Black Simmentals possess all the valuable traits of the Simmental breed, differing only in coat colour, which may be black or grey.
Most Black Simmentals are polled.
The Black Simmental was developed through a program of crossing Simmental with the black and grey coated breeds, Angus, Friesian and Murray Grey. In the grading up program, animals possessing the dominant black gene, and coloured black or grey, are registered as Grade 1 (half bred), Grade 2 (three quarter bred) or Grade 3 (seven eighth bred).
Purebred Black Simmentals, are black or grey coated and contain at least 15/16 Simmental content and are registered in the Society's Black Simmental Register.
Black Simmentals are popular in crossbreeding programs where their black coat colour and polling attributes are sought. These include crosses with black or grey cattle to boost weight gain and carcase yield with the bonus of extra milking ability, fertility and quiet temperament.
When crossed with Herefords, they typically produce white faced, black or grey coated progeny with the above benefits. These benefits encourage higher values for weaners, particularly those targeting those Japanese markets requiring black or grey coloured cattle.