Evergreen
Steel Type in Pokémon GO
Steel-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO: what Steel is strong against, weak to and resists, its weather boost, well-known examples and practical tips.
Steel is the most defensively dominant type on the chart, resisting eleven types at once (itself included) and having only three weaknesses (Fire, Fighting, Ground). Offensively it's strong against Ice, Rock and Fairy, though its own attacks are resisted almost as widely as it resists others.
Steel type matchups
Steel's resist list is the longest on the type chart: ten other types plus itself, with Poison landing at only ~0.39×.
| Category | Types |
|---|---|
| Steel is strong against (1.6×) | Ice, Rock, Fairy |
| Steel is weak to (takes 1.6×) | Fire, Fighting, Ground |
| Steel resists | Normal (0.625×), Grass (0.625×), Ice (0.625×), Poison (~0.39×), Flying (0.625×), Psychic (0.625×), Bug (0.625×), Rock (0.625×), Dragon (0.625×), Steel (0.625×), Fairy (0.625×) |
Weather boost
Snow boosts Steel-types, together with Ice. Snow is a rare condition for most trainers, so Steel boosts are infrequent; the weather boosts page explains what a boost does when it happens.
Well-known Steel-type Pokémon
Steel-types that most trainers have run into, usually in a Gym:
- Steelix
- Bastiodon
- Registeel
- Empoleon
- Bronzong
Practical GO tips
- Steel-type Pokémon are popular Gym defenders precisely because so few attacking types get a bonus against them.
- Fire, Fighting and Ground are the reliable ways through a Steel-type's defenses, since those are its only three weaknesses.
- Steel is one of only two types that hit Fairy super effectively (Poison is the other), which makes Steel-type attackers a useful answer to Fairy-heavy PvP teams.
Steel's long resist list is a defensive property; it says nothing about how hard a Steel-type hits. Some are slow, low-attack walls, so pick them for Gym defense and pick your attackers on other grounds.
To beat a Steel-type, Fire, Fighting and Ground attackers are the only ones that get a bonus, and Fire also resists Steel's attacks.
FAQ
Why do so few types hurt Steel-type Pokémon?
Steel was designed from its introduction to be a defensive specialist, trading a narrow set of just three weaknesses for a very long list of resistances. Fire, Fighting and Ground remain the dependable ways to deal with it.
Keep exploring
Go back to the types hub or the type chart. If you're choosing a Gym defender, our core mechanics guide explains the CP and stat side of that decision. The database hub and the Trainer Hub homepage have everything else.