IBM, open weights

# Granite 3.1 8b Instruct

> Granite 3.1 8b Instruct by IBM. Ranked #258 of 354 with a Noometry Index of 32.4. Scores, sources and comparisons.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-1-8b-instruct
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Title: Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Benchmarks, Price & Rank (October 2026)

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct by IBM ranks 258th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 32.4. Its strongest category is agentic & tool use, where it ranks 120th.

Last verified October 10, 2026

## Specifications

- **Noometry rank:** #258 of 354
- **Index score:** 32.4
- **Evidence:** Confirmed 13 results
- **Provider:** [IBM](https://noometry.com/providers/ibm)
- **Released:** Unknown
- **Weights:** Open weights
- **Reasoning:** Unknown
- **Context window:** —
- **Max output:** —
- **Input price:** Not listed
- **Output price:** Not listed
- **Blended price:** Not listed
- **Output speed:** Not measured
- **Value:** Not ranked
- **Knowledge cutoff:** Unknown

## Category scores

Each category score combines every public result we have in that category.

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct category scores

1.  Coding 34.5
2.  Agentic & Tool Use 24.1
3.  Reasoning 22.1
4.  Math 33.0
5.  Knowledge 31.1
6.  Multilingual 30.9
7.  Instruction Following 58.6
8.  Long Context 35.2
9.  Writing & Preference 35.5
10.  0204060

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct category ranks
| Category | Score | Rank | Results |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 34.5 | #233 | 1 |
| [Agentic & Tool Use](https://noometry.com/best/agentic) | 24.1 | #120 | 1 |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 22.1 | #207 | 1 |
| [Math](https://noometry.com/best/math) | 33.0 | #209 | 1 |
| [Knowledge](https://noometry.com/best/knowledge) | 31.1 | #220 | 1 |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 30.9 | #260 | 1 |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 58.6 | #259 | 1 |
| [Long Context](https://noometry.com/best/long-context) | 35.2 | #241 | 1 |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 35.5 | #266 | 3 |

## Strengths and weaknesses

Categories where Granite 3.1 8b Instruct places highest and lowest among the models ranked in each, with its score against that category's median.

### Strongest categories

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct: strongest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 22.1 | −1.5 | #207 of 350, top 60% |
| [Math](https://noometry.com/best/math) | 33.0 | −3.6 | #209 of 327, top 64% |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 34.5 | −4.2 | #233 of 340, top 69% |

### Weakest categories

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct: weakest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 30.9 | −16.5 | #260 of 297, top 88% |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 35.5 | −18.2 | #266 of 312, top 86% |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 58.6 | −12.6 | #259 of 305, top 85% |

## Closest competitors

The models ranked just above and below Granite 3.1 8b Instruct. When scores are this close, price and speed are often the better way to choose.

Models ranked closest to Granite 3.1 8b Instruct
| Model | Rank | Score | Blended $/M | Speed |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Olmo 2 0325 32b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/olmo-2-0325-32b-instruct) | #254 | 32.7 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-olmo-2-0325-32b-instruct) |
| [gpt-oss-20b](https://noometry.com/models/gpt-oss-20b) | #255 | 32.5 | $0.036 | 96 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-oss-20b-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct) |
| [Laguna M.1](https://noometry.com/models/laguna-m-1) | #256 | 32.5 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-laguna-m-1) |
| [Command R+](https://noometry.com/models/command-r-plus) | #257 | 32.4 | $4.38 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/command-r-plus-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct) |
| [Pixtral Large](https://noometry.com/models/pixtral-large) | #259 | 32.2 | $3 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-pixtral-large) |
| [Falcon-180B](https://noometry.com/models/falcon-180b) | #260 | 32.2 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/falcon-180b-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct) |
| [Gemini 1.5 Pro (May 2024)](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-1-5-pro) | #261 | 32.1 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-1-5-pro-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct) |
| [Gemma 3 12B](https://noometry.com/models/gemma-3-12b) | #262 | 32.1 | $0.075 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gemma-3-12b-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct) |

Sponsored placements are available on pages like this one. [Advertise on Noometry](https://noometry.com/advertise)

## Benchmark results

Every published result we track, with its source. Bold rows are the ones used for ranking; where several exist we prefer independent runs over self-reported numbers.

