CS2 Skin Crafting Guide 2026: Trade-Ups, Float and Sticker Tips

CS2 skin crafting changed twice in 2026, and older guides already miss one of the biggest updates. In May, Valve allowed souvenir skins to be used in trade-up contracts, but the result is always a standard non-souvenir item, which quietly changed how some older souvenir skins can be valued and used. The earlier October 2025 update added knife and glove crafting through five Covert skins, a change that reshaped the entire high-end trade-up market. Getting either of these systems wrong costs real money, and the most common losses come from misunderstanding the float formula, ignoring what happens to stickers during a contract, and following rules that were accurate before May 2026 but no longer are.

How CS2 Trade-Up Contracts Work

Definition: A CS2 Trade-Up Contract exchanges multiple skins of the same rarity for one skin of the next rarity tier. Standard weapon trade-ups require 10 inputs and produce one weapon skin of the next tier. The October 2025 Re-Retakes Update added a knife and glove contract type: 5 Covert skins trade up into a knife or pair of gloves from the same collection pool. All inputs in any contract must be the same type: all StatTrak or all non-StatTrak.

The rarity ladder for weapon trade-ups works in one direction: 10 Consumer Grade produce 1 Industrial Grade, 10 Industrial Grade produce 1 Mil-Spec, 10 Mil-Spec produce 1 Restricted, 10 Restricted produce 1 Classified, and 10 Classified produce 1 Covert. Knife and glove contracts sit above this ladder and use 5 Covert skins rather than 10.

The May 22, 2026 Souvenir Rule Change

Before May 22, 2026, souvenir skins could not be used in trade-up contracts at all. The May 22 update changed this, allowing souvenir skins as inputs, but with an important condition: any souvenir skin used as a trade-up input loses all souvenir attributes, including tournament stickers, in the process. The output is always a standard non-souvenir item of the next rarity tier.

This may create a new price floor for some older souvenir skins that previously had limited demand as collectibles, since they now have a secondary utility as trade-up fuel. How much this affects specific collections depends on whether the input value as trade-up material exceeds their value as souvenir items, and the market is still adjusting to that calculation. Older guides that say souvenir skins cannot be used in contracts are now outdated.

The Float Formula: How to Control Output Condition

Definition: Trade-up float is calculated by normalizing each input skin's float within its own wear range, averaging those normalized values across all inputs, then mapping the result onto the output skin's float range. This means float output is deterministic, not random, and can be targeted by choosing inputs at specific float values.

The three-step calculation:

• Normalize each input float: (input float minus the skin's minimum float) divided by (the skin's maximum float minus its minimum float). This converts each input to a 0-1 scale relative to that skin's own range.
• Average the normalized values across all inputs (10 for weapon contracts, 5 for knife and glove contracts).
• Map to the output range: output float equals (output skin's max float minus its min float) multiplied by the normalized average, plus the output skin's min float.

Float caps matter significantly here because the formula maps to the output skin's range, not a raw number. A skin with a minimum float of 0.10 like the AK-47 Redline cannot produce a 0.00 result regardless of how clean the inputs are, because the formula's lowest possible output is the skin's own minimum. Using CSDelta's trade-up calculator before building any contract is the most reliable way to understand exactly what output float range is achievable with your specific inputs and avoid landing a worse condition than expected.

Float Tiers Worth Knowing

Not all Factory New copies trade at the same price, and the difference can be meaningful on premium skins. Community pricing generally treats these as distinct tiers, though premiums vary significantly by skin:

• 0.000 to 0.010: Low float or "flawless" tier, often commanding two to five times the standard FN price on skins where this matters
• 0.010 to 0.070: Standard Factory New range, the typical market reference price
• 0.070 to 0.150: Minimal Wear, generally at a discount versus standard Factory New pricing
• High-float exceptions: Some skins like AWP Asiimov are specifically sought at high Battle-Scarred floats (around 0.95 and above) for visual effects like the black scope, where higher wear is desirable and commands its own premium

Knife and Glove Trade-Ups

The October 2025 Re-Retakes Update made it possible to craft knives and gloves through Trade-Up Contracts for the first time. Five Covert skins produce one gold-tier item: either a knife or a pair of gloves, depending on the collections your inputs represent.

The core rules: all five inputs must be Covert rarity, and all must be the same type (StatTrak or non-StatTrak). Only non-StatTrak contracts can produce gloves, because gloves do not exist in StatTrak versions. A contract with five StatTrak Covert skins can only output a StatTrak knife, never gloves.

Collection Targeting

Each of the five input skins counts as 20% toward the output pool weighting. Using all five from one collection gives 100% probability of an output from that collection's knife or glove pool. Spreading inputs across multiple collections distributes probability across more pools, which the community calls "the soup" when taken to the extreme of five different collections.

The exact knife or glove result within a collection's pool depends on the specific possible outputs from that collection, so always confirming the possible outputs in a calculator before building a contract is essential. Some cases have only one knife in their pool, making them a guaranteed type (though not a guaranteed pattern or finish), while others offer multiple options. CS.money's collection breakdown and CSDelta's database are the most reliable references for checking current collection-to-output mappings before committing.

