The key to skin wear in CS2 is the float value, which goes from 0.00 to 1.00 and affects how clean or worn out your skin appears. While most collectors pay more for pristine, low-float skins, some patterns appear better when worn down.
The Factory New
The pinnacle of CS2’s skin wear levels is Factory New. With a float between 0.00 and 0.07, these skins are those clean, perfect items that essentially seem like they were just taken out of the workshop. These are the skins that traders seek, collectors dream over, and flexers use to demonstrate their excellent taste.
The AK-47 | Fire Serpent, the M4A4 | Howl, and the AWP | Dragon Lore are the best examples of this category; in Factory New, they are more than simply skins; they are outright indicators of rank. You get the purest form of the pattern with full color, crisp details, and none of the scratches that come with lesser wear, which is why this wear is important. It’s for gamers who want to have the best possible loadout, collectors who want to build up valuable collections, and investors who know that FN floats keep their value like real estate. Because the 0.00–0.07 float range only makes up a small portion of the whole supply, the Factory New skins are nearly always far more expensive than MW or FT versions—sometimes by twice or double the amount.
The Minimal Wear
The sweet spot of CS2 skin wear is minimal wear. The ideal balance between price and appearance may be found in these floats, which range from 0.07 to 0.15. Although minimum wear skins may have a few little scratches that you wouldn’t even notice in the middle of a game, they appear almost identical to Factory New to most players. However, the price difference can be significant. Because low wear offers 90–95% of the flex value for half the price, it is referred to as the best budget.
Skins like the AK-47 | Vulcan or M4A4 | Desolate Space are among the greatest representations here; they still have vivid colors and crisp details. They’re still pristine enough for a collector’s display without being so pricey that only whales can afford them. MW is also quite important when it comes to knives; in-game, an MW Karambit Doppler looks just as spicy as a FN one, but it costs less.
Field-Tested
CS2 skin wear’s middle ground is Field-Tested (FT). Skins begin to exhibit more obvious scratches, fading hues, or chipped regions between FT floats of 0.15 and 0.38. The worst part is that FT is where the value-to-style ratio truly shines for many skins. Players who want popular skins without spending half their salary will choose it since the design is still easily recognizable, the skin’s feel remains strong, and the price difference when compared to FN or MW might be significant.
Skins that maintain their appearance over time are among the greatest FT ambassadors. The AK-47 | Redline is a classic; it still looks good in FT, and some players even like the worn-out appearance because the black base hides scratches. Another legend is the M4A4 | Asiimov; many people like its somewhat worn-down sci-fi feel in FT, which is more “used in the field” than “mint condition.” Knives also look great in FT; for example, an M9 | Doppler or Karambit | Fade may appear almost identical to MW in-game, but they cost hundreds less.
Well-Worn
Battle scars are more noticeable on Well-Worn skins. The wear is much more obvious at the 0.38 to 0.45 floats; scratches are deeper, colors are more faded, and certain skins may even appear washed out.
Take the AK-47 | Redline for example – in WW it gains up that raw, gruff tone that seems like a gun that’s gone through a hundred grabs. Or the M4A4 | Asiimov, which has a great “used in the field” character in WW and resembles a battered sci-fi blaster more than a showroom item. Certain knives retain their value in WW as well, particularly those with darker finishes like Safari Mesh or Doppler Phase 1/2, where scratches don’t significantly detract from the appearance.
Battle-Scarred
The last boss of wear levels is Battle-Scarred (BS); floats range from 0.45 to 1.00, and by then, skins are destroyed. Imagine severe scratches, fading hues, and missing design elements. The pistol has seen every map change since 2012. The catch, though, is that certain skins look better after being damaged.
Consider the AK-47 | Redline — in Battle-Scarred, where the red stripes fade and the black base seems rough, almost custom. The AK-47 | Vulcan is another; its futuristic appearance is wonderfully complemented by the war-torn atmosphere that BS provides it. Then there is the AWP | Asiimov, which is bright and clean in FN but seems to be a sci-fi artifact that has withstood a hundred space battles in BS. Many players intentionally seek such an atmosphere. Because of their distinctive and unpolished appearance, knives like the Karambit | Safari Mesh or Gut Knife | Urban Masked occasionally develop cult followings in BS.
Conclusion
Many players refer to Minimal Wear as the “best choice” for flex and value since it strikes the ideal mix between affordability and style.
