IBM, open weights

# Granite 4.2 8B

> Granite 4.2 8B by IBM. Ranked #148 of 354 with a Noometry Index of 40.5. API: $0.06 in / $0.25 out per M tokens. 131K context. Scores, sources and comparisons.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-8b
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Title: Granite 4.2 8B Benchmarks, Price & Rank (October 2026)

Granite 4.2 8B by IBM ranks 148th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 40.5. Its strongest category is reasoning, where it ranks 131st. API pricing starts at $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.25 per million output tokens, with a 131K-token context window.

Last verified October 10, 2026

## Specifications

- **Noometry rank:** #148 of 354
- **Index score:** 40.5
- **Evidence:** Confirmed 11 results
- **Provider:** [IBM](https://noometry.com/providers/ibm)
- **Released:** Unknown
- **Weights:** Open weights
- **Reasoning:** Yes
- **Context window:** 131K
- **Max output:** 118K
- **Input price:** $0.06 / M
- **Output price:** $0.25 / M
- **Blended price:** $0.11 / M
- **Output speed:** Not measured
- **Value:** #14 of 219
- **Knowledge cutoff:** Unknown
- **Input:** text
- **Hugging Face:** [ibm-granite/granite-4.2-8b](https://huggingface.co/ibm-granite/granite-4.2-8b)

## Category scores

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

Granite 4.2 8B category scores

1.  Coding 40.5
2.  Reasoning 26.6
3.  Knowledge 38.4
4.  Multilingual 44.5
5.  Instruction Following 68.7
6.  Long Context 40.3
7.  Writing & Preference 49.6
8.  020406080

Granite 4.2 8B category ranks
| Category | Score | Rank | Results |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 40.5 | #137 | 1 |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 26.6 | #131 | 1 |
| [Knowledge](https://noometry.com/best/knowledge) | 38.4 | #145 | 1 |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 44.5 | #178 | 1 |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 68.7 | #184 | 1 |
| [Long Context](https://noometry.com/best/long-context) | 40.3 | #159 | 1 |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 49.6 | #189 | 3 |

## Strengths and weaknesses

Categories where Granite 4.2 8B places highest and lowest among the models ranked in each, with its score against that category's median.

### Strongest categories

Granite 4.2 8B: strongest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Reasoning](https://noometry.com/best/reasoning) | 26.6 | +3.0 | #131 of 350, top 38% |
| [Coding](https://noometry.com/best/coding) | 40.5 | +1.8 | #137 of 340, top 41% |
| [Knowledge](https://noometry.com/best/knowledge) | 38.4 | +1.1 | #145 of 314, top 47% |

### Weakest categories

Granite 4.2 8B: weakest categories
| Category | Score | vs median | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Writing & Preference](https://noometry.com/best/writing) | 49.6 | −4.2 | #189 of 312, top 61% |
| [Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/best/instruction-following) | 68.7 | −2.6 | #184 of 305, top 61% |
| [Multilingual](https://noometry.com/best/multilingual) | 44.5 | −2.9 | #178 of 297, top 60% |

## Closest competitors

The models ranked just above and below Granite 4.2 8B. When scores are this close, price and speed are often the better way to choose.

Models ranked closest to Granite 4.2 8B
| Model | Rank | Score | Blended $/M | Speed |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-3-1-flash-lite) | #144 | 40.8 | $0.56 | 10 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-3-1-flash-lite-vs-granite-4-2-8b) |
| [Claude Sonnet 4](https://noometry.com/models/claude-sonnet-4) | #145 | 40.8 | $6 | 31 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-sonnet-4-vs-granite-4-2-8b) |
| [Qwen2.5-Max](https://noometry.com/models/qwen2-5-max) | #146 | 40.7 | — | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-qwen2-5-max) |
| [Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B](https://noometry.com/models/nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b) | #147 | 40.6 | $0.0875 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b) |
| [Step 3](https://noometry.com/models/step-3) | #149 | 40.5 | — | 7 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-step-3) |
| [MiniMax M1](https://noometry.com/models/minimax-m1) | #150 | 40.3 | $0.96 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-minimax-m1) |
| [Nvidia Llama 3.3 Nemotron Super 49b v1.5](https://noometry.com/models/nvidia-llama-3-3-nemotron-super-49b-v1-5) | #151 | 40.3 | $0.40 | — | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-nvidia-llama-3-3-nemotron-super-49b-v1-5) |
| [Mistral Medium 3.5](https://noometry.com/models/mistral-medium-3-5) | #152 | 40.2 | $3 | 50 | [Compare](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-mistral-medium-3-5) |

