IBM: Granite 4.2 8B
Analysis Summary
IBM Granite 4.2 8B is a compact text model with a 131K-token context, tool use, and function calling. The available results indicate limited overall reasoning and coding capability, and its agentic performance is especially weak. The data does not list vision or other multimodal input.
It may be worth testing for narrow, bounded text tasks where low listed pricing and tool integrations matter more than complex reasoning. The results do not support using it as the primary model for software engineering, autonomous agents, or high-stakes client analysis. Teams should validate output quality and failure handling on their own prompts before routing production traffic. Treat it as a constrained option for simple workloads rather than a general-purpose assistant.
Assessed September 23, 2026
Editorial notes
Granite 4.2 8B has measured but limited reasoning and coding results, with tool and function calling available; its text-only modality and low agentic result restrict its fit for complex workflows.
The DFO score ranks models on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index and is refreshed as new models launch. The write-up and verdict are our own. Feedback?
DFO Verdict
Granite 4.2 8B has measured but limited reasoning and coding results, with tool and function calling available; its text-only modality and low agentic result restrict its fit for complex workflows.
Benchmarks
Artificial Analysis data refreshed Oct 22, 2026. Arena ratings from the Oct 20, 2026 text leaderboard, with style control.
How IBM: Granite 4.2 8B compares
IBM: Granite 4.2 8B ranks #215 of 442 AI models we track for overall intelligence, #128 of 198 for coding, #147 of 181 for agentic tasks. Its 131K-token context window is larger than 50% of the models we list. At $0.06 per million input tokens it is cheaper than 71% of comparable models.
Dark bar = input · light bar = output, scaled to the priciest peer.
1M tokens ≈ 8 full-length novels or ~2,500 pages of business documents in a single request.
Pricing
| Token Type | Cost per 1M tokens | Cost per 1K tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Input | $0.06 | $0.000060 |
| Output | $0.25 | $0.000250 |
What would IBM: Granite 4.2 8B cost your business?
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A website chatbot handling around 100 customer conversations a day, a few short messages each.
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Talk to our teamAbout IBM: Granite 4.2 8B
Granite 4.2 8B is a dense reasoning model from IBM. It is suited for mathematics, code generation, multilingual dialogue, and agentic workflows that need multi-step reasoning. It supports full, low-effort,..
Frequently asked questions about IBM: Granite 4.2 8B
How much does IBM: Granite 4.2 8B cost?
IBM: Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.25 per million output tokens.
What is the context window of IBM: Granite 4.2 8B?
IBM: Granite 4.2 8B has a context window of 131,072 tokens (131K).
Is IBM: Granite 4.2 8B good for coding?
On our coding benchmark index, IBM: Granite 4.2 8B ranks #128 of 198 models, placing it in the broader range of the field for code generation and debugging.
What can IBM: Granite 4.2 8B do?
IBM: Granite 4.2 8B supports tool use and function calling.
Who created IBM: Granite 4.2 8B?
IBM: Granite 4.2 8B is developed by IBM and was released on August 31, 2026.