CS2 Trade-Up Contract Guide — How Trade-Ups Work
CS2 trade-up contracts let you exchange 10 skins of one rarity for 1 skin of the next higher rarity. When done right, the output skin is worth more than all 10 inputs combined. This guide covers everything you need to know.
Try the Scanner After Reading →How CS2 Trade-Up Contracts Work
A trade-up contract takes exactly 10 input skins of the same rarity tier and produces 1 output skin of the next higher rarity. The output is randomly selected from all possible outcomes in the input collections.
Key rules:
- All 10 inputs must be the same rarity (e.g. all Restricted)
- Inputs can come from different collections
- StatTrak™ inputs produce StatTrak™ outputs
- Non-StatTrak inputs produce non-StatTrak outputs
- You cannot mix StatTrak and non-StatTrak in one contract
The CS2 Float Formula
Every CS2 skin has a float value between 0 and 1 that determines its wear condition. In trade-ups, the output float is calculated from the average of input floats:
output_float = (avg_input_float × (max_float - min_float)) + min_float
Where min_float and max_float are the output skin's float range. This means:
- Lower input floats → lower output float → better wear condition
- Each skin has different float caps (e.g. AK-47 Redline: 0.10–0.70)
- Targeting Factory New outputs requires very low average input floats
TradeUpX calculates this automatically for every contract.
Collection Probability Mechanics
When your 10 inputs come from multiple collections, the output probability is split proportionally:
- 7 skins from Collection A, 3 from Collection B → 70% chance of Collection A output, 30% Collection B output
- Within each collection, every possible output skin has equal probability
Example: 7 inputs from Collection A (which has 5 Classified outputs) and 3 from Collection B (3 Classified outputs). Each Collection A output has 70%/5 = 14% probability. Each Collection B output has 30%/3 = 10% probability.
This is how traders manipulate probabilities — loading more skins from collections with valuable outputs.
The CS2 Rarity Tier System
CS2 skins follow a strict rarity hierarchy. Trade-ups move one tier up:
- Consumer Grade (white) → Industrial Grade (light blue)
- Industrial Grade → Mil-Spec Grade (blue)
- Mil-Spec Grade → Restricted (purple)
- Restricted → Classified (pink)
- Classified → Covert (red)
You cannot trade up Covert skins. Knives and gloves are not part of the trade-up system.