### Coding

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Coding benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Coding](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-coding) | 1186 | #246 of 294, top 84% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Agentic & Tool Use

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Agentic & Tool Use benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Berkeley Function Calling Leaderboard](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/bfcl) | 27.1% | #39 of 49, top 80% | fc | [Berkeley Function Calling Leaderboard](https://gorilla.cs.berkeley.edu/leaderboard.html) |  |

### Reasoning

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Reasoning benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Hard Prompts](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-hard-prompts) | 1145 | #256 of 297, top 87% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Math

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Math benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Math](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-math) | 1152 | #250 of 285, top 88% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Knowledge

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Knowledge benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Expert](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-expert) | 1142 | #241 of 273, top 89% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Multilingual

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Multilingual benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Non-English](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-non-english) | 1099 | #260 of 297, top 88% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Chinese](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-chinese) | 1145 | #248 of 285, top 88% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Russian](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-russian) | 1092 | #258 of 283, top 92% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Instruction Following

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Instruction Following benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-instruction-following) | 1131 | #257 of 298, top 87% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Long Context

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Long Context benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Longer Query](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-longer-query) | 1162 | #250 of 291, top 86% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Writing & Preference

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct Writing & Preference benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Text](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-text) | 1150 | #258 of 297, top 87% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Creative Writing](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-creative-writing) | 1129 | #258 of 295, top 88% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Multi-Turn](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-multi-turn) | 1108 | #265 of 295, top 90% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

## Compare Granite 3.1 8b Instruct

-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Command R+](https://noometry.com/compare/command-r-plus-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Pixtral Large](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-pixtral-large)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Laguna M.1](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-laguna-m-1)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Falcon-180B](https://noometry.com/compare/falcon-180b-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs gpt-oss-20b](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-oss-20b-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Gemini 1.5 Pro (May 2024)](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-1-5-pro-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs GPT-6 Astra](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-6-astra-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Claude Fable 5.1](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-fable-5-1-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-3-8-flash-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Kimi K3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-kimi-k3)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Grok 4.6](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-grok-4-6)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-qwen3-8-max)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-granite-3-1-8b-instruct)
-   [Granite 3.1 8b Instruct vs Muse Spark 1.3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-3-1-8b-instruct-vs-muse-spark-1-3)

## Other IBM models

-   [Granite 4.2 30b](https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-30b)41.8
-   [Granite 4.2 8B](https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-8b)40.5
-   [Granite 4.2 3b](https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-3b)39.4
-   [Granite 4.1 8b](https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-1-8b)37.4
-   [Granite 4.0 H Small](https://noometry.com/models/ibm-granite-h-small)36.5
-   [Granite 3.1 2b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-1-2b-instruct)33.2
-   [Granite 3.0 8b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-0-8b-instruct)31.6
-   [Granite 3.0 2b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-0-2b-instruct)30.8

## Frequently asked questions

### How good is Granite 3.1 8b Instruct?

Granite 3.1 8b Instruct by IBM ranks 258th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 32.4. Its strongest category is agentic & tool use, where it ranks 120th.

### Is Granite 3.1 8b Instruct open source?

Yes. Granite 3.1 8b Instruct's weights are downloadable; check the license for commercial terms.

### What are Granite 3.1 8b Instruct's strengths and weaknesses?

Relative to other ranked models, Granite 3.1 8b Instruct places best in reasoning, math, coding and lowest in multilingual, writing & preference, instruction following.

### What is Granite 3.1 8b Instruct best at?

Its best category is agentic & tool use, where it ranks 120th on Noometry.

### Cite this page

Noometry. (2026). Granite 3.1 8b Instruct benchmarks and pricing. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-1-8b-instruct

Quote Noometry with a link back to this page. It is also available in [Markdown](https://noometry.com/md/models/granite-3-1-8b-instruct.md).