CS2 Trading Glossary

A

Accept

Accept – To confirm a trade offer, completing the exchange of items between two users. Once both parties accept, the trade is finalized (subject to any applicable trade hold).

Arcade

Arcade – Slang term for low-value, low-tier skins typically worth less than $5. These are common drops from cases and often used as "add-ons" in larger trades to balance values.

AWP

AWP – The Arctic Warfare Police, one of the most iconic and expensive weapon types in CS2. AWP skins like the Dragon Lore, Gungnir, and Medusa command premium prices due to their rarity and the weapon's popularity.

B

B/O (Buyout)

B/O – The fixed price at which a seller is willing to immediately sell an item without negotiation. Often used in trading forums and marketplace listings (e.g., "B/O: $500 in skins").

Bayonet

Bayonet – A classic knife type in CS2, distinct from the M9 Bayonet by its shorter blade and different animation. Popular finishes include Doppler, Fade, and Case Hardened.

Blue Gem

Blue Gem – A Case Hardened skin with exceptionally high blue coverage on visible surfaces. True Blue Gems command significant premiums (often 5x-500x base price) depending on pattern tier and knife type. See our Blue Gem Guide for complete tier rankings.

BUFF163

BUFF163 – The largest CS2 skin marketplace in China, known for competitive prices and low seller fees (2.5%). Often referenced as a pricing benchmark, especially for high-tier items.

Bulk Deal

Bulk Deal – A trade involving multiple lower-value items exchanged for one higher-value item (or vice versa). Buyers typically expect a discount (5-15%) when purchasing items in bulk.

Butterfly Knife

Butterfly Knife – A premium knife type featuring a unique flipping animation. Along with the Karambit, it's one of the most expensive knife types in CS2. Pattern #494 is the most desirable Blue Gem variant.

C

Case

Case – A container that can be opened with a key to receive a random CS2 skin. Each case contains a fixed pool of possible items with varying rarity tiers (Mil-Spec to Exceedingly Rare).

Case Hardened

Case Hardened – A weapon finish featuring a mix of blue, purple, gold, and gray colors. The pattern varies dramatically based on the pattern index, with high-blue patterns (Blue Gems) being extremely valuable.

Classified

Classified (Rarity) – The second-highest rarity tier for case drops, represented by a pink/magenta color. Classified skins have approximately a 3.2% unbox chance.

Collection

Collection – A themed group of skins released together, typically as map drops or operation rewards (e.g., Cobblestone Collection, Norse Collection). Not to be confused with cases.

Contraband

Contraband – The rarest item category in CS2, currently containing only the M4A4 | Howl. Contraband items were removed from drop rotation but remain tradeable, making them extremely valuable.

Covert

Covert (Rarity) – The highest standard rarity tier for weapon skins from cases, represented by red color. Covert skins have approximately a 0.64% unbox chance.

CSFloat

CSFloat – A popular third-party marketplace and browser extension for CS2 trading. Known for detailed item inspection, low fees (2%), and a P2P marketplace optimized for pattern-based items. Essential tool for checking float values and pattern seeds.

CS.MONEY

CS.MONEY – A long-established CS2 trading platform offering instant bot trades and a P2P marketplace. Known for accepting items with stickers and special patterns at premium valuations.

D

Doppler

Doppler – A knife finish featuring swirling patterns in various color schemes. Includes standard phases (P1, P2, P3, P4) and rare variants (Ruby, Sapphire, Black Pearl). See our Doppler Phase Guide for identification help.

Doppler Phase 1

Doppler Phase 1 – A Doppler variant featuring predominantly black and pink colors. Generally the least expensive standard Doppler phase.

Doppler Phase 2

Doppler Phase 2 – A Doppler variant with pink and purple dominant colors. Commands a 10-30% premium over Phase 1 due to the desirable "Max Pink" patterns.

Doppler Phase 3

Doppler Phase 3 – A Doppler variant featuring predominantly black and blue/green colors. Typically the darkest phase and least valuable of the standard phases.

Doppler Phase 4

Doppler Phase 4 – A Doppler variant with blue and black dominant colors. Commands a 5-20% premium over Phase 1, with "Max Blue" patterns being especially desirable.

Drop

Drop – An item received randomly after completing matches or leveling up. Drops include cases, graffiti, and collection skins. Weekly Care Package drops can include rare skins from special collections.

Dupe/Duped

Dupe/Duped – A duplicated item created through Steam support exploits (now patched). Historically, this referred to items restored by Steam support, creating two identical copies. While no longer possible with current Steam policies, legacy duped items still exist in circulation.

E

Exceedingly Rare

Exceedingly Rare – The rarity tier for knives and gloves from cases, represented by gold color. These have approximately a 0.26% combined unbox chance.

