Float and degree of wear of CS2 skins

What is a float in Counter Strike?

Let's start by explaining what the float actually is. A number between 0 and 1 is generated for each individual Counter Strike skin, this number is also called a float.

Each skin in your inventory has its own float value, which you can also view, as we will explain later.

What is the float important for?

Now we come to the crucial part, what is the float value important for? The float determines the state of the skin. Each of the five states that exist in Counter Strike has a specific range on the float scale.

Brand new skins have a float value between 0 and 0.07, while skins in the minimal wear state have a float value between 0.07 and 0.15. The next state, field-tested, has a float range of 0.15 to 0.38. Worn skins have a float value between 0.38 and 0.45. Finally, skins in the battle scars state have a float between 0.45 and 1.

In the following table you can see once again which float value range leads to which state:

If you've ever wondered why there are differences between weapons of the same condition, here's the answer. The different states are not static, but the wear is rather dynamic from 0 to 1 and the states are only assigned so that you can roughly see in which area the skin is located.

For example, a brand new skin can have a float value of 0.065 and a skin with minimal signs of use can have a float value of 0.075. This means that the difference between these two skins is very small. At the same time, however, there can also be a skin with minimal wear that has a float value of 0.14, which would then differ more clearly from the other two in terms of the wear of the skin.

It is therefore important for you to pay attention to the float value of a skin before you buy it. It is always better for you if the float value is as close to 0 as possible in your desired condition range.

How the float affects the wear of the skin

The wear on the skins increases as the float value increases. However, there are sometimes big differences in the wear itself.

For example, some skins get more scratches with greater wear and tear, while the color of other skins becomes paler, for example.

Important: We are not talking about individual skins here, but about the general skin classes, for example: Case HardenedBlaze or Vulcan. Every Vulcan skin wears out in the same way and there are only differences in the type of wear between the different classes of skins.

Exceptions to the float values

There are also some exceptions to the generation of float values. For example, there are some skins where the float value is limited to a certain range.

A popular example of this is the AWP Asiimov:

The float value of the AWP Asiimov can only be in the range between 0.18 and 1. This means that this skin can only exist in the states Battle Scars, Worn and Field Tested.

It is the other way around with the AWP Fade:

The float range of the AWP Fade is between 0 and 0.08. The AWP Fade is therefore only available in brand new condition or with minimal signs of use.

How to find out the float of skins

Knowing the float of your skins, or of skins that you want to purchase, is particularly important. There are various methods you can use to find out the float of skins.

Probably the simplest and most common method is to examine the skins in Counter Strike. 

If the skin is in your inventory, you can simply click on it in your inventory and then select Examine. 

If the skin is in the Steam Market, on an external site or in a friend's inventory, there is usually a button somewhere that says something like "Examine in game...".

When examining in the game, you can hover over the "I" at the bottom of the screen with your mouse pointer and read the float value under the "Degree of wear" attribute.

This is often too much effort for active traders, which is why there are now Browser extensionswhich allow you to easily see the float value of a skin in an inventory in the browser.

How the float influences the value of a skin

Normally, the float value has little influence on the value of a skin, as most people only pay attention to the condition of the skin. However, if a skin has a particularly good float value for its condition, it may well be sold above the market price.

In the case of brand new skins with a very good float value, it often happens that the skin increases in price, sometimes significantly, especially when you get into the range of the best drawn floats of the respective skin.

Skins with what kind of float should I buy?

It is best for you to first decide on a condition that suits you best in terms of wear and price. Then you should make sure that the skin has the best possible float value for the area of its condition.

Frequently asked questions about the degree of wear and float value