CS2 Float and Seed Explained: Wear Values and Pattern Index

What is float (wear) in CS2?

Every CS2 skin carries a float value: a number between 0 and 1 that the game uses to decide how worn the finish looks. A float near 0 shows almost no scratches or fading, while a float near 1 looks heavily battered. The value is fixed the moment the skin is created and never changes through use, trading or time.

Float is what the game renders from. It is often called the wear value because it directly controls the amount of visible wear applied over the base pattern. Two copies of the same skin can look noticeably different purely because their float values differ, even within the same condition tier.

What are the five exterior conditions?

The continuous float scale is split into five named exteriors, each covering a slice of the 0 to 1 range: Factory New (0.00 to 0.07), Minimal Wear (0.07 to 0.15), Field-Tested (0.15 to 0.38), Well-Worn (0.38 to 0.45) and Battle-Scarred (0.45 to 1.00).

These labels are how the market groups skins, but the exact float inside a tier still matters. A Field-Tested skin at 0.16 looks much cleaner than one at 0.37, even though both share the same exterior name. That is why collectors look at the precise float, not just the condition label.

Not every skin exists in all five conditions. Valve assigns each skin its own float cap, a minimum and maximum that restrict which exteriors it can roll. The AWP Asiimov, for example, has a minimum float around 0.18, so it can never be Factory New or Minimal Wear and starts at Field-Tested. Some finishes are capped low and appear almost exclusively Factory New.

What is the pattern seed (pattern index)?

The pattern seed, also called the pattern index or paint seed, is a separate number assigned to each skin when it drops, is unboxed, or comes out of a trade-up. It is independent of the float. While float controls how worn the skin is, the seed controls how the finish's texture is laid out on the weapon.

Under the hood, the seed feeds the game's placement logic, deciding the position offset and rotation of the pattern across the model. Because the seed is locked in at creation and cannot be changed, the exact look it produces is permanent for that specific item.

The seed only creates meaningful visual differences on pattern-driven finishes such as Case Hardened, Fade, Doppler, Marble Fade and similar. On most uniform finishes the seed still exists, but it produces little or no visible change, so it rarely affects those skins' value.

Why do float and seed affect value and rarity?

Float drives value because clean condition is scarce at the extremes. Within the same exterior, lower floats almost always sell for more, and the cleanest examples near the floor of a skin's range command a premium. Capped skins amplify this: when a finish cannot reach Factory New, the lowest available floats become the most sought after.

Seed drives value on pattern-based skins, where certain numbers produce rare layouts. Case Hardened Blue Gems, high-percentage Fades and specific Doppler phases are all seed-dependent, and a desirable seed can multiply a skin's price far beyond an average one of the same condition.

Float and seed work together. The most valuable copies of a pattern skin tend to combine a low float with a coveted seed, which is why traders inspect both numbers before agreeing on a price.

How do you see a skin's real float and seed?

Float and seed are not shown in the standard Steam inventory view, so traders rely on inspect tools and showcases to read them. Knowing the exact figures matters because two listings of the same skin and condition can be worth very different amounts once you compare their float and seed.

A VSkin showcase shows the real per-item details for each skin, including float (wear), pattern/paint seed, stickers, charms, collection, rarity and exterior. That lets anyone viewing a public showcase verify the exact float and seed of an item rather than guessing from the condition label alone. Visitors can browse a showcase without installing anything; only the owner needs the extension to publish their own inventory.

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