What Knife Crafting Actually Costs

Entry costs for knife contracts shifted noticeably after the October 2025 update, as Covert skin prices rose in response to new demand. Early-2026 knife contracts for budget recipes could start in the low hundreds of dollars, but costs move quickly as input prices respond to trade-up activity and community attention. When a specific recipe gets shared by a content creator or listed on a profit scanner, demand for the input skins rises within days and the cost floor moves up with it. Checking live prices before building any contract rather than relying on figures from any guide, including this one, is the only reliable approach in a market that shifts this fast.

Pattern Index

Pattern index is a seed value between 0 and 999 that determines which visual template renders on a skin, and it creates genuine price differences between otherwise identical copies on five specific skin types: Case Hardened, Doppler, Marble Fade, Fade, and Crimson Web.

Case Hardened is the clearest example of how large this gap can be. Common patterns with standard blue distribution on a Karambit trade for a baseline price, while specific patterns with near-complete blue coverage on the play side can trade for tens of thousands. Pattern checking before any Case Hardened purchase at a meaningful price is not optional.

Doppler phases are determined entirely by pattern index: Phase 4 (deep blue and purple) generally commands a premium over Phase 2, which sits above Phase 1 and Phase 3. Ruby, Sapphire, and Black Pearl Dopplers are a distinct pricing category that does not follow the phase ladder. Fade percentage on Fade skins follows a similar logic, where a full 100% color transition across the weapon body trades above a partial fade despite identical wear tier.

Crimson Web centered webs appear on roughly 5% of pattern seeds, and a Factory New copy with a centered play-side web commands a significant premium over standard Crimson Web copies at identical condition. Platforms like CSFloat Market Checker and CSDelta automatically detect Doppler phases and flag notable patterns in search results, which removes the need to manually check pattern indexes when browsing.

Stickers: What Gets Destroyed in a Trade-Up

Any stickers, charms, or souvenir attributes on input skins are permanently removed during a trade-up. The output skin is always a clean base with nothing applied. This applies to all trade-up types, including the new souvenir input rule, and it applies to every input skin in the contract.

This is the most common and most preventable source of value destruction in the entire crafting system. A skin worth $12 with $200 in Katowice stickers applied becomes a $12 input. The sticker value does not transfer, cannot be recovered, and is not reflected in the output in any way.

Tournament holos from Katowice 2014 and Cologne 2014 can add hundreds to thousands of dollars to a skin's trade value depending on the specific sticker, placement, and combination. A four-sticker craft with matching Holo stickers on a clean canvas skin can trade for significantly more than the sum of the base skin plus the sticker values multiplied by any coefficient, particularly for combinations that have developed their own price history in the collector community. Spending ten seconds checking whether any input skin has valuable stickers before confirming a contract is the minimum due diligence for any trade-up.

Expected Value and Profitability

A trade-up is profitable when the weighted sum of all possible output prices, after fees, exceeds the total input cost. Steam's fee on market sales is 15% added to the seller's price (5% Steam plus 10% CS2 game fee), which works out to roughly 13% of what the buyer pays. Third-party marketplace fees are generally lower, which changes the math if you source inputs off-market and sell outputs through the same platforms.

Profitability of any specific recipe is time-sensitive in two directions. When a recipe gains attention, input prices rise and the margin compresses or closes entirely. When the market for a specific output falls, the expected value drops even if input costs stay flat. CSDelta's profitable trade-up database lists community-discovered contracts with live price updates, but confirmed profitable setups close quickly.

The 7-day trade hold on Steam Market purchases is worth planning around. If you buy inputs during a window when output prices are falling, the hold locks you into an input cost while the market adjusts before you can execute the contract. Building input positions over time through buy orders rather than market purchases avoids some of this timing risk.

F.A.Q

How many skins do you need for a knife trade-up in CS2?

Five Covert skins, all from collections that include the knife you want. Using all five from the same collection maximizes the chance of hitting that collection's knife pool. The 10-skin rule applies only to weapon-to-weapon trade-ups, not knife or glove contracts.

Can you use souvenir skins in CS2 trade-up contracts?

Yes, as of the May 22, 2026 update. However, souvenir skins used as inputs lose all souvenir attributes and tournament stickers during the contract. The output will always be a standard non-souvenir item regardless of the inputs used.

How does float work in a CS2 trade-up?

Trade-up float is calculated by normalizing each input's float within its own wear range, averaging those normalized values, then mapping the result to the output skin's float range. The process is deterministic, meaning you can target a specific output float range by choosing inputs carefully. Using a calculator like CSDelta before building a contract is the most reliable way to understand what output condition is achievable.

Do stickers transfer in a CS2 trade-up?

No. Any stickers, charms, or souvenir attributes on input skins are permanently destroyed when you confirm a trade-up contract. The output skin will always be a clean base. Checking input skins for valuable stickers before confirming any contract is essential.

Can StatTrak contracts produce gloves?

No. Gloves do not have StatTrak versions, so using five StatTrak Covert skins as inputs can only produce a StatTrak knife, never gloves. Only non-StatTrak contracts can produce gloves as an output.