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WOOD vs XLB

iShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF

WOODDNasdaq

State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLBANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XLB −0.31pt a year

WOOD0.39%XLB0.08%

Avg volume · 30D

XLB 480.9×the volume

WOOD23.2KXLB11.1M

10Y return · a year

XLB +6.2pt

WOOD+4.5%XLB+10.7%

WOOD vs XLB Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

−14.8%WOOD+36.8%XLB

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. WOOD −14.8%. XLB +36.8%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%10%20%30%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
WOOD 0.39%
XLB 0.08%, better
Fund size
WOOD $247M
XLB $8.3B
1Y total return
WOOD −3.7%
XLB +25.3%, better
Yield (12M)
WOOD 2.58%, better
XLB 1.64%
Holdings
WOOD 39
XLB 27
Avg volume (30D)
WOOD 23.2K sh
XLB 11.1M sh, better
NAV per share
WOOD $65.30
XLB $52.52
52W range

ETF.net Grade

WOOD: Cost 31, Risk 38, Mission not scored, Tradability 28, Holdings 42, Durability 54. XLB: Cost 95, Risk 76, Mission 83, Tradability 99, Holdings 43, Durability 81.
Pillar letters and Scores for WOOD, XLB, with each pillar’s weight
PillarWOODXLB
Cost30% weightD31A95Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredA83
Risk15% weightD38A76Higher
Tradability15% weightD28A99Higher
Holdings10% weightC42C43Higher
Durability5% weightC54A81Higher

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. WOOD and XLB 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 ›

XLB ranks 1st 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 11DFXZFirst Trust Materials AlphaDEX FundScore 38
  4. Rank 12DWOODiShares Global Timber & Forestry ETFScore 34
  5. Rank 13DSLXVanEck Steel ETFScore 33

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

WOODDiShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF

XLBAState Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF

In short

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.

XLB The original materials play. A 1998-vintage slice of the S&P 500's chemical, mining, packaging and building-materials names, run at eight basis points and traded in size all day long.

Stated mandate

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.

XLB The fund seeks to track, before expenses, the price and yield performance of the Materials Select Sector Index.

Why people hold it

  • 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
  • XLB Charges 0.08% a year against a peer-group median of 0.38%, and nothing in the cohort undercuts it (FMAT matches).
  • Trading since December 1998 as one of the original Select Sector SPDRs, with a multi-billion-dollar asset base behind it.sec.gov
  • Very actively traded for a sector fund, which is the whole point if you use it for tactical tilts rather than buy-and-forget.
  • Clean mandate: chemicals, metals and mining, paper and forest products, containers and packaging, construction materials. No thematic drift.ssga.com

Worth knowing

  • 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
  • XLB Around 26 stocks, and index rules let one name reach 25% at a quarter-end measurement. A couple of chemical giants carry outsized weight.sec.gov
  • The universe is the S&P 500 only. Smaller miners and specialty producers sit outside the net, which is the water VAW and XME fish in.ssga.com
  • One sector, tied to commodity prices and building demand, so it can travel a very different path from the broad market. Distributions come quarterly.ssga.com

Full WOOD profile⁠

Full XLB profile⁠

WOOD vs XLB 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.

WOOD vs XLB Cost

Overpaying WOOD vs XLB

$6,209

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

  • WOOD 0.39%

    $7,898

  • XLB 0.08%

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • WOOD 0.39%
  • XLB 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530WOOD $7,898XLB $1,689

Year by year

YearWOODXLBOverpaying
10$705$147$558
20$2,725$575$2,150
30$7,898$1,689$6,209

Expense ratio

  • 0.39%WOOD
  • 0.08%XLB, cheaper
  • Middle half of Materials (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.37%

XLB cheapest of 14 funds

WOOD 9th cheapest of 14 funds

WOOD vs XLB Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
WOOD 2.58%, better
XLB 1.64%
Payout (12M)
WOOD $1.68
XLB $0.86
Last payment
WOOD $0.63
XLB $0.23
Ex-dividend
WOOD Jun 15, 2026
XLB Sep 21, 2026
Paid on
WOOD Jun 18, 2026
XLB Sep 23, 2026
Frequency
WOOD Twice a year
XLB Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

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
XLBQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll XLB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.08; Jun 16, 2017 $0.13; Sep 15, 2017 $0.15; Dec 15, 2017 $0.14; Mar 16, 2018 $0.11; Jun 15, 2018 $0.14; Sep 21, 2018 $0.14; Dec 21, 2018 $0.16; Mar 15, 2019 $0.12; Jun 21, 2019 $0.17; Sep 20, 2019 $0.15; Dec 20, 2019 $0.17; Mar 23, 2020 $0.13; Jun 22, 2020 $0.15; Sep 21, 2020 $0.15; Dec 21, 2020 $0.18; Mar 22, 2021 $0.16; Jun 21, 2021 $0.17; Sep 20, 2021 $0.18; Dec 20, 2021 $0.22; Mar 21, 2022 $0.16; Jun 21, 2022 $0.26; Sep 19, 2022 $0.20; Dec 19, 2022 $0.25; Mar 20, 2023 $0.16; Jun 20, 2023 $0.20; Sep 18, 2023 $0.20; Dec 18, 2023 $0.30; Mar 18, 2024 $0.16; Jun 24, 2024 $0.21; Sep 23, 2024 $0.21; Dec 23, 2024 $0.22; Mar 24, 2025 $0.20; Jun 23, 2025 $0.22; Sep 22, 2025 $0.21; Dec 22, 2025 $0.23; Mar 23, 2026 $0.21; Jun 22, 2026 $0.19; Sep 21, 2026 $0.23. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

WOOD vs XLB Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • WOOD
  • XLB
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
WOOD 17.2%XLB 16.6%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
WOOD −0.23XLB 0.59, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
WOOD −30.7%XLB −24.7%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
WOOD 0.74XLB 0.82

WOOD and XLB in the news

All news⁠

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