Understanding Float Values: The Complete Trader's Guide
Float values determine the visual wear of a CS2 skin. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know — from how floats work to why a 0.0001 difference can mean thousands of dollars.
Float values are one of the most misunderstood aspects of CS2 skin trading, yet they're arguably the most important factor in determining a skin's visual appearance and market value.
What is a Float Value?
Every skin in CS2 has a "float" — a number between 0 and 1 that represents the degree of wear on that skin. The lower the number, the cleaner and more pristine the skin appears. This float value is permanently assigned when the skin is first "unboxed" from a case and never changes.
The Wear Tiers
CS2 divides floats into five named tiers: - Factory New (FN): 0.00 – 0.07 - Minimal Wear (MW): 0.07 – 0.15 - Field-Tested (FT): 0.15 – 0.38 - Well-Worn (WW): 0.38 – 0.45 - Battle-Scarred (BS): 0.45 – 1.00
Why Do Low Floats Command Premium Prices?
Within each tier, lower floats typically appear cleaner. A Factory New skin with a float of 0.001 will appear significantly more pristine than one with a float of 0.069. For high-value items, this visual difference can translate to dramatic price differences — a "low-float" AWP Dragon Lore (under 0.01) can trade for 20-30% more than a standard FN.
Pattern Seeds
Separate from float, certain skins use a "pattern seed" (a number from 1-1000) that determines which part of the skin's texture is mapped onto the weapon. For skins like the Karambit | Fade, patterns with higher percentages of pink/purple are valued significantly more.