What Is Steel Weak To? Complete Guide to Steel-Type Weaknesses

When someone asks “what is steel weak to” in Pokémon, the answer can change everything about their battle strategy. Steel-type Pokémon look tough. They act tough. But every trainer eventually learns that even the strongest armor has cracks. This guide breaks down exactly what beats Steel types, why these weaknesses exist, and how to use this knowledge to win more battles.

Whether a trainer has been playing Pokémon for decades or just picked up their first game, understanding type matchups makes the difference between victory and defeat. For more gaming guides like this one, the site has plenty of resources to level up any player’s skills.

The Quick Answer: What Steel-Type Pokémon Are Weak To

Steel-type Pokémon have three weaknesses. Fighting, Fire, and Ground moves all deal double damage to them. That’s it. Just three types can crack through that metallic defense.

The Three Types That Counter Steel

These three types share something in common. They all represent raw, overwhelming force. Fire brings extreme heat. Fighting brings physical power. Ground brings geological devastation. Steel may resist almost everything else, but it can’t handle these forces of nature.

Why This Matters in Battle

Steel-type Pokémon appear everywhere in competitive play. Trainers use them as walls to block damage. When someone knows what Steel is weak to, they can tear down those walls fast.

One trainer’s daughter once spent an entire weekend stuck on a gym battle. The gym leader had a Steelix that seemed unbeatable. She kept throwing Fairy and Psychic moves at it. Nothing worked. When her dad suggested using her Blaziken’s Fire moves, she won in two turns. That’s the power of knowing type matchups.

Understanding Each Steel Weakness (And When to Use Them)

Not all weaknesses work the same way in every situation. Each counter type has its strengths and ideal use cases.

Fighting-Type Moves: Breaking Through Metal

Fighting-type moves represent pure physical force. In the real world, a strong enough impact can dent, bend, or shatter metal. The same logic applies in Pokémon battles.

Close Combat, Aura Sphere, and Focus Blast rank among the best Fighting moves for taking down Steel types. These high-power attacks hit hard enough to break through even the toughest defenses.

The downside? Fighting moves won’t work on Ghost-type Pokémon. If a Steel-type has Ghost as its second type (like Aegislash), Fighting moves pass right through it.

Fire-Type Moves: Melting Steel Defenses

Fire melts metal. It’s simple science, and Pokémon battles follow this logic perfectly. When a trainer wants reliable damage against Steel types, Fire rarely lets them down.

Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Heat Wave serve as excellent choices. They hit hard, and many Pokémon can learn them as coverage moves. Even Water-types sometimes carry Scald, though that won’t help against Steel.

Fire also handles other common types well. It beats Bug, Grass, and Ice. This makes Fire-type attackers versatile counters in most team compositions.

Ground-Type Moves: Geological Power

Earthquake remains one of the most powerful moves in all of Pokémon. It hits everything on the field (except Flying types and those with Levitate) and deals massive damage to Steel types.

Ground moves represent the earth itself rising up. Steel may be strong, but geological forces can bury anything. Earthquake, Earth Power, and High Horsepower give trainers multiple options for Ground-type coverage.

However, Ground moves completely miss Flying types. Steel/Flying Pokémon like Skarmory and Corviknight laugh at Earthquake attempts. Always check the opponent’s second type before committing to Ground moves.

Why Steel-Type Pokémon Are So Defensive

Steel types have the most resistances in the game. Understanding what they resist explains why they appear on so many competitive teams.

Steel’s 10 Resistances Explained

Steel-type Pokémon resist damage from ten different types. That’s almost half of all the types in the game.

This massive resistance list makes Steel types excellent defensive walls. They can switch into many attacks safely and tank hits that would knock out other Pokémon.

Players researching Psychic-type weaknesses often notice that Steel resists Psychic. This makes Steel a popular answer to Psychic attackers in competitive play.

Immunity to Poison-Type Moves

Steel types don’t just resist Poison. They completely ignore it. Poison moves deal zero damage to Steel-type Pokémon. They can’t even be poisoned by status moves.

This immunity makes Steel types hard counters to Poison strategies. Toxic stall teams hate seeing a Steel-type switch in because their main strategy stops working immediately.

What Steel-Type Moves Are Super Effective Against

Steel isn’t just defensive. It hits certain types hard on offense too.

Fairy, Ice, and Rock: Steel’s Offensive Strengths

Steel-type moves deal super effective damage to three types:

• Fairy: Steel cuts through magical defenses
• Ice: Metal shatters frozen surfaces
• Rock: Steel tools break stone apart

Fairy-type Pokémon especially fear Steel attacks. Before Generation VI added Fairy types, Dragons dominated competitive play. Steel moves became the answer to the Fairy answer to Dragons. It sounds complicated, but the type chart creates these layers of strategy.

