Understanding CS2 Skin Wear Patterns for High‑Tier Trading

Every Counter‑Strike 2 skin carries a hidden numeric fingerprint that determines how it looks in‑game and how the market values it. That fingerprint is the float value, a decimal between 0.00 and 1.00 that maps directly to one of five wear tiers. Traders who can read this data gain a measurable edge when negotiating deals for rare finishes, limited‑edition cases, or high‑value stickers.

Factory New
Minimal Wear
Field‑Tested
Well‑Worn
Battle‑Scarred

The Float Value System Behind Every Skin

When a skin drops, the game assigns it a float value that never changes. A float of 0.0001 places the item at the very top of the Factory New range, while 0.9999 pushes it to the extreme end of Battle‑Scarred. The mapping is linear: each wear tier occupies a 0.20 segment of the 0‑1 interval, but the exact boundaries are 0.00‑0.07 for Factory New, 0.07‑0.15 for Minimal Wear, 0.15‑0.38 for Field‑Tested, 0.38‑0.45 for Well‑Worn, and 0.45‑1.00 for Battle‑Scarred. Knowing these cut‑offs lets you instantly judge whether a listed price is justified or inflated.

Wear Tiers and Their Market Impact

The visual difference between adjacent tiers can be subtle, yet the price gap often widens dramatically for sought‑after finishes. Collectors pay a premium for the pristine look of Factory New, while investors sometimes target the upper edge of Minimal Wear because the float is still low enough to retain most of the skin’s luster at a lower cost. Field‑Tested sits in a sweet spot for many traders: the wear is visible but not overwhelming, and the supply is larger, keeping liquidity high. Well‑Worn and Battle‑Scarred are generally reserved for budget buyers or for skins where the pattern itself — such as a rare Case Hardened blue‑gem — outweighs surface condition.