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VAW vs WOOD

Vanguard Materials ETF

VAWBNYSE Arca

iShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF

WOODDNasdaq

Overlap

1.7%by weight

Expense ratio

VAW −0.30pt a year

VAW0.09%WOOD0.39%

Avg volume · 30D

VAW 2.8×the volume

VAW64.4KWOOD23.2K

10Y return · a year

VAW +5.6pt

VAW+10.1%WOOD+4.5%

VAW vs WOOD Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+34.0%VAW−14.8%WOOD

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. VAW +34.0%. WOOD −14.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%10%20%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
VAW 0.09%, better
WOOD 0.39%
Fund size
VAW $4.5B
WOOD $247M
1Y total return
VAW +18.9%, better
WOOD −3.7%
Yield (12M)
VAW 1.39%
WOOD 2.58%, better
Holdings
VAW 113
WOOD 39
Avg volume (30D)
VAW 64.4K sh, better
WOOD 23.2K sh
NAV per share
VAW $228.68
WOOD $65.30
52W range

ETF.net Grade

VAW: Cost 84, Risk 60, Mission not scored, Tradability 42, Holdings 50, Durability 86. WOOD: Cost 31, Risk 38, Mission not scored, Tradability 28, Holdings 42, Durability 54.
Pillar letters and Scores for VAW, WOOD, with each pillar’s weight
PillarVAWWOOD
Cost30% weightA84HigherD31
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightB60HigherD38
Tradability15% weightC42HigherD28
Holdings10% weightC50HigherC42
Durability5% weightA86HigherC54

Rank among Materials (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. VAW and WOOD are both graded against the same 14 Materials (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Materials (Broad)⁠

Category · 14 funds
See all 14 ›

VAW ranks 3rd and WOOD 12th of 14 funds in the Materials (Broad) Category.

  1. Rank 1AXLBState Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 84
  2. Rank 2AFMATFidelity MSCI Materials Index ETFScore 70
  3. Rank 3BVAWVanguard Materials ETFScore 66
  4. Rank 4BXMEState Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETFScore 62
  5. Rank 11DFXZFirst Trust Materials AlphaDEX FundScore 38
  6. Rank 12DWOODiShares Global Timber & Forestry ETFScore 34
  7. Rank 13DSLXVanEck Steel ETFScore 33

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

VAWBVanguard Materials ETF

WOODDiShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF

In short

VAW Vanguard's materials aisle in one ticker: chemicals, packaging and metals, roughly 120 names deep, for 0.09% a year while the category norm sits several times higher.

WOOD Wood is a commodity you can only really own through companies: timberland REITs, Brazilian pulp, Nordic paper, packaging. WOOD packs roughly 25 of them into one ticker and has been doing it since 2008.

Stated mandate

VAW The fund seeks to track a materials-sector equity benchmark through passive indexing and normally invests at least 80% of assets in the benchmark's stocks.

WOOD WOOD is designed to follow an index of worldwide stocks involved in or connected with timber and forestry, giving investors targeted exposure to forest products, packaging, and paper businesses.

Why people hold it

  • VAW Charges 0.09% a year, several times below the median for broad materials funds. Cheap enough that cost stops being the argument.
  • Holds about 120 stocks from MSCI's US Investable Market materials index, so it reaches down the cap ladder instead of stopping at the biggest names.
  • Plain passive indexing, at least 80% in benchmark stocks, and it has tracked that benchmark closely. One of the stronger builds in the materials group.
  • Trading since 2004 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, run by Vanguard's index desk. Distributions arrive quarterly.
  • WOOD Genuinely narrow: the index targets companies that own, manage or supply the upstream chain of forests and timberlands, not a materials grab bag.spglobal.com
  • Global by construction, developed and emerging markets both, so Brazilian pulp, Nordic paper and North American timber REITs sit side by side.blackrock.com
  • Live since 2008, with a semiannual distribution schedule fed by paper, packaging and timber REIT dividends.blackrock.com

Worth knowing

  • VAW One sector, and a cyclical one. Chemicals, miners and packagers ride construction and industrial demand, so swings run wider than a total-market fund.
  • Moderately traded rather than a volume monster, so spreads can widen in fast markets.
  • XLB and FMAT sit a basis point lower at 0.08%. A rounding error, but it exists.
  • WOOD Concentrated: around 25 holdings and non-diversified by prospectus, so a handful of large names steer the ride.ishares.com
  • At 0.39% it costs several times a broad materials index fund like XLB, VAW or FMAT, all near 0.08%. Narrow themes rarely come cheap.
  • Thinly traded next to the big sector funds, and most holdings trade on overseas exchanges, so spreads can run wider.blackrock.com

Full VAW profile⁠

Full WOOD profile⁠

VAW vs WOOD Holdings

How VAW and WOOD differ

Overlap by weight

1.7%

Shared holdings make up 8.8% of WOOD and 1.7% of VAW.

