SCHR vs. IEF

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHR) and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF).

SCHR and IEF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SCHR is a passively managed fund by Charles Schwab that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg US Treasury (3-10 Y). It was launched on Aug 5, 2010. IEF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. 7-10 Year Treasury Bond Index. It was launched on Jul 26, 2002. Both SCHR and IEF are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

SCHR vs. IEF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHR) and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SCHR vs. IEF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SCHR Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	-0.04%	7.33%	1.42%	4.27%	-10.58%	-2.62%	7.72%	6.18%	1.46%	1.59%
IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF	-0.14%	8.03%	-0.63%	3.64%	-15.15%	-3.33%	10.01%	8.03%	0.99%	2.55%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SCHR achieves a -0.04% return, which is significantly higher than IEF's -0.14% return. Over the past 10 years, SCHR has outperformed IEF with an annualized return of 1.32%, while IEF has yielded a comparatively lower 0.78% annualized return.

SCHR

• 1D: 0.20%
• 1M: -1.64%
• YTD: -0.04%
• 6M: 1.03%
• 1Y: 4.13%
• 3Y*: 3.30%
• 5Y*: 0.32%
• 10Y*: 1.32%

IEF

• 1D: 0.18%
• 1M: -2.32%
• YTD: -0.14%
• 6M: 0.79%
• 1Y: 3.95%
• 3Y*: 2.25%
• 5Y*: -0.76%
• 10Y*: 0.78%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

SCHR vs. IEF - Expense Ratio Comparison

SCHR has a 0.05% expense ratio, which is lower than IEF's 0.15% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

IEF

iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF

SCHR

Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

SCHR vs. IEF — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

SCHR

SCHR Risk / Return Rank: 64
SCHR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 64
SCHR Sortino Ratio Rank: 68
SCHR Omega Ratio Rank: 53
SCHR Calmar Ratio Rank: 73
SCHR Martin Ratio Rank: 61

IEF

IEF Risk / Return Rank: 43
IEF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
IEF Sortino Ratio Rank: 42
IEF Omega Ratio Rank: 34
IEF Calmar Ratio Rank: 57
IEF Martin Ratio Rank: 38

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

SCHR vs. IEF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHR) and iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	SCHR	IEF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.08	0.74	+0.34
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.64	1.09	+0.54
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.19	1.13	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.81	1.32	+0.49
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.65	3.31	+2.34
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SCHR vs. IEF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SCHR Sharpe Ratio is 1.08, which is higher than the IEF Sharpe Ratio of 0.74. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SCHR and IEF, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	SCHR	IEF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.08	0.74	+0.34
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.06	-0.10	+0.16
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.30	0.12	+0.18
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.45	0.51	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between SCHR and IEF is 0.96, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

SCHR vs. IEF - Dividend Comparison

SCHR's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.86%, more than IEF's 3.82% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SCHR Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF	3.86%	3.85%	3.77%	3.16%	2.02%	1.00%	1.62%	2.31%	2.11%	1.65%	1.45%	1.56%
IEF iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF	3.82%	3.77%	3.62%	2.91%	1.96%	0.83%	1.08%	2.08%	2.24%	1.82%	1.81%	1.90%

Drawdowns

SCHR vs. IEF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SCHR drawdown since its inception was -16.11%, smaller than the maximum IEF drawdown of -23.93%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SCHR and IEF.

Drawdown Indicators

	SCHR	IEF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-16.11%	-23.93%	+7.82%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.39%	-3.22%	+0.83%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-15.07%	-21.40%	+6.33%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-16.11%	-23.93%	+7.82%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.98%	-10.88%	+8.90%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.66%	-5.30%	+1.64%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.77%	1.28%	-0.51%

Volatility

SCHR vs. IEF - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF (SCHR) is 1.35%, while iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) has a volatility of 1.91%. This indicates that SCHR experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than IEF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SCHR	IEF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.35%	1.91%	-0.56%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.32%	3.22%	-0.90%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.85%	5.35%	-1.50%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	5.36%	7.70%	-2.34%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	4.47%	6.63%	-2.16%