Steel Type Pokemon
Steel type Pokemon are the best defensive wall in the game, packing 10 resistances and full immunity to Poison damage. On offense, Steel hits Fairy, Ice, and Rock super effectively.
How Steel Performs in Battle
See how Steel's 10 resistances hold up, what attacks hit Steel super effectively, and how Steel moves perform on offense.
Steel Type Pokemon Weakness
- Fire (2×): Fire attacks like Flamethrower and Flare Blitz deal double damage. Fire type Pokemon also resist Steel moves, giving them an advantage on both sides of battle.
- Fighting (2×): High-powered moves like Close Combat and Focus Blast hit Steel hard, targeting both physical and special Defense.
- Ground (2×): Ground attacks like Earthquake and Earth Power deal heavy double damage, making Ground coverage one of the most reliable ways to pressure Steel types.
Damage Negation
- 0× Poison Immunity: Steel takes zero damage from Poison attacks and cannot be afflicted with the poisoned condition under standard battle mechanics.
- 10 Type Resistances (0.5×): Steel resists Normal, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, and Fairy moves.
- Sandstorm Immunity: Steel Pokemon take zero passive chip damage from Sandstorm weather, though they do not receive the Special Defense boost granted to Rock types.
Offensive Coverage
- 2× Super-Effective: Steel attacks deal double damage to Fairy, Ice, and Rock types. It is one of only two types that hit Fairy super-effectively.
- Hits 14 Types Neutrally or Better: No Pokemon type has an innate immunity to Steel moves. Steel attacks deal neutral or super-effective damage to 14 of the 18 types.
- Resisted by 4 Types: Fire, Water, Electric, and Steel take half damage (0.5×) from Steel attacks. Running Ground or Fighting coverage helps hit these switch-ins.
Steel Type Battle Mechanics
Poison immunity, Sandstorm defense, and generational changes to Steel resistances.
Steel Pokemon take zero damage from Poison attacks and cannot be poisoned by status moves like Toxic. The only exception is the Corrosion ability, which allows Salandit and Salazzle to inflict poison status on Steel targets, though damaging Poison attacks still deal zero damage.
Steel holds 10 resistances and one full immunity, more than any other type in the games. It resists prominent offensive types like Dragon, Fairy, and Psychic. This natural resistance profile makes many Steel Pokemon dependable defensive switch-ins when building team cores.
From Generation II through Generation V, Steel resisted Dark and Ghost moves. In Generation VI, both resistances were removed to create offensive balance. Steel now takes neutral damage from Dark and Ghost, but gained a key resistance to Fairy.
All 17 Steel Dual Type Combinations
Steel combines with 16 existing types, with 1 currently unused combination. Explore immunities, resistances, and 4× vulnerabilities across every pairing.
Heatran, Mega Heatran
Empoleon
Magnezone, Togedemaru, Magneton
Ferrothorn, Kartana, Ferroseed
Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Sandshrew
Lucario, Cobalion, Zamazenta Crowned
Revavroom, Varoom
Excadrill, Steelix, Iron Treads
Corviknight, Skarmory, Celesteela
Metagross, Jirachi, Solgaleo
Scizor, Genesect, Forretress
Aggron, Bastiodon, Stakataka
Gholdengo, Aegislash, Honedge
Dialga, Archaludon, Duraludon
Kingambit, Bisharp, Pawniard
Tinkaton, Magearna, Zacian Crowned
Steel Type Pokemon Base Stat Rankings
Ranked by Base Stat Total (BST) for standard species. Dialga and Solgaleo lead at 680 BST, followed by a seven-way tie at 600 BST.
All Steel Type Pokemon List
Browse the complete list of Steel type Pokemon across all 99 official forms and 65 base species with live search and stat filters.
Key Steel Type Battle Moves
Common physical, special, priority, and setup moves across competitive formats and playthroughs.
| Move | Category | Power | Accuracy | Battle Effect & Utility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Head | Physical | 80 | 100% | The standard physical Steel attack. It has 80 power and a 30% chance to make the target flinch. |
| Flash Cannon | Special | 80 | 100% | The standard special Steel attack. It has 80 power and a 10% chance to lower the target's Special Defense by one stage. |
| Bullet Punch | Physical | 40 | 100% | Strikes first with +1 priority. Commonly run on Scizor, Lucario, and Metagross for picking off weakened foes. |
| Make It Rain | Special | 120 | 100% | Gholdengo's signature special attack. It hits both opposing Pokemon in Double Battles and showers coins, but lowers the user's Special Attack by one stage. |
| Gigaton Hammer | Physical | 160 | 100% | Tinkaton's signature physical move. It deals huge 160 damage, but cannot be used twice in a row. |
| Heavy Slam | Physical | Var | 100% | Deals damage based on the weight ratio between the user and target, scaling from 40 up to 120 power. |
| Iron Defense | Status | - | - | Raises the user's Defense by two stages. Often paired with Body Press to convert boosted physical Defense into high damage output. |
Steel Type Battle Questions
Direct answers to the most common questions about Steel Pokemon.
Steel type Pokemon are weak to Fire, Fighting, and Ground attacks. All three types deal 2x damage. Defensively, pure Steel type Pokemon resist 10 different types and are completely immune to Poison damage and status moves. If a Steel Pokemon shares a weakness with its secondary type, it takes 4x damage. For example, Bug/Steel takes 4x from Fire, while Rock/Steel takes 4x from Fighting and Ground.
Fire, Fighting, and Ground moves deal 2x super-effective damage against Steel Pokemon. On defense, Fire, Water, Electric, and Steel types resist Steel attacks, taking half damage (0.5x). When Steel Pokemon attack, their moves deal 2x damage to Fairy, Ice, and Rock types. No type is immune to Steel attacks.
By base stats, the highest standard Steel Pokemon are Dialga and Solgaleo at 680 BST. Seven base species share a tie at 600 BST: Metagross, Jirachi, Heatran, Genesect, Magearna, Melmetal, and Archaludon. Alternate forms like Crowned Zacian (700 BST), Crowned Zamazenta (700 BST), Mega Metagross (700 BST), and Mega Heatran (700 BST) reach higher totals. In competitive battles, strength depends on abilities and team roles rather than BST alone, with Gholdengo, Kingambit, Corviknight, and Heatran serving as premier tournament staples.
Major Steel type legendary Pokemon include Dialga, Solgaleo, Cobalion, and the Crowned forms of Zacian and Zamazenta. Registeel is a Legendary titan from Generation III. Jirachi, Genesect, and Magearna are Mythical Pokemon. Paradox Pokemon like Iron Crown (590 BST) and Iron Treads (570 BST) have legendary-tier stats but carry distinct classifications.
In Pokemon GO raid battles, Dusk Mane Necrozma (with Sunsteel Strike) and Shadow Metagross (with Meteor Mash) are the premier Steel attackers, followed by regular Metagross and Dialga. In GO Battle League PvP, Registeel, Galarian Stunfisk, and Skarmory are elite picks in Great and Ultra League, while Dialga, Solgaleo, and Melmetal are top staples in Master League.
Steel was introduced in Generation II with Pokemon Gold and Silver. New Steel species debuting in that generation included Steelix, Scizor, Skarmory, and Forretress. Game Freak also updated the Generation I Electric Pokemon Magnemite and Magneton from pure Electric to Electric/Steel.
In the Pokemon Trading Card Game, Steel Pokemon are officially categorized as the Metal type. They use silver-grey Metal Energy cards. Metal decks frequently specialize in high HP, defensive tools, and damage reduction effects, with competitive cards like Dialga VSTAR, Gholdengo ex, and Melmetal.