Curious about offensive type matchups? The guide on what Psychic-type moves are effective against covers similar strategic ground for another popular type.

When to Use Steel-Type Pokémon Offensively

Iron Head, Flash Cannon, and Steel Beam rank among the strongest Steel moves. They provide solid neutral coverage against most types while crushing Fairy, Ice, and Rock opponents.

Many trainers overlook Steel’s offensive potential. They see the resistances and think “wall.” But moves like Meteor Mash and Iron Head hit surprisingly hard. Steel Pokémon can sweep entire teams when trained for offense.

Best Pokémon to Counter Steel Types

Knowing what Steel is weak to matters less than knowing which Pokémon exploit those weaknesses best.

Fire/Fighting Dual-Types (The Ultimate Steel Counters)

Fire/Fighting Pokémon hit both weaknesses at once. They represent the ultimate answer to Steel walls.

• Blaziken: Speed Boost ability makes it faster each turn. Close Combat and Flare Blitz destroy Steel types.
• Infernape: Fast and versatile with excellent coverage moves.
• Emboar: Slower but incredibly powerful. Hammer Arm hits like a truck.

These three starters have defined Steel-type counters for generations. When in doubt, throw a Fire/Fighting attacker at the problem.

Pure Fighting-Type Counters

Sometimes a trainer needs pure Fighting types. They resist Steel moves and hit back hard.

Machamp brings No Guard Close Combats that never miss. Conkeldurr tanks hits with its bulk while dishing out Drain Punch. Lucario adds Steel-typing itself for extra resistances.

Pure Fire-Type Counters

Fire types melt Steel defenses reliably. Charizard (especially its Mega forms) hits incredibly hard. Talonflame brings priority Brave Bird alongside Fire moves. Volcarona combines Fire attacks with Quiver Dance for sweep potential.

Pure Ground-Type Counters

Ground types bring Earthquake, one of the most reliable moves in competitive play. Garchomp threatens with its speed and power. Excadrill becomes terrifying in sand teams. Landorus-Therian appears on nearly every competitive team for good reason.

Common Steel-Type Pokémon and Their Weaknesses

Dual-typing changes everything. Not every Steel Pokémon shares the same weaknesses.

Pure Steel-Types (Standard Weaknesses)

Pure Steel types like Registeel, Melmetal, and Klinklang have the standard three weaknesses. Fighting, Fire, and Ground all work perfectly against them. No surprises here.

Steel/Flying Combinations

Steel/Flying Pokémon like Skarmory, Corviknight, and Celesteela lose their Ground weakness completely. They float above Earthquake. However, they gain a 4x weakness to Electric and keep their Fire weakness.

When facing Steel/Flying types, Fire works best. Electric also hits super effectively thanks to the Flying typing.

Steel/Psychic and Other Common Pairings

Steel/Psychic combinations (Metagross, Jirachi, Bronzong) keep all three standard weaknesses while adding Ghost and Dark weaknesses. Fire becomes especially effective here.

Steel/Fairy types like Mawile and Zacian trade the Poison immunity for… well, they keep it since Steel already blocks Poison. They lose Fairy’s Fighting weakness too. Fire and Ground remain the best answers.

Steel-Type Battle Strategy Tips

Knowing weaknesses is just the start. Using that knowledge effectively separates good trainers from great ones.

How to Beat Steel Walls in Competitive Play

Steel walls appear in competitive play constantly. Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Skarmory stall out teams that can’t break through them.

Common Mistakes When Fighting Steel Types

New trainers make the same mistakes repeatedly. They throw resisted moves at Steel types hoping for damage. They use Poison attacks that deal zero damage. They forget about dual-typing and pick the wrong counter.

The biggest mistake? Not having a Steel answer on the team at all. Every competitive team needs at least one reliable Steel counter. Otherwise, one Ferrothorn or Corviknight can wall the entire squad.

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Master Steel Matchups and Win More Battles

Steel-type Pokémon look intimidating with their ten resistances and Poison immunity. But every trainer who learns their three weaknesses gains a massive advantage. Fighting, Fire, and Ground moves cut through steel like it’s nothing.

The best strategy combines this knowledge with smart team building. Include at least one Fire or Fighting type on every team. Check for dual-typing before committing to Ground moves. Avoid throwing resisted attacks at Steel walls.

For trainers who love competitive Pokémon and want to share their battles with others, streaming Pokémon battles on Twitch has become a popular way to build a community around the game.

Now go out there and melt some Steel types. Those three weaknesses won’t exploit themselves.