Expected Value (EV)

Expected Value (EV) – The statistical average return from opening a case, calculated by multiplying each possible outcome's value by its probability. Case EV is almost always negative (typically 40-60% of key cost), meaning opening cases is -EV in the long run.

Exterior

Exterior – Another term for wear condition (Factory New, Minimal Wear, etc.). Determines the visual quality and float range of a skin.

F

Fade

Fade – A weapon finish featuring a gradient from yellow to purple. The fade percentage determines value, with 100% fades commanding significant premiums. See our Fade Guide for pattern lists.

Fade Percentage

Fade Percentage – The amount of color gradient visible on Fade skins, calculated based on pattern index. Higher percentages (approaching 100%) are more valuable. The Karambit uses a unique 90/10, 90/5/5, 90/3/7 system instead.

Factory New (FN)

Factory New (FN) – The highest wear condition category, ranging from 0.00 to 0.07 float value. FN skins have minimal visible wear and command the highest prices.

Field-Tested (FT)

Field-Tested (FT) – The middle wear condition category, ranging from 0.15 to 0.38 float value. FT skins show moderate wear and typically cost 40-60% of FN prices.

Fire & Ice

Fire & Ice – A rare Marble Fade pattern variant featuring only red and blue colors with no yellow contamination. Organized into tiers (Max 1st through 10th) based on color purity. See our Fire & Ice Guide for identification.

Float Value

Float Value – A decimal number between 0.00 and 1.00 that determines the exact wear and visual condition of a skin within its wear category. Lower float values represent better condition. Check floats using inspect links on CSFloat or similar tools.

Flip Knife

Flip Knife – A compact knife type featuring a flipping animation. Generally mid-tier in pricing. Pattern #670 is considered the best Blue Gem variant.

G

Gloves

Gloves – Cosmetic hand coverings introduced in 2016. Like knives, gloves are Exceedingly Rare case drops and maintain high market values. Popular types include Sport Gloves, Driver Gloves, and Specialist Gloves.

Gold Pattern

Gold Pattern – A Case Hardened skin with high gold/yellow coverage. While less valuable than Blue Gems, certain collectors seek specific gold patterns (e.g., Flip Knife #731).

Gut Knife

Gut Knife – A budget-friendly knife type with a hook-shaped blade. Generally the least expensive knife for any given finish. Pattern #567 is the top Blue Gem.

H

High-Tier

High-Tier – Items valued at $500+, typically including premium knives (Karambit, Butterfly, M9), rare gloves, or exceptional weapon skins like the AWP Dragon Lore.

Howl

Howl – The M4A4 | Howl, the only Contraband weapon skin in CS2. Removed from drop pools due to copyright issues in 2014, making it extremely rare and valuable ($3,000+ for Factory New).

Huntsman Knife

Huntsman Knife – A large survival knife featuring a sawback blade. Mid-tier pricing. Pattern #618 is the preferred Blue Gem.

Hyperbeast

Hyperbeast – A popular sci-fi themed skin family designed by Brock Hofer, available for multiple weapons including the AWP, M4A1-S, and P90. Known for its vibrant orange and teal color scheme.

I

Inspect Link

Inspect Link – A Steam URL containing encoded data about a specific CS2 item including float value, pattern seed, and sticker information. Can be decoded using CSFloat or similar tools to reveal exact item details.

Inventory

Inventory – The collection of CS2 items owned by a player, viewable on their Steam profile (if set to public). Browse top player inventories on our Inventory Top 500 page.

Item Wear

Item Wear – Another term for the condition/exterior category of a skin (Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred).

K

Karambit

Karambit – The most iconic and generally most expensive knife in CS2, featuring a curved blade and distinctive animation. Pattern #387 (the "Hiko Pattern") is the most valuable Blue Gem in CS2, worth over $2 million in FN.

Key

Key – An item used to open cases, purchasable from Steam or third-party markets for ~$2.50. Historically used as a trading currency before trade restrictions made them less liquid.

Knife

Knife – A melee weapon skin category in CS2. Knives are Exceedingly Rare case drops (~0.26% chance) and maintain high values. 20+ different knife types exist with various finishes.

L

Listing

Listing – An item posted for sale on a marketplace at a specific price. Can be instant-sale (bot buys immediately) or P2P (peer-to-peer, waiting for buyer).

Low Float

Low Float – A skin with a float value near the bottom of its wear category range (e.g., 0.001 for Factory New). Low floats command premiums of 5-50% depending on the skin and float rarity.

Lowball

Lowball – An offer significantly below market value (typically 60-80% of fair price). Often considered disrespectful in trading communities unless explicitly marked as a lowball offer.

