IBM, open weights

# Granite 4.2 3b

> Granite 4.2 3b by IBM. Ranked #169 of 354 with a Noometry Index of 39.4. Scores, sources and comparisons.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-3b
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Title: Granite 4.2 3b Benchmarks, Price & Rank (October 2026)

Granite 4.2 3b by IBM ranks 169th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 39.4. Its strongest category is reasoning, where it ranks 138th.

Last verified October 10, 2026

## Specifications

- **Noometry rank:** #169 of 354
- **Index score:** 39.4
- **Evidence:** Confirmed 11 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 4.2 3b category scores

1.  Coding 40.0
2.  Reasoning 26.0
3.  Knowledge 36.3
4.  Multilingual 42.1
5.  Instruction Following 67.1
6.  Long Context 39.2
7.  Writing & Preference 47.2
8.  020406080

Granite 4.2 3b category ranks
| Category | Score | Rank | Results |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 40.0 | #151 | 1 |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 26.0 | #138 | 1 |
| [Knowledge](https://noometry.com/best/knowledge) | 36.3 | #171 | 1 |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 42.1 | #198 | 1 |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 67.1 | #200 | 1 |
| [Long Context](https://noometry.com/best/long-context) | 39.2 | #185 | 1 |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 47.2 | #212 | 3 |

## Strengths and weaknesses

Categories where Granite 4.2 3b places highest and lowest among the models ranked in each, with its score against that category's median.

### Strongest categories

Granite 4.2 3b: strongest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 26.0 | +2.4 | #138 of 350, top 40% |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 40.0 | +1.2 | #151 of 340, top 45% |
| [Knowledge](https://noometry.com/best/knowledge) | 36.3 | −1.0 | #171 of 314, top 55% |

### Weakest categories

Granite 4.2 3b: weakest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 47.2 | −6.6 | #212 of 312, top 68% |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 42.1 | −5.3 | #198 of 297, top 67% |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 67.1 | −4.1 | #200 of 305, top 66% |

## Closest competitors

The models ranked just above and below Granite 4.2 3b. When scores are this close, price and speed are often the better way to choose.

Models ranked closest to Granite 4.2 3b
| Model | Rank | Score | Blended $/M | Speed |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Claude Haiku 4.5](https://noometry.com/models/claude-haiku-4-5) | #165 | 39.5 | $2 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-haiku-4-5-vs-granite-4-2-3b) |
| [DeepSeek-V3](https://noometry.com/models/deepseek-v3) | #166 | 39.5 | $0.41 | 73 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/deepseek-v3-vs-granite-4-2-3b) |
| [Grok 4 Fast](https://noometry.com/models/grok-4-fast) | #167 | 39.4 | — | 577 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-grok-4-fast) |
| [Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/olmo-3-1-32b-instruct) | #168 | 39.4 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-olmo-3-1-32b-instruct) |
| [Gemini 2.5 Flash](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-2-5-flash) | #170 | 39.3 | $0.85 | 152 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-2-5-flash-vs-granite-4-2-3b) |
| [Step 2 16k Exp 202412](https://noometry.com/models/step-2-16k-exp-202412) | #171 | 39.2 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-step-2-16k-exp-202412) |
| [Qwen3 32B](https://noometry.com/models/qwen3-32b) | #172 | 39.2 | $1.22 | 86 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-qwen3-32b) |
| [Gemini 2.0 Pro](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-2-0-pro) | #173 | 39.1 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-2-0-pro-vs-granite-4-2-3b) |

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 4.2 3b Coding benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Coding](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-coding) | 1361 | #165 of 294, top 57% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Reasoning

Granite 4.2 3b Reasoning benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Hard Prompts](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-hard-prompts) | 1306 | #185 of 297, top 63% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Knowledge

Granite 4.2 3b Knowledge benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Expert](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-expert) | 1315 | #172 of 273, top 64% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Multilingual

Granite 4.2 3b Multilingual benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Non-English](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-non-english) | 1268 | #198 of 297, top 67% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Chinese](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-chinese) | 1269 | #200 of 285, top 71% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Russian](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-russian) | 1249 | #214 of 283, top 76% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Instruction Following

Granite 4.2 3b Instruction Following benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-instruction-following) | 1273 | #194 of 298, top 66% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Long Context

Granite 4.2 3b Long Context benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Longer Query](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-longer-query) | 1291 | #196 of 291, top 68% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Writing & Preference

Granite 4.2 3b Writing & Preference benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Text](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-text) | 1293 | #195 of 297, top 66% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Creative Writing](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-creative-writing) | 1205 | #230 of 295, top 78% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Multi-Turn](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-multi-turn) | 1290 | #193 of 295, top 66% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

## Compare Granite 4.2 3b

-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-olmo-3-1-32b-instruct)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Gemini 2.5 Flash](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-2-5-flash-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Grok 4 Fast](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-grok-4-fast)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Step 2 16k Exp 202412](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-step-2-16k-exp-202412)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs DeepSeek-V3](https://noometry.com/compare/deepseek-v3-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Qwen3 32B](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-qwen3-32b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs GPT-6 Astra](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-6-astra-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Claude Fable 5.1](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-fable-5-1-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-3-8-flash-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Kimi K3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-kimi-k3)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Grok 4.6](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-grok-4-6)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-vs-qwen3-8-max)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-granite-4-2-3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 3b vs Muse Spark 1.3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-3b-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 4.1 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 3.1 8b Instruct](https://noometry.com/models/granite-3-1-8b-instruct)32.4
-   [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 4.2 3b?

Granite 4.2 3b by IBM ranks 169th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 39.4. Its strongest category is reasoning, where it ranks 138th.

### Is Granite 4.2 3b open source?

Yes. Granite 4.2 3b's weights are downloadable; check the license for commercial terms.

### What are Granite 4.2 3b's strengths and weaknesses?

Relative to other ranked models, Granite 4.2 3b places best in reasoning, coding, knowledge and lowest in writing & preference, multilingual, instruction following.

### What is Granite 4.2 3b best at?

Its best category is reasoning, where it ranks 138th on Noometry.

### Cite this page

Noometry. (2026). Granite 4.2 3b benchmarks and pricing. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-3b

Quote Noometry with a link back to this page. It is also available in [Markdown](https://noometry.com/md/models/granite-4-2-3b.md).