A Beginner’s Guide to CS2 Trade-Up Сontracts

Whether you have just purchased some low float skins from white.market and want to create a profitable trade-up contract, or if you just want new play skins, it helps to understand the basics. This guide covers how trade-up contracts work, common mistakes to avoid, and how to profit when you use an accurate calculator.

What is a trade-up contract?

A trade-up contract lets you exchange 10 skins of the same rarity for one skin from the tier above. The outcome that you receive will always be randomly selected from one of the collections your inputs belong to. Since the October 2025 update, you can also trade up 5 Covert skins for a knife or gloves from that same collection. However, there are some items which cannot be used as inputs:

• Agents, stickers, cases, capsules, souvenir skins

• Items that are the highest rarity in their collection, such as the AWP | Dragon Lore

• All knives, all gloves

Every input must be either StatTrak or non-StatTrak, and all items in your contract must be of the same rarity.

Rarity tiers and basic rules

The table below shows how many inputs you need and what you get for each tier.

How the float formula works

Every skin has a float value between 0 and 1 that sets its wear. When you submit a trade-up, the game averages your input floats and maps that average onto the outcome skin’s possible float range (its min to max), which determines the wear you get. This is why using low float inputs for a given condition is so important: a lower average input float can improve your possible outcome conditions and increase profitability.

Formula: Output Float = (Average Input Float × (Max − Min)) + Min

• Average Input Float: Your 10 (or 5 for knife/glove) input floats, averaged.

• Min and Max: The lowest and highest float the outcome skin can have, acting as float caps.

Use a calculator like CSDelta to run the numbers and see possible outcomes and profitability. You can add items from your inventory to check skins you already own.

How outcome probability works

The outcome you receive is random, but your inputs set the odds. Every skin belongs to a collection, and each has a fixed list of possible outcomes at the next tier.

The more inputs from a given collection, the higher the chance the result comes from it. Within that collection, every outcome has equal odds. For example, if all 10 inputs are from the same collection and it has 4 possible outcomes, you have a 25% chance for each. Using inputs from several collections spreads the result across more possible outcomes, so each one has a lower probability.

How to find profitable trade-ups

A trade-up is profitable when the combined value of the possible outcomes, after fees, is higher than what you pay for the inputs. Getting the right floats at the right prices matters, and although guaranteed-profit setups do exist, trade-ups are inherently risky: you can lose money on a single contract even when a trade-up is profitable on average. Moreover, it can take time to accumulate the floats at good prices, but with patience and the right average floats, you can still turn a profit.

A site like CSDelta can help you find profitable trade-ups through their scanner or trade-up database.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Stickers and charms. Any stickers or charms on a skin are not transferred in a trade-up; you only receive the base skin. Do not use skins with expensive sticker or charm crafts unless you are okay losing that value.

• Float. Ignoring the formula or the outcome’s min/max range can result in worse wear than you expected. Use the formula or a calculator.

• Overpaying. Paying too much for inputs hurts profitability and can turn an otherwise profitable trade-up into a loss if total input cost is too high.

• Fees. A 13% Steam fee (or whatever your marketplace charges) can turn a “profitable” trade-up into a loss. Always run numbers after fees.

• Trade Protection. Items from peer-to-peer trades cannot be used in trade-ups for 7 days.

Conclusion

This guide covered the basics on how contracts work, the float formula, outcome probability, and how using a calculator can help you find profitable trade-ups. Run the numbers first and factor in fees so that you can find the best trade-ups for your risk tolerance.

FAQ

Can I use skins I bought on white.market in trade-up contracts?

Yes. Once they are in your Steam inventory and any trade hold or protection has ended, they follow the same rules as any other skin.

Do I need 10 or 5 skins for a knife?

For a knife or gloves you need 5 Covert skins. The 10-skin rule is for weapon-to-weapon trade-ups.

Are high-float skins always bad?

No. Some skins such as the AWP | Asiimov (Battle-Scarred) are worth more in higher wear. Check what wear range is desirable for your target skin.

Why can I not use Souvenir skins?

Valve’s trade-up system only accepts regular and StatTrak weapon skins. Souvenirs, knives, gloves, cases, agents, and graffiti are ineligible.