A carrier core material is provided that is formed with ferrite particles which can uniformly adhere a coupling agent to the entire surface. A carrier core material is formed with ferrite particles, and the powder pH of the ferrite particles is equal to or more than 9. Here, the ferrite particles are preferably formed of Mn ferrite or Mn—Mg ferrite. The ferrite particles preferably contain 45 wt % or more but 65 wt % or less of Fe, 15 wt % or more but 30 wt % or less of Mn and 5 wt % or less of Mg.