M

M4A4

M4A4 – One of the two CT-side rifles in CS2. Popular skins include the Howl (Contraband), Asiimov, and Temukau. Shares inventory space with the M4A1-S.

M4A1-S

M4A1-S – The suppressed CT-side rifle alternative to the M4A4. Popular skins include Hot Rod, Printstream, and Knight. Shares inventory space with the M4A4.

Market Price

Market Price – The current average selling price for an item across major marketplaces. SteamAnalyst aggregates prices from 13+ platforms to determine fair market value.

Marketplace

Marketplace – A platform for buying and selling CS2 skins. Major marketplaces include Steam Community Market, Skinport, CSFloat, Buff163, and DMarket. See our Marketplace Comparison Guide for detailed fee breakdowns.

Max Fade

Max Fade – The highest possible fade percentage for a given weapon, representing 100% fade coverage. Max fade patterns command significant premiums (20-100% over low fade).

Minimal Wear (MW)

Minimal Wear (MW) – The second-best wear condition category, ranging from 0.07 to 0.15 float value. MW skins typically cost 70-85% of FN prices with minimal visual difference.

Mil-Spec

Mil-Spec (Rarity) – The lowest rarity tier for case weapon skins, represented by light blue color. Mil-Spec skins have approximately a 79.9% unbox chance.

N

Nametag

Nametag – An item that allows players to give custom names to their weapons. Applied nametags generally add no market value but can be removed and resold.

Navaja Knife

Navaja Knife – A folding stiletto-style knife, typically the least expensive knife type for most finishes. Patterns #398, #407, and #838 are top Blue Gem variants.

Nomad Knife

Nomad Knife – A modern knife type added in the Horizon case. Mid-tier pricing. Pattern #888 is the preferred Blue Gem.

O

Offer

Offer – A proposed trade or purchase price for an item. Can be sent via Steam trade offers or negotiated on third-party platforms.

Operation

Operation – A limited-time CS2 event featuring missions, exclusive cases, and collection drops. Past operations include Shattered Web, Broken Fang, and Riptide.

Overpay

Overpay – Paying more than standard market value, often to acquire specific patterns, low floats, or stickered items that are difficult to find. Common when trading liquid items for illiquid specialty items.

P

Pattern

Pattern – The visual appearance variation on certain skins like Case Hardened, Fade, and Marble Fade, determined by the pattern index/seed. Can dramatically affect value (5x-500x) for desirable patterns.

Pattern Index/Template

Pattern Index/Template – A number from 0 to 999 that determines the specific pattern variation on applicable skins. Also called "pattern seed." Critical for valuing Blue Gems, Fades, and Fire & Ice Marble Fades.

Phase (Doppler)

Phase (Doppler) – The color variant of a Doppler knife: Phase 1 (pink/black), Phase 2 (pink/purple), Phase 3 (blue/green/black), Phase 4 (blue/black), Ruby (red), Sapphire (blue), or Black Pearl (purple/green iridescent).

Playskin

Playskin – A skin used for personal gameplay rather than investment or trading. Playskins are typically mid-tier items the owner intends to keep long-term.

Price Check (PC)

Price Check (PC) – A request to determine the fair market value of an item, typically for skins with special attributes (patterns, stickers, low floats) that don't have standard pricing.

Profit

Profit – The gain from a trade or flip after accounting for fees. Successful traders target 5-15% profit per trade on standard items, with higher margins possible on specialty patterns.

Q

Quicksell

Quicksell – An item listed below market value for fast sale, typically 80-90% of normal price. Common when sellers need immediate liquidity or are exiting the market.

QS Percentage

QS Percentage – The discount percentage for a quicksell listing (e.g., "85% QS" means 85% of market price). Lower percentages represent deeper discounts.

R

Rare Item

Rare Item – Generally refers to Covert or Exceedingly Rare tier items, though context may specify pattern-based rarity (e.g., "rare Blue Gem pattern").

Restricted

Restricted (Rarity) – The third rarity tier for case weapon skins, represented by purple color. Restricted skins have approximately a 15.8% unbox chance.

ROI

ROI – Return on Investment. The percentage gain (or loss) on a trade or investment, calculated as (Sale Price - Purchase Price) / Purchase Price × 100%. Professional traders target 20%+ annual ROI.

Ruby (Doppler)

Ruby (Doppler) – An extremely rare Doppler variant featuring 100% red coloring with no black. Commands a 10-20x premium over standard Doppler phases.

S

Sapphire (Doppler)

Sapphire (Doppler) – An extremely rare Doppler variant featuring 100% blue coloring with no black. Generally more valuable than Ruby, commanding a 15-30x premium over standard phases.

Seed (Pattern Seed)

Seed (Pattern Seed) – Alternative term for pattern index. The number (0-999) that determines pattern appearance on applicable skins.

