CS2 Skin Float Values Explained: The Complete Guide to Wear and Tear

You've seen the numbers: 0.001, 0.37, 0.89. They show up next to every skin on the market, and they can mean the difference between a $50 skin and a $500 one. But what do CS2 float values actually mean — and how do you use them to your advantage?

This guide answers every question you've been too embarrassed to ask about float values, pattern indexes, and skin wear. No jargon, no assumptions — just straight answers.

What Is a Float Value?

A float value is a number between 0.00 and 1.00 that determines how worn a skin looks. Think of it as the skin's "age" — lower numbers mean factory-fresh, higher numbers mean battle-scarred.

Every CS2 skin is assigned a random float value when it's generated (unboxed, traded up, or dropped). You cannot change it. A 0.001 float skin will always look cleaner than the same skin at 0.79, and the market prices reflect this difference dramatically.

What Do the Wear Ranges Actually Mean?

Valve divides the 0.00-1.00 spectrum into five official categories:

• Factory New (FN): 0.00 — 0.07. Pristine condition. Most expensive tier for any skin.
• Minimal Wear (MW): 0.07 — 0.15. Very minor scratches, often indistinguishable from FN in-game.
• Field-Tested (FT): 0.15 — 0.38. Visible wear on the body of the weapon. The most common and affordable tier.
• Well-Worn (WW): 0.38 — 0.45. Heavy scratching. A narrow range — these are relatively rare and often awkwardly priced.
• Battle-Scarred (BS): 0.45 — 1.00. Maximum wear. Some skins look dramatically different at high float — which can actually increase value for certain patterns.

Here's what most guides won't tell you: a 0.069 Factory New and a 0.071 Minimal Wear are visually identical. The line between wear categories is arbitrary. Smart buyers shop by actual float number, not just the wear label.

Why Do Float Values Affect Price So Much?

The price gap between wear levels can be staggering. A Factory New AWP Asiimov might sell for $120 while the same skin in Field-Tested goes for $45. That's a 167% premium for what amounts to slightly fewer scratches on a texture file.

Four factors drive this pricing:

1. Supply scarcity. Only 7% of all skins in any given pattern fall into the Factory New range. MW adds another 8%. The remaining 85% are FT or worse. Low float = low supply = high price. Basic economics.

2. Visual difference. Some skins show wear dramatically. The AWP Asiimov develops large black scratches across its body at higher floats. Others, like the AK-47 Redline, barely change. The bigger the visual impact of wear, the bigger the FN/FT price gap.

3. Crafting demand. Trade-up contracts using 10 lower-tier skins produce one higher-tier skin with a float based on the inputs. Low-float trade-up fuel (the skins you sacrifice) commands a premium because crafters need them to produce low-float outputs.

4. Collector psychology. A 0.000x float AK-47 isn't functionally different from a 0.04. But to a collector chasing the "lowest float in existence" for a specific skin, that zero matters. These ultra-low-float items can sell for 5-10x the normal FN price.

What About Pattern Indexes and Phases?

Float isn't the only hidden number. Pattern indexes (0-999 for most skins, 0-1000 for Dopplers) determine where the skin's texture is placed on the weapon — which affects visible patterns, gem placements, and special variants.

For Doppler knives, the pattern index determines the phase: Phase 1 through 4 for standard Dopplers, plus the ultra-rare Sapphire, Ruby, Black Pearl, and Emerald variants. A Phase 2 Doppler Karambit (pink-dominant) can sell for $1,200+ while a Phase 3 (more green/black) goes for $800 — same knife, same float, different pattern index. Over $400 difference from a number you can't even see in-game without inspecting.

How to Check Float Values When Buying

On skin trading platforms, float values are displayed on the item detail page. Look for a small number labeled "Float" or "Wear Rating" — usually displayed to 6+ decimal places. The more decimal places shown, the more precise the measurement.

On the Steam Market, float is not displayed by default. You'll need third-party tools or browser extensions to see float values before purchasing. This is why the Steam Market often has worse deals — you're buying blind on the single most important pricing variable.

The Smart Buyer's Float Strategy

If you want the best value for your money, target the bottom of each wear range. A Minimal Wear skin at 0.08 float is nearly identical to a Factory New at 0.06 — but can cost 30-50% less. The label changes but the pixels barely do.

For skins where wear barely shows (like most USP-S and Glock patterns), buying Field-Tested at the low end of its range (0.15-0.20) gets you a skin that looks indistinguishable from MW at a steep discount. Let other people pay the label premium.

If you're looking to test this strategy with real skins, Phantom Cache shows float values on every listing. Shop by the number, not the name.