A magnetic steel sheet including a layer adjoining at least one of a top side and bottom side of the magnetic metal sheet. The layer includes a metal oxide containing titanium oxide or tantalum oxide and the layer adjoins the magnetic steel sheet along a diffusion zone into which the titanium or tantalum of the metal oxide has diffused into the magnetic steel sheet. The diffusion zone is produced on at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of the magnetic steel sheet and the diffusion layer diffuses one of tantalum and titanium as metal into the at least one surface. The metal of the at the at least one surface is converted into an associated metal oxide to form the layer including the metal oxide, and a residual content of the metal of the metal oxide remains in the diffusion zone.