Magnetic interactions in hexaferrite samples of Ba1-xLax+delta Fe12-xCoxO19 composition were studied. The precursor powders-barium carbonate (BaCO3), lanthanum oxide (La2O3), hematite (Fe2O3) and cobalt acetate-were milled for 100 h in air atmosphere and heat-treated for 1 h at 1000 degrees C. The structural characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction. The FORC distributions show a single peak at high switching fields, indicating that the substituted systems are formed by weakly interacting particles. La excess induces the decoupling of the particles. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.