- The baseline comes from rarity and weapon type: AK-47, M4 and AWP always cost more than the equivalent for a Negev or MAG-7.
- Within one wear grade the price is driven by float, and sometimes by a rare pattern.
- StatTrak adds roughly 20–40 % to popular skins, but not to all of them.
- Tournament team stickers can be worth more than the weapon itself.
- The Steam Market takes about 15 % and pays in wallet funds you cannot withdraw — that is part of the “price”.
There is no developer price list in CS2: Valve does not set prices. The value of every item is formed by the market — thousands of deals in Steam and on third-party platforms. Behind the apparent chaos, though, sits a clear set of factors, and once you know them you can value any skin in a minute.
Factor 1: rarity and weapon type
Rarity is the baseline price level. Weapon skins in CS2 have six grades plus a separate “extraordinary” category for knives and gloves.
| Rarity | Colour | Role on the market |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer / Industrial | White, light blue | Penny items, contract fodder |
| Mil-Spec | Blue | The mass segment, the base of most inventories |
| Restricted | Purple | The mid price tier |
| Classified | Pink | Popular “showcase” skins |
| Covert | Red | The top of cases: expensive AK-47s, AWPs, M4s |
| Extraordinary | Gold | Knives and gloves — the top of the market |
Within one rarity the weapon sets the price. Skins for the AK-47, M4A4, M4A1-S, AWP, Desert Eagle and USP-S are always worth more than equivalents for the Negev, MAG-7 or SG 553 — simply because people play with the first group and almost never with the second.
Factor 2: wear and float
The same skin exists in five conditions, backed by a hidden float value between 0.00 and 1.00.
| Grade | Float range | Effect on price |
|---|---|---|
| Factory New (FN) | 0.00 – 0.07 | The maximum price |
| Minimal Wear (MW) | 0.07 – 0.15 | Usually 40–70 % of FN |
| Field-Tested (FT) | 0.15 – 0.38 | The mass segment, the most liquid one |
| Well-Worn (WW) | 0.38 – 0.45 | Cheaper than FT, demand is lower |
| Battle-Scarred (BS) | 0.45 – 1.00 | The minimum price, rare exceptions aside |
Factor 3: pattern
The pattern is the template index for how the texture is laid over the model, which decides which part of the artwork lands on the weapon. On most skins it changes nothing, but for a few families it decides literally everything.
- Case Hardened — the share of blue: “blue gems” are worth tens of times more than ordinary copies.
- Fade — the gradient percentage: the closer to 100 %, the higher the price.
- Doppler and Gamma Doppler — phases and rare variants such as Ruby, Sapphire and Black Pearl.
- Marble Fade — “perfect” colour combinations are valued separately by collectors.
- Crimson Web — the placement of the webs: centred webs carry a premium.
Factor 4: stickers and charms
A sticker applied to a weapon lives with it and can be worth more than the skin itself. That is especially true of player autographs from the early majors: their supply is limited and only ever shrinks — every scraped or worn sticker is gone for good.
Factor 5: StatTrak and Souvenir
StatTrak is a kill counter. As of spring 2026, popular ordinary skins with a counter cost on average 20–40 % more than their plain versions, but on unpopular weapons the premium can be zero or even negative: fewer buyers, worse liquidity.
Souvenir versions carry tournament stickers and dropped to major viewers. Their supply is fixed and never replenished, so the price depends on the specific tournament, team and player on the stickers.
Factor 6: demand, liquidity and platform
A skin is worth exactly what someone will pay for it here and now. Two practical consequences follow.
Liquid items
- Popular weapons in mid grades
- Dozens of listings on the market at once
- Sold and traded within minutes
- A narrow spread between buying and selling
Illiquid items
- Rare variations and exotic patterns
- Single listings waiting weeks for a buyer
- The reference price is not the selling price
- Accepted in trades at a steep discount
Why Steam and platform prices differ
This is not a markup but a difference in the nature of the money. The Steam Community Market takes a 5 % Steam fee plus a 10 % game fee on every sale — about 15 % of the buyer's price — and the seller receives Steam wallet funds that cannot be withdrawn.
So the “Steam price” is a price in a closed currency, while a “platform price” is cash. When comparing selling and trading, always factor that in: details are in Trading, selling or the Steam Market.
How to value a skin in a minute
-
Establish the exact item name
The name, the wear grade and the presence of StatTrak or Souvenir all affect the price.
-
Look at the float
Within one grade, copies with a low float cost more, especially near the range boundaries.
-
Check stickers and pattern
A rare template or expensive autographs can double the price.
-
Compare at least three sources
The Steam Market, a large trading platform and a trading service. The spread shows the real price corridor.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Steam prices higher than on third-party platforms?
Steam Market prices bake in a fee of about 15 % and the fact that the money cannot be withdrawn. Players price that in, so Steam figures are traditionally above the real “cash” value of an item.
Does the StatTrak kill count affect the price?
On mass-market skins, barely. A noticeable premium only comes from round or extreme counter values, and even then only among a narrow group of collectors.
What is skin liquidity?
It is how quickly an item can be turned into money or another skin without a discount. Popular AK-47s and knives are liquid; expensive exotic items can wait weeks for a buyer.
Why do skin prices change after CS2 updates?
New cases, drop rate changes, collections leaving the active pool and major tournaments all shift supply and demand. Rare items from older collections are especially sensitive to this.
