ISTB vs SCSB: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

ISTBANasdaq

Sterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETF

SCSBCCboe

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

ISTB −0.27pt a year

ISTB0.06%SCSB0.33%

Avg volume · 30D

ISTB 174.0×the volume

ISTB537KSCSB3.09K

ISTB vs SCSB Performance

Aug 7, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026

+0.1%ISTB+0.4%SCSB

Expense ratio: ISTB 0.06%, better; SCSB 0.33%
Fund size: ISTB $5.37B; SCSB $32M
1Y total return: ISTB +1.8%; SCSB No data
Yield (12M): ISTB 4.36%; SCSB No data
Holdings: ISTB 7579; SCSB 149
Avg volume (30D): ISTB 537K sh, better; SCSB 3.09K sh
NAV per share: ISTB $47.52; SCSB $24.60
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ISTB, SCSB, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ISTB	SCSB
Cost30% weight	A89Higher	D30
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	C50	B55Higher
Tradability15% weight	A77Higher	D37
Holdings10% weight	A79	A79
Durability5% weight	A91Higher	F15

Rank among Short-Term Core Bond funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ISTB and SCSB are both graded against the same 12 Short-Term Core Bond funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Short-Term Core Bond⁠

Category · 12 funds

See all 12 ›

ISTB ranks 2nd and SCSB 9th of 12 funds in the Short-Term Core Bond Category.

Rank 1ABSVVanguard Short-Term Bond ETFScore 79
Rank 2AISTBiShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETFScore 77
Rank 3BAVSFAvantis Short-Term Fixed Income ETFScore 62
Rank 8CSBNDColumbia Short Duration Bond ETFScore 46
Rank 9CSCSBSterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETFScore 41
Rank 10DSTOTState Street DoubleLine Short Duration Total Return Tactical ETFScore 37

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ISTBAiShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF

SCSBCSterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETF

In short

ISTB The Agg with the long end trimmed off, plus a dash of high yield. ISTB tracks a broad USD bond index that stops at five-year maturities, so you get core bond plumbing with a fraction of the rate sensitivity, for six basis points.

SCSB No data

Stated mandate

ISTB The fund seeks to track an index of U.S.-dollar bonds rated investment grade or high yield, with remaining maturities from one to five years.

SCSB No data

Why people hold it

ISTB Six basis points a year, a fraction of the typical broad bond ETF fee. On a bond fund, every basis point of fee comes straight out of the income you keep.ishares.com
The index casts a wider credit net than the Agg: investment grade plus high yield, thousands of individual bonds deep.ishares.com
Nothing in the index matures past five years, so the portfolio carries far less interest-rate sensitivity than full-maturity core bond funds like BND, SPAB or SCHZ.ishares.com
Running since 2012, multi-billion-dollar, actively traded, and it pays income monthly rather than quarterly.

SCSB No data

Worth knowing

ISTB The high yield sleeve adds credit risk that investment-grade-only short bond funds skip.ishares.com
Short maturities cut both ways: smaller price swings when rates rise, and less lift when they fall.
Not a cash substitute. The share price moves daily, and maturing bonds get replaced at whatever rates prevail, so the monthly payout drifts.ishares.com

SCSB No data

Full ISTB profile⁠

Full SCSB profile⁠

ISTB vs SCSB Holdings

How ISTB and SCSB differ

No overlap figure

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues.

Level by level

Countryby domicile91.9%
Asset classBonds100%

Sector

ISTB and SCSB share no Sector name, so they cannot be compared by Sector.

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ISTB and SCSB, widest gap first
Country	Gap	ISTB	SCSB
Cayman Islands	SCSB +4.1 points	3.5%	7.6%
Canada	ISTB +1.7 points	1.7%	0.0%
Finland	SCSB +0.9 points	0.1%	1.0%
Luxembourg	ISTB +0.8 points	0.8%	0.0%
Switzerland	SCSB +0.8 points	0.1%	0.9%
South Korea	ISTB +0.6 points	0.6%	0.0%
Hong Kong	ISTB +0.6 points	0.6%	0.0%
Ireland	SCSB +0.5 points	0.3%	0.8%
Other countries (32)	ISTB +2.7 points	92.3%	89.6%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ISTB8.6%
SCSB14.4%

Securities held

ISTB7,524
SCSB148

Asset class

ISTB: Bonds
SCSB: Bonds

Holdings

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues, so this page lists no shared Holdings. ISTB holds 7,524 securities, SCSB 148.

All 7,582 ISTB holdings⁠All SCSB holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ISTB vs SCSB Cost

Overpaying SCSB vs ISTB

$5,467

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

ISTB 0.06%
$1,270
SCSB 0.33%
$6,737

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ISTB 0.06%
SCSB 0.33%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ISTB	SCSB	Overpaying
10	$110	$598	$488
20	$432	$2,318	$1,886
30	$1,270	$6,737	$5,467

Expense ratio

0.06%ISTB, cheaper
0.33%SCSB

ISTB0.06%SCSB0.33%

0.03%0.45%

Middle half of Short-Term Core Bond funds
Median 0.20%

ISTB 2nd cheapest of 12 funds

SCSB 9th cheapest of 12 funds

ISTB vs SCSB Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026

Yield (12M): ISTB 4.36%; SCSB No data
Payout (12M): ISTB $2.07; SCSB No data
Last payment: ISTB $0.18; SCSB $0.14
Ex-dividend: ISTB Nov 2, 2026; SCSB Nov 2, 2026
Paid on: ISTB Nov 5, 2026; SCSB Nov 4, 2026
Frequency: ISTB Monthly; SCSB Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

ISTBMonthly · 46 paymentsAll ISTB payments⁠

SCSBMonthly · 8 paymentsAll SCSB payments⁠

ISTB vs SCSB Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ISTB 2.5%SCSB No data
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ISTB 0.24SCSB No data
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ISTB −8.7%SCSB No data
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ISTB 0.39SCSB 0.01; Market = 1

Popular comparisons

ISTBAvsBSVA
iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF · Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.06% · 0.03%
Category
SCSBCvsBSVA
Sterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETF · Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.33% · 0.03%
Category
ISTBAvsAVSFB
iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF · Avantis Short-Term Fixed Income ETF
Expense ratio
0.06% · 0.15%
Category
SCSBCvsAVSFB
Sterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETF · Avantis Short-Term Fixed Income ETF
Expense ratio
0.33% · 0.15%
Category
ISTBAvsSHAGB
iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF · WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund
Expense ratio
0.06% · 0.12%
Category
SCSBCvsSHAGB
Sterling Capital Short Duration Bond ETF · WisdomTree Yield Enhanced U.S. Short-Term Aggregate Bond Fund
Expense ratio
0.33% · 0.12%
Category