Comprehensive CS2 Trade Up Contract Guide

This guide covers everything you need to know about trade up contracts in CS2. Whether you're a beginner or experienced with trade ups, you'll likely learn something new. The guide includes basic knowledge through advanced details.

The Basics

Every skin in CS2 is assigned an exterior float value and a quality (rarity). The float ranges for each condition are:

To perform a trade up contract, you need 10 skins of the same quality to trade up to 1 skin of the next highest quality. The potential outcomes are directly related to what skins go into the contract. It doesn't matter which inputs from the same collection you use, as long as they're the same quality. In practice, you would choose the least expensive inputs.

Note: You cannot perform a trade up contract using 10 covert skins, as this is the highest rarity. Also, to perform a StatTrak™ trade up, you need 10 StatTrak™ skins (you cannot mix normal and StatTrak™ skins in a contract).

Floats Explained

The float value of the skin you receive is directly related to the skins used as inputs. If the desired skin has the full normal float range from 0-1, simply having the average floats of your 10 input skins below 0.07 will result in a Factory New skin. You don't need 10 Factory New skins to achieve a Factory New float—you can include Minimal Wear or even Field-Tested skins as long as the average is below 0.07.

Skins with Varied Float Ranges

Some skins have float values where the minimum is greater than zero, and others have float values where the maximum is less than 1. Some have both. The formula for calculating the output float is:

For example, the AUG | Syd Mead from the Gamma 2 case has a maximum float of 0.8 and a minimum of 0.00. To get it in Factory New (below 0.07), you need an average input float below 0.0875.

Another example is the AK-47 | Asiimov with a max float of 0.7 and min float of 0.05. To get it in Factory New, you need an average input float below 0.0307692. This is why the FN AK Asiimov is much more expensive—it's difficult to achieve the required float.

Outcomes

Each potential outcome from a trade up has a probability based on the collections used in the inputs. Using 10 skins from the same collection with 3 possible outcomes gives you a 33.33% chance of getting each outcome. However, mixing collections changes the probabilities.

Manipulating Outcomes

Think of potential outcomes as marbles in a basket. Each skin from a collection adds its possible outcomes to the basket. By mixing collections strategically, you can manipulate the probabilities in your favor. This is useful when some collections have fewer potential outcomes and cheaper inputs.

Collections like Italy, Lake, Safehouse, and Train are often used as "fillers" for manipulating contracts. Be careful when selecting filler skins to ensure you don't decrease your chances of getting desirable outcomes.

Expected Value (EV)

For a trade up to be profitable, the Expected Value should exceed the cost. Calculate EV by multiplying each potential outcome's price by its probability:

Remember to account for Steam marketplace fees (approximately 13%) if you plan to sell the result.

Finding Good Trade Ups

Good trade ups change constantly as prices fluctuate. Use tools like the trade up calculator on this page to test different combinations. Focus on:

• Low-cost inputs with high-value potential outcomes
• Strategic collection mixing to manipulate odds
• Carefully calculating required float values
• Considering the market volume and liquidity of outcome skins

Using Buy Orders

Placing buy orders can be a good way to get skins for cheaper, but there's no guarantee the float value will be as low as you need. Consider the trade-off between saving money and getting the exact float you require for your trade up strategy.