Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs XLB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to XLB's +18.5%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about QUAL and XLB
Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $8.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLB costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.4 points; QUAL is 6.0 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | XLB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +18.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | Materials Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $48.3bn | $8.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 58.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLB hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and XLB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
XLB
XLB tracks an index of Materials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 25 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and XLB +18.5%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLB?
- XLB is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, QUAL against XLB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against XLB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlb
[QUAL against XLB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xlb)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.