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 8B Coding benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Coding](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-coding) | 1380 | #149 of 294, top 51% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Reasoning

Granite 4.2 8B Reasoning benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Hard Prompts](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-hard-prompts) | 1329 | #174 of 297, top 59% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Knowledge

Granite 4.2 8B Knowledge benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Expert](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-expert) | 1384 | #136 of 273, top 50% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Multilingual

Granite 4.2 8B Multilingual benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Non-English](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-non-english) | 1302 | #178 of 297, top 60% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Chinese](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-chinese) | 1366 | #158 of 285, top 56% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Russian](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-russian) | 1285 | #187 of 283, top 67% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Instruction Following

Granite 4.2 8B Instruction Following benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Instruction Following](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-instruction-following) | 1301 | #178 of 298, top 60% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Long Context

Granite 4.2 8B Long Context benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Longer Query](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-longer-query) | 1324 | #170 of 291, top 59% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

### Writing & Preference

Granite 4.2 8B Writing & Preference benchmark results
| Benchmark | Score | Position | Setting | Source | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LMArena Text](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-text) | 1320 | #179 of 297, top 61% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Creative Writing](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-creative-writing) | 1236 | #216 of 295, top 74% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |
| [LMArena Multi-Turn](https://noometry.com/benchmarks/arena-multi-turn) | 1301 | #187 of 295, top 64% |  | [LMArena](https://lmarena.ai/leaderboard/text) | 2026-10-08 |

## API pricing by provider

Granite 4.2 8B API prices
| Route | Input $/M | Output $/M | Cached input $/M | Checked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [openrouter](https://openrouter.ai/ibm-granite/granite-4.2-8b) | $0.06 | $0.25 | $0.015 | 2026-10-10 |

[All IBM API prices →](https://noometry.com/llm-pricing/ibm) [Estimate your cost →](https://noometry.com/tools/cost-calculator)

## Compare Granite 4.2 8B

-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-nemotron-3-nano-30b-a3b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Step 3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-step-3)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Qwen2.5-Max](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-qwen2-5-max)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs MiniMax M1](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-minimax-m1)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Claude Sonnet 4](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-sonnet-4-vs-granite-4-2-8b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Nvidia Llama 3.3 Nemotron Super 49b v1.5](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-nvidia-llama-3-3-nemotron-super-49b-v1-5)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs GPT-6 Astra](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-6-astra-vs-granite-4-2-8b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Claude Fable 5.1](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-fable-5-1-vs-granite-4-2-8b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-3-8-flash-vs-granite-4-2-8b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Kimi K3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-kimi-k3)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Grok 4.6](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-grok-4-6)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-vs-qwen3-8-max)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-granite-4-2-8b)
-   [Granite 4.2 8B vs Muse Spark 1.3](https://noometry.com/compare/granite-4-2-8b-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 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 3.1 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 8B?

Granite 4.2 8B by IBM ranks 148th of 354 ranked models on the Noometry Index as of October 2026, with a score of 40.5. Its strongest category is reasoning, where it ranks 131st. API pricing starts at $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.25 per million output tokens, with a 131K-token context window.

### How much does Granite 4.2 8B cost?

Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.25 per million output tokens on openrouter, with cached input at $0.015.

### What is Granite 4.2 8B's context window?

Granite 4.2 8B accepts up to 131K tokens of input and can write up to 118K tokens in one response.

### Is Granite 4.2 8B open source?

Yes. Granite 4.2 8B's weights are downloadable from Hugging Face (ibm-granite/granite-4.2-8b); check the license for commercial terms.

### What are Granite 4.2 8B's strengths and weaknesses?

Relative to other ranked models, Granite 4.2 8B places best in reasoning, coding, knowledge and lowest in writing & preference, instruction following, multilingual.

### What is Granite 4.2 8B best at?

Its best category is reasoning, where it ranks 131st on Noometry.

### Cite this page

Noometry. (2026). Granite 4.2 8B benchmarks and pricing. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://noometry.com/models/granite-4-2-8b

Quote Noometry with a link back to this page. It is also available in [Markdown](https://noometry.com/md/models/granite-4-2-8b.md).