Level by level

  • Sector10 Sectors0.0%
  • Holdings2 in both1.7%
  • Countryby domicile21.4%
  • Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in VAW and WOOD, widest gap first
SectorMore in VAWMore in WOOD
MaterialsVAW +89.4 points
Paper & Forest Prod.WOOD +68.3 points
Containers & PackagingWOOD +14.7 points
Specialized REITsWOOD +12.6 points
Consumer DiscretionaryVAW +9.4 points
Household DurablesWOOD +4.3 points
IndustrialsVAW +0.6 points
Health CareVAW +0.5 points
Consumer StaplesSame weight
EnergySame weight

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in VAW and WOOD, widest gap first
CountryMore in VAWMore in WOOD
United StatesVAW +78.6 points
BrazilWOOD +13.8 points
JapanWOOD +13.0 points
SwedenWOOD +13.0 points
ChinaWOOD +9.5 points
FinlandWOOD +8.3 points
CanadaWOOD +5.2 points
United KingdomWOOD +4.4 points
Other countries (5)WOOD +11.4 points

Outside the US: WOOD 58% developed, 42% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • VAW58.0%
  • WOOD55.8%

Securities held

  • VAW111
  • WOOD25

Asset class

VAW
Equity
WOOD
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in VAW109
  • In both2
  • Only in WOOD23

Only in VAW

109 securities, 98.2% of VAW by weight

  • Linde PLC15.27%
  • Newmont Corp8.49%
  • Freeport-McMoRan Inc7.00%

Only in WOOD

23 securities, 90.5% of WOOD by weight

  • Suzano SA8.70%
  • Weyerhaeuser Reit8.44%
  • Svenska Cellulosa B5.63%

Weight gaps

All 2 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in VAW and WOOD, widest gap first
HoldingMore in VAWMore in WOOD
Sylvamo CorpSLVMWOOD +4.31 points
Smurfit Westrock PLCSWWOOD +2.85 points

All 115 VAW holdings⁠All 24 WOOD 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.

VAW vs WOOD Cost

Overpaying WOOD vs VAW

$6,000

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

  • VAW 0.09%

    $1,898

  • WOOD 0.39%

    $7,898

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • VAW 0.09%
  • WOOD 0.39%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530WOOD $7,898VAW $1,898

Year by year

YearVAWWOODOverpaying
10$165$705$540
20$646$2,725$2,079
30$1,898$7,898$6,000

Expense ratio

  • 0.09%VAW, cheaper
  • 0.39%WOOD
  • Middle half of Materials (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.37%

VAW 3rd cheapest of 14 funds

WOOD 9th cheapest of 14 funds

VAW vs WOOD Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
VAW 1.39%
WOOD 2.58%, better
Payout (12M)
VAW $3.18
WOOD $1.68
Last payment
VAW $0.78
WOOD $0.63
Ex-dividend
VAW Sep 23, 2026
WOOD Jun 15, 2026
Paid on
VAW Sep 25, 2026
WOOD Jun 18, 2026
Frequency
VAW Quarterly
WOOD Twice a year

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

VAWQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VAW payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.50; Jun 28, 2017 $0.55; Sep 27, 2017 $0.61; Dec 14, 2017 $0.57; Mar 16, 2018 $0.37; Jun 28, 2018 $0.66; Sep 24, 2018 $0.59; Dec 13, 2018 $0.63; Mar 21, 2019 $0.57; Jun 21, 2019 $0.70; Sep 26, 2019 $0.63; Dec 16, 2019 $0.69; Mar 10, 2020 $0.54; Jun 22, 2020 $0.67; Sep 11, 2020 $0.59; Dec 17, 2020 $0.82; Mar 26, 2021 $0.56; Jun 21, 2021 $0.66; Sep 29, 2021 $0.80; Dec 16, 2021 $0.83; Mar 24, 2022 $0.64; Jun 23, 2022 $0.98; Sep 28, 2022 $0.79; Dec 15, 2022 $0.95; Mar 24, 2023 $0.68; Jun 29, 2023 $0.83; Sep 28, 2023 $0.86; Dec 19, 2023 $0.89; Mar 22, 2024 $0.68; Jun 28, 2024 $0.82; Sep 27, 2024 $0.84; Dec 18, 2024 $0.86; Mar 25, 2025 $0.83; Jun 26, 2025 $0.82; Sep 24, 2025 $0.77; Dec 17, 2025 $0.81; Mar 24, 2026 $0.79; Jun 24, 2026 $0.80; Sep 23, 2026 $0.78. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD
WOODTwice a year · 18 paymentsAll WOOD payments⁠
One bar per payment. 18 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Jun 20, 2017 $0.69; Dec 21, 2017 $0.16; Jun 19, 2018 $0.80; Dec 18, 2018 $0.81; Jun 17, 2019 $1.12; Dec 16, 2019 $0.12; Jun 15, 2020 $0.47; Dec 14, 2020 $0.31; Jun 10, 2021 $0.86; Dec 13, 2021 $0.28; Jun 9, 2022 $1.54; Dec 13, 2022 $0.10; Jun 7, 2023 $1.34; Jun 11, 2024 $1.26; Dec 17, 2024 $0.34; Jun 16, 2025 $0.75; Dec 16, 2025 $1.06; Jun 15, 2026 $0.63. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

VAW vs WOOD Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • VAW
  • WOOD
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: WOOD −30.7% · Sep 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
VAW 17.3%WOOD 17.2%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
VAW 0.54, betterWOOD −0.23
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
VAW −25.5%, betterWOOD −30.7%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
VAW 0.98WOOD 0.74

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