CS2 Float Value Guide (2026) — What It Is, How It Works & Why It Matters
Float value is the single number that determines every CS2 skin's wear — from pristine Factory New to heavily worn Battle-Scarred. But float is far more nuanced than most players realise: each skin has its own unique min/max float range, and in trade-up contracts, input floats combine via a mathematical formula to produce a completely deterministic output wear. Master float and you master CS2 trade-ups.
Use the Float-Aware Trade-Up Calculator →What Is Float Value in CS2?
Every CS2 weapon skin receives a float value — a decimal between 0.0000 and 1.0000 — permanently assigned the moment it drops from a case, trade-up, or operation. Float never changes. You cannot improve or degrade it.
Float maps to five wear tiers:
The price difference between Factory New and Field-Tested can be 5–50× for desirable skins. Float is visible in-game via inspect screen and on all third-party platforms.
Per-Skin Float Ranges: Why Not Every Skin Can Be Factory New
The 0.00–1.00 scale is global. But Valve assigns a unique min/max float cap to every individual skin. A skin's actual float can only fall within its own range:
- AK-47 | Asiimov: min 0.18 – max 1.00 → can never be FN or MW. Always FT, WW, or BS.
- Desert Eagle | Blaze: min 0.00 – max 0.08 → almost always FN, occasionally low MW.
- AWP | Dragon Lore: min 0.01 – max 0.70 → can reach FN but never WW or BS.
- M4A4 | Howl: min 0.00 – max 1.00 → full float range, all wears possible.
- AK-47 | Fire Serpent: min 0.15 – max 0.90 → no FN, no BS, FT through WW only.
This is critically important for trade-up contracts. When TradeUpX calculates output float, it uses each skin's actual min/max range — not the global 0.00–1.00 scale. Generic calculators that ignore this produce wrong results.
The Float Formula: How CS2 Calculates Trade-Up Output Float
Trade-up output float is 100% deterministic — not random. It follows this exact formula:
adjusted_i = (raw_float_i − skin_min_i) / (skin_max_i − skin_min_i)
Step 2 — Average all 10 normalized floats:
avg_adjusted = (adjusted_1 + adjusted_2 + … + adjusted_10) / 10
Step 3 — Map to output skin's float range:
output_float = out_min + avg_adjusted × (out_max − out_min)
Worked example: You use 10× AK-47 | Safari Mesh (FT, float 0.20 each). Safari Mesh float range: 0.06–0.80. Output skin float range: 0.00–1.00.
- Normalized: (0.20 − 0.06) / (0.80 − 0.06) = 0.14 / 0.74 = 0.189
- Average: 0.189 (all 10 identical) = 0.189
- Output float: 0.00 + 0.189 × (1.00 − 0.00) = 0.189 → Field-Tested
By using lower-float inputs (e.g. 0.15 Safari Mesh), you can push the output into Minimal Wear. TradeUpX calculates this automatically for every contract.
Float Targeting: Engineering Factory New Output
Factory New skins (float 0.00–0.07) command enormous premiums — often 3–15× the Field-Tested price for the same skin. Since output float is deterministic, you can engineer FN outputs:
To target Factory New output, your avg_adjusted must be below the value where:
For an output skin with range 0.00–1.00, this means avg_adjusted < 0.07. That requires all 10 inputs to have very low normalized floats.
Mixed Float strategy: TradeUpX's Mixed Float mode lets you combine main skins (at specific floats) with cheap filler skins (at very low floats). This way you can achieve a low enough avg_adjusted without paying full FN premiums on all 10 inputs — often cutting the contract cost significantly while still targeting FN output.
Enable Mixed Float in the scanner and set your target output wear to "Factory New". TradeUpX will find every valid filler combination automatically.
Float Caps by Skin Type: Quick Reference
Some general patterns — but always verify per-skin with TradeUpX or CSFloat:
- Operation skins: Often have restricted min floats (0.06–0.18), making FN impossible or rare
- Clutch/Prisma skins: Many have 0.00–0.80 ranges — FN possible but BS impossible
- Older collection skins: Often full 0.00–1.00 range
- Knives: Most have 0.00–1.00 range, a few restrict to 0.00–0.70 or similar
For trade-up inputs, you want skins with low minimum floats (so you can buy FN/low-MW inputs cheaply) and a range that covers your target normalized float. TradeUpX shows every input skin's float range in the contract detail view.
How to Check Float Value in CS2
Multiple tools let you inspect float before buying:
- In-game inspect: Right-click any market listing and select "Inspect in Game" — float shows in the item info panel
- CSFloat (csfloat.com): Best dedicated marketplace. All listings show float, you can filter by exact float range, and buy orders fill at your specified float.
- Steam Inventory Helper: Browser extension. Shows float directly on Steam Market listings and in your inventory.
- TradeUpX skin pages: Every skin page on TradeUpX shows the float range, wear breakdown, and float bar visualization — useful for quick reference before deciding which wear tier to buy.
For trade-up planning: always verify float before purchasing, especially when targeting a specific output wear. Float filters on CSFloat make this much easier than checking skins individually on Steam.