How CS2 Covert to Gold trade-ups work
A Covert to Gold contract is the only trade-up in CS2 that produces a knife or gloves.
Unlike a normal contract it takes 5 Covert (red) skins instead of 10, and
every input must come from the same case pool. The output is one “Gold” item drawn
from the rare special pool of the cases your inputs belong to.
43Case pools in the scanner
35Pools with knife outputs
8Pools with glove outputs
91Covert skins usable as input
Counts come from the same catalogue the scanner runs on, rebuilt from live skin data.
No pool mixes knives and gloves — a contract yields one or the other, never both.
What you need for a Gold contract
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|
| Input count | 5 Covert skins (not 10, unlike normal trade-ups) |
| Input rarity | Covert only — the red tier below Gold |
| Case pool | All inputs must belong to the same case’s pool |
| Output | One knife or glove from that pool’s rare special items |
| StatTrak | StatTrak inputs produce StatTrak knives only — never gloves |
| Output float | Derived from the average input float, mapped into the output’s own range |
How the output float is decided
The contract averages the normalised float of your 5 inputs, then maps that average into the
float range of whichever knife or glove you receive. Low-float inputs push the result toward
Factory New, but each output has its own caps — some knives cannot reach Factory New at
all. The exact formula is explained in the
CS2 float value guide.
Cost and risk
Covert inputs are the most expensive tier, so a single Gold contract typically costs far more
than a Mil-Spec or Restricted trade-up, and the outcome distribution is wide: most pools
contain both cheap and very expensive knives. That variance is the point to understand before
committing — expected value can be positive while the most likely single outcome still
loses money.
The scanner above prices every input and every possible output from cached market data,
applies the Steam fee, and reports expected value and ROI per contract. It never claims a
guaranteed profit. Read the risk disclaimer before acting on
any result.
Frequently asked questions
How many skins does a CS2 knife trade-up need?
Five Covert skins from the same case pool. Normal trade-ups need ten inputs; the Covert
to Gold contract is the exception with five.
Which collections can produce a knife?
Knives come from case pools rather than weapon collections. 35 of the
43 pools the scanner tracks contain knives, and
8 contain gloves instead. Pick a contract type in the
scanner above to see the exact pool for each candidate.
Can I get gloves from a StatTrak contract?
No. StatTrak Covert inputs can only produce StatTrak knives. Gloves have no StatTrak
variant, so they are excluded from StatTrak contracts entirely.
Are knife trade-ups profitable?
Sometimes, but variance is high. Profitability depends on the current price of the five
Covert inputs versus the fee-adjusted value of the whole output pool weighted by probability.
The scanner calculates that per contract; there is no pool that is profitable by default.
What float will my knife have?
It is calculated from the average float of your five inputs, rescaled into the float range
of the knife you receive. Lower input floats give better wear, but each knife has its own
minimum and maximum.
Related tools and guides
