Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs XLI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to XLI's +10.2%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $30.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLI costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.9 points; QUAL is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | XLI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +10.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.4%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | Industrial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $48.3bn | $30.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 37.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLI hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and XLI 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%.
XLI
XLI tracks an index of Industrials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. 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 84 positions, with the top ten at 37.8%. It sat 9.4% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and XLI +10.2%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLI?
- XLI 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.
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ETFIQ, QUAL against XLI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xli
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against XLI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xli
[QUAL against XLI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xli)
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