CS2 Float Value Guide: Patterns & Wear Levels

TL;DR

• Float values (0.00-1.00) determine how worn your CS2 skins look.
• Lower numbers mean less wear and often higher value.
• There are five wear categories, but floats are more precise and can significantly affect price and appearance.
• Pattern IDs are equally important. They determine how and where wear appears on a skin.
• Float values are permanent and do not change as you play with a skin.

What Are Float Values?

Think of float values as a "wear and tear meter" for your CS2 skins. Every skin gets assigned a random number between 0.00 and 1.00 when it drops or gets unboxed. This number never changes, even if you use the skin for years.

The closer to 0.00, the cleaner and less worn your skin looks. The closer to 1.00, the more scratched, faded, and battle-worn it appears. This simple number impacts both how your skin looks in-game and how much it's worth on the market.

The Five Wear Categories

CS2 divides all skins into five categories based on their float values:

Remember, two "Field-Tested" skins can look quite different if one has a float of 0.16 (nearly Minimal Wear) and another has 0.37 (almost Well-Worn).

How Floats And Patterns Work Together

Float values determine how much wear appears on your skin, but not where the wear appears. This is where pattern IDs come in:

While float values control the amount of wear, the pattern ID determines the exact placement of that wear and the specific arrangement of the design. Every skin has a unique pattern ID number that you can check alongside the float value.

Some patterns are extremely valuable:

• Case Hardened skins with patterns showing large blue areas (called "Blue Gem") can be worth thousands more than the same skin with a different pattern
• Big price jumps mainly occur at low Factory New floats (0.0X). Float differences within Field-Tested (or lower) rarely matter except for high-value skins ($500+)
• Fade knives with "100% fade" carry a much higher price tag
• Certain Doppler patterns (like "Black Pearl" or "Ruby") are exceptionally rare and valuable

This dual system means two identical weapons with very similar floats can look dramatically different and have vastly different values based solely on their pattern ID.

Float Shopping Basics

Understanding float values helps you make more informed decisions when buying skins:

• Look for skins on the lower end of their wear category (e.g., a Field-Tested with 0.16 float that almost looks Minimal Wear)
• Remember that significant price jumps mainly occur at extremely low Factory New floats (0.00x), while float differences within Field-Tested rarely matter except for high-value knives ($500+)
• Know which skins are "float-capped" so you understand the best possible condition available
• Be aware that certain patterns and extremely high floats (0.99+) may have collector value in specific cases

Float knowledge won't make you rich, but it will help you avoid overpaying and better understand what you're actually buying when shopping for skins.

How to Check Float Values

In-Game (Your Own Skins)

1. Open Counter-Strike 2
2. Go to "Inventory"
3. Click the skin in your inventory and choose "Inspect"
4. Click the info button (i) a the bottom of the screen
5. Look for "Wear Rating" (float) and "Pattern Template" (pattern ID)

Note: You can also check floats and pattern IDs of your skins online on sites like FloatFB.

Market Listings

Use websites like CS.MONEY or FloatDB to check both float values and pattern IDs of items you don't own yet.

Understanding both float values and pattern IDs helps you make smarter purchases, avoid overpaying, and potentially find valuable skins at standard prices. These small details can make a big difference in your CS2 inventory value.

For further reading, check our trading guide if you want more creative tips for turning a profit with CS2 skins.