resin and a fatty acid metal salt. The second coat layers contain the fatty acid metal salt in a proportion of from 85 mass % to 95 mass % relative to a total mass of the second coat layers. The second carrier particles are contained in a proportion of from 7 mass % to 15 mass % relative to a total mass of the first carrier particles and the second carrier particles.