Shadow Daggers

Shadow Daggers – A dual-wielding knife type. Generally lower-tier pricing. Pattern #56 is the top Blue Gem.

Shark/Sharking

Shark/Sharking – The unethical practice of intentionally misleading or taking advantage of uninformed traders, typically by offering far below market value for rare patterns without disclosing their true worth. Considered scamming in most trading communities.

Skinport

Skinport – A popular European CS2 marketplace known for bank transfer cashouts and competitive pricing. 12% seller fee, 0% buyer fee.

Souvenir

Souvenir – Special skin variants dropped during major CS2 tournaments, featuring gold tournament stickers. Souvenir skins cannot have StatTrak and may have different wear ranges than standard versions.

Stash

Stash – A trader's inventory of items held for investment or future trading. Large stashes may include hundreds of items across multiple accounts.

StatTrak

StatTrak™ – A special counter that tracks the number of kills made with a weapon, appearing on a small digital display on the gun model. StatTrak items are rarer than standard versions and typically cost 50-100% more.

Steam Market

Steam Market – The official Steam Community Market where CS2 items can be bought and sold for Steam Wallet funds. Features a 15% seller fee and $1,800 listing cap, making it non-ideal for high-value items.

Sticker

Sticker – A cosmetic decoration that can be applied to weapon skins. Certain stickers (especially Katowice 2014 holos) can add significant value to skins based on SP% calculations. See our Sticker Value Guide.

Sticker Price (SP%)

Sticker Price (SP%) – The percentage of a sticker's market value that adds to the base skin price when applied. Typically ranges from 0.5% for common stickers to 15% for Katowice 2014 holos, with position and sticker condition affecting the percentage.

Stiletto Knife

Stiletto Knife – A slender push-dagger style knife. Mid-tier pricing. Patterns #182 and #398 are preferred Blue Gems.

Swap

Swap – Trading one item for another of similar value, often used to change knife types or weapon skins while maintaining inventory value.

T

Trade

Trade – The exchange of CS2 items between users, either via direct Steam trade offers or through third-party marketplace systems.

Trade Ban

Trade Ban – A permanent or temporary restriction preventing items from being traded, typically applied as punishment for scamming, fraud, or violating Steam's terms of service.

Trade Hold

Trade Hold – A mandatory waiting period (typically 7-15 days) before items can be traded after being purchased or received. Implemented by Steam as a security measure. Can be bypassed by enabling Steam Mobile Authenticator for 7+ days.

Trade-up Contract

Trade-up Contract – An in-game feature that allows players to exchange 10 items of the same rarity for one item of the next higher rarity from the same collection/case. Used strategically for profit or obtaining specific skins.

Tradeit.gg

Tradeit.gg – A CS2 trading platform featuring instant bot trades, skin swapping, and a built-in upgrade/downgrade system.

Tradelock

Tradelock – Another term for trade hold. The period during which newly acquired items cannot be traded.

Trustpilot Rating

Trustpilot Rating – A third-party review score (out of 5 stars) used to assess marketplace reliability and customer service quality. Ratings above 4.0 generally indicate trustworthy platforms.

U

Unusual (Rarity)

Unusual (Rarity) – Alternative name for the Exceedingly Rare tier, used in some marketplaces. Applies to knives and gloves.

Ursus Knife

Ursus Knife – A bear claw-inspired knife design. Mid-tier pricing. Patterns #916 and #365 are top Blue Gems.

V

Value

Value – The market worth of an item, typically expressed in USD. Can vary significantly across marketplaces and for items with special attributes (patterns, floats, stickers).

Vanilla (Knife)

Vanilla (Knife) – A knife with no special finish, displaying the default texture. Despite being "default," vanilla knives still maintain high value due to their rarity as Exceedingly Rare drops.

Void Pattern

Void Pattern – Slang for undesirable Case Hardened patterns with excessive gray/rust coloring. The opposite of a Blue Gem, these patterns may sell below standard market price.

W

Wear

Wear – The condition category of a skin (Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred), determined by its float value range.

Wear Float

Wear Float – Alternative term for float value. The 0.00-1.00 decimal number determining exact skin condition.

Well-Worn (WW)

Well-Worn (WW) – The second-lowest wear condition category, ranging from 0.38 to 0.45 float value. WW skins typically cost 25-40% of FN prices.

Widget

Widget – A browser extension or embedded tool for viewing item details, prices, and float values. Examples include CSFloat Market Checker and Steam Inventory Helper.

<p>Source: <a href="https://www.steamanalyst.com/guides/trading-glossary" rel="nofollow">CS2 Trading Glossary</a> by SteamAnalyst – 80+ trading terms defined</p>

Last updated: February 2026. Terminology reflects current CS2 trading community conventions and market practices.