Two Field-Tested rifles can sit $40 apart and look the same in a thumbnail. The difference is usually the float. This is the number under the wear label, why shops care, and how to read it before you buy.
What float is
Every CS2 skin has a float between 0.00 and 1.00. It is rolled when the item is created. It does not change when you play. It does not wash off. Wear names are just buckets on top of that number.
The five wears
- Factory New (FN): 0.00–0.07
- Minimal Wear (MW): 0.07–0.15
- Field-Tested (FT): 0.15–0.38
- Well-Worn (WW): 0.38–0.45
- Battle-Scarred (BS): 0.45–1.00
A 0.16 FT and a 0.37 FT share a name and not a look. The market prices the number, not the badge.
Why money follows the float
Low float in a wear = cleaner playside, closer to the wear above. High float = closer to the wear below. People pay extra for “FN-look MW” (0.07x) and “MW-look FT” (0.15x). They pay less for the dirty end of the same label.
Some finishes ignore this. A busy camo hides scratches. A clean Doppler, a fade, a polished playside — those live and die on float and pattern. If you cannot see the wear in-game, do not pay a low-float premium.
How to read it in ten seconds
- Inspect the listing. No float, no deal unless the skin is cheap junk.
- Put the number on the range above. 0.08 is early MW. 0.14 is late MW. Same word, different item.
- Open two or three other asks in that wear. If everything else is 0.10–0.12 and this one is 0.149, the “cheap” price is the dirty end, not a gift.
- Pattern skins (Doppler, Fade, Case Hardened, marble): float plus pattern. Float alone is half the homework.
What float is not
- Not rarity by itself. A 0.00xx factory new of a common rifle is still a common rifle.
- Not a guarantee it goes up. The cap can be red while your 0.01 sits still.
- Not a reason to ignore fees. A 3% “low float” bump dies in Steam tax.
A simple pass
You want a Field-Tested AK. Mid-book asks are 0.18–0.22. One listing is 15% cheaper at 0.36. That is not a sale. That is the ugly half of FT priced like WW. Buy the 0.18 if you care how it looks. Buy the 0.36 if you only care that the name says Field-Tested.
Where this sits on AFMetrics
The daily Market post is the book: cap, 24h, 7d, 30d, buckets. This page is one line in your inventory. Do both. Do not confuse a clean float with a green tape.
Not financial advice. Ranges are the standard CS wear brackets. Method: AFMetrics.
