Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VB vs XLB: how they differ
VB and XLB hold 2% of their weight in the same names, and VB returned more over the year.
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VB and XLB hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VB | XLB |
|---|---|---|
| DuPont de Nemours Inc | 0.23% | 2.48% |
| CF Industries Holdings Inc | 0.20% | 2.23% |
| Ball Corp | 0.20% | 2.23% |
| Albemarle Corp | 0.19% | 2.13% |
| Steel Dynamics Inc | 0.19% | 3.73% |
| Avery Dennison Corp | 0.15% | 1.67% |
| International Paper Co | 0.12% | 2.70% |
| Dow Inc | 0.12% | 2.64% |
| International Flavors & Fragrances Inc | 0.12% | 2.71% |
| Mosaic Co/The | 0.08% | 0.90% |
| Only in VB | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| Jabil Inc 0.49% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| Astera Labs Inc 0.45% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| Natera Inc 0.45% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| Twilio Inc 0.38% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| NRG Energy Inc 0.38% | CRH PLC 4.67% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.
| VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.3 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.7% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 1311 | 26 |
VB in plain words
VB is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1311 positions, with the top ten at 4.3%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLB in plain words
XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 26 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VB or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +15.2% and XLB returned +12.0%, so VB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VB or XLB?
- VB charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VB and XLB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of VB and 100% of XLB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 2% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VB against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VB-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources