CS2 Float Value Explained
Updated 2026-06-20
What float (wear) is in Counter-Strike 2, the five wear tiers and their float ranges, how to check a skin's float, and how float affects price.
What is float?
Every CS2 skin has a hidden float value - a number between 0 and 1 that controls how worn the skin looks. 0 is pristine and factory-fresh; 1 is heavily scratched and faded. The value is generated when the item is created (unboxed, traded up, or dropped) and never changes for the life of that item.
Float is what makes two copies of the same skin look different and sell for different prices. It maps onto a named wear category - the 'exterior' shown in the item's name, e.g. AWP | Asiimov (Field-Tested).
Internally the game also stores a separate 'paint seed' (pattern index) that controls texture placement. Float controls wear; the paint seed controls the pattern - they are independent values.
The five wear tiers and their float ranges
Factory New: 0.00-0.07 · Minimal Wear: 0.07-0.15 · Field-Tested: 0.15-0.38 · Well-Worn: 0.38-0.45 · Battle-Scarred: 0.45-1.00.
Field-Tested covers the widest range (0.15-0.38), so two Field-Tested copies of the same skin can look noticeably different - a low-FT can look almost Minimal Wear, while a high-FT shows real scratching.
The wear tier is just a label for the underlying float; the float itself is the precise value collectors actually trade on.
Float caps - why not every skin has every wear
Skins are not always created across the full 0-1 range. Each finish has its own minimum and maximum float, so some wear tiers simply don't exist for some skins. The AWP | Dragon Lore, for example, is capped around 0.70, so a true Battle-Scarred Dragon Lore at 0.90 doesn't exist.
Some skins are capped so high that they never appear in Factory New, and a few are capped so low they only ever appear Factory New or Minimal Wear. skins.ai shows each skin's achievable float range on its page so you know which exteriors are even possible.
How float affects price
Within a wear tier, lower floats look cleaner and usually cost more. The biggest premiums sit at the extremes: a sub-0.01 'sub-zero' Factory New, or the lowest-float (and therefore lowest-number) Battle-Scarred, can command large markups from collectors who chase record floats.
The opposite also matters - a high-float Battle-Scarred can be the cheapest way to own an expensive skin if you only care about having it, not about condition.
On a skin's page, compare prices across all five wear tiers to find the best value for the look you want, then check individual listings' floats before buying.
How to check a skin's float
In-game, use the 'Inspect in Game' option on a listing or your own item to view it up close. To see the exact numeric float, most traders use a third-party float checker that reads the item's inspect link, or buy on a marketplace (such as CSFloat) that displays the precise float and paint seed on every listing.
If you're buying for pattern (Case Hardened blue gems, Fade percentage, Doppler phase, Marble Fade layout), check the paint seed in addition to the float - two identical-float skins can have very different patterns and prices.
FAQ
Is a lower float always better?
Lower float looks cleaner and usually costs more, but the 'best' float depends on the skin and the look you want - some patterns still look great at higher wear, so paying a low-float premium isn't always worth it.
Can a CS2 skin have a float of exactly 0?
Practically never. Floats get extremely close to 0 but the lowest known values are tiny fractions above it; those record-low floats are highly sought after and priced accordingly.
Does float change over time or with use?
No. A skin's float is fixed when the item is created and never changes - using, trading, or storing the skin has no effect on it.
What is a float cap?
A per-skin limit on the minimum and/or maximum float, so not every wear tier exists for every skin. The AWP | Dragon Lore caps around 0.70, so it has no true high-float Battle-Scarred.
How do I see a skin's exact float before buying?
Use a marketplace that shows the float on each listing (e.g. CSFloat), or paste the item's inspect link into a float-checker tool. In-game, 'Inspect in Game' shows the skin but not the exact number.
Is float the same as pattern?
No. Float controls how worn a skin looks; the paint seed (pattern index) controls texture placement. They're independent - for pattern-sensitive skins like Case Hardened or Fade, the seed matters as much as the float.