If you’ve ever wondered why two copies of the same skin cost different amounts, wear is the answer. CS2 assigns every skin one of five wear conditions: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, and Battle-Scarred, and that condition affects both how the skin looks and what it costs. This guide covers what each condition means, how each one looks, and which wear gives you the best value. If you want the full breakdown of float numbers and how they’re calculated, the CS2 float values guide covers that in detail. If you’re new to skins entirely, start with what CS2 skins are before reading on.
CS2 wear levels at a glance
Here’s a quick reference for all five conditions before we go deeper into each one.
| Wear | Abbreviation | Float range | Typical look | Value tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory New | FN | 0.00–0.07 | Clean, no visible wear | Worth it on finishes that show wear clearly; skip it on Patina and Gunsmith |
| Minimal Wear | MW | 0.07–0.15 | Near-pristine, barely any wear | Low-float MW can look identical to FN at a lower price |
| Field-Tested | FT | 0.15–0.38 | Visible wear on some finishes; varies widely | Best all-round value tier for most skins |
| Well-Worn | WW | 0.38–0.45 | Clearly worn | Rarely worth buying unless the aesthetic fits |
| Battle-Scarred | BS | 0.45–1.00 | Heavy wear throughout | Cheapest tier; some skins genuinely suit the look |
Factory New (FN)
Factory New covers floats from 0.00 to 0.07. On finishes where wear shows up clearly, Custom Paint Job and Hydrographic finishes, for example, FN is the cleanest possible version of a skin. No scratches, no fading, no visible degradation.
On Gunsmith and Patina finishes, wear barely registers visually regardless of float. Paying the FN premium on those finish types means paying for a number, not a look. Check the finish type before you decide FN is worth it.
Who should buy FN: Players who want the cleanest look on a finish that actually shows wear, and collectors who care about condition for its own sake.
Minimal Wear (MW)
Minimal Wear runs from 0.07 to 0.15. The wear is barely perceptible on most skins, and a low-float MW, anything under around 0.09, is often visually indistinguishable from Factory New. Traders sometimes call this the “FN-look” sweet spot.
MW is consistently one of the strongest value positions in the market. You get nearly the same appearance as FN, usually at a meaningfully lower price. The gap varies by skin, but it’s worth checking before you pay the full FN premium.
Who should buy MW: Anyone who wants a clean-looking skin without paying the top-of-market FN price. Aim for a float under 0.09 if you want the look to match FN closely.
Field-Tested (FT)
Field-Tested covers floats from 0.15 to 0.38. FT stands for Field-Tested, it’s the most common condition you’ll see listed, and the standard buying tier for a wide range of mid-to-high-priced skins.
The FT range is wide, which matters. A 0.16 FT and a 0.37 FT of the same skin can look completely different. On finishes where wear shows clearly, the float within the FT range is the real spec you’re buying, the condition label alone doesn’t tell you enough.
Who should buy FT: Most players. FT offers the best balance of price and appearance across the majority of skins. If you’re shopping on a budget, low-float FT copies often look close to MW at a noticeably lower price.
Well-Worn (WW)
Well-Worn runs from 0.38 to 0.45. The wear is clearly visible, and the price reflects that, WW sits just above Battle-Scarred as the second-cheapest condition. The float range is narrow, so there isn’t much variation within the tier.
WW rarely makes sense as a deliberate choice unless the worn aesthetic genuinely suits the skin’s design. It’s too worn to look clean, but not cheap enough to be a pure budget pick in the way BS is.
Who should buy WW: Players on a tight budget who want a specific skin and don’t mind the worn look, or anyone who thinks the beat-up aesthetic works for a particular finish.
Battle-Scarred (BS)
Battle-Scarred covers floats from 0.45 to 1.00. It’s the cheapest condition overall and shows the most wear. On many skins, the finish is heavily faded or scratched across most of the surface.
That said, a specific group of skins have genuine collector interest at BS because the worn look is part of the appeal rather than a drawback. Some dark or industrial-themed finishes can actually look better with heavy wear, the grit adds character rather than detracting from it. BS is also worth considering if you’re buying purely on budget and the skin’s finish doesn’t degrade badly.
Who should buy BS: Budget buyers, and players who specifically want a skin where the heavily worn finish looks intentional rather than damaged.
Best wear for value
Wear condition affects price in a predictable direction, FN costs the most, BS costs the least, but the gap between conditions varies a lot depending on the skin and its finish type. Here’s where the value tends to sit.
Low-float FT is the most reliable value position across the market. A float in the 0.15–0.20 range puts you at the clean end of Field-Tested, where the skin still looks good and the price is lower than MW. For most players buying best skins under $10 or working through a mid-range budget, FT is where the money goes furthest.
Low-float MW is the right call when you want a clean look without paying FN prices. A float under 0.09 in the MW range will often be visually identical to FN on most finishes. If you’re spending more on a premium skin, checking whether a low MW undercuts the FN price is always worth doing, it frequently does. For skins in the mid-to-high price bracket, browsing best skins under $50 by wear can surface some strong MW options.
Patina and Gunsmith finishes are a special case. Wear barely shows on these finish types regardless of float, so the FN premium is rarely justified. FT or even WW copies of Patina and Gunsmith skins often look identical to FN in practice. Save the money.
BS on the right skin can still look good. Dark, gritty, or industrial-themed finishes sometimes carry heavy wear without looking damaged. If the finish suits it, BS is a cheap way to get a skin you actually want to use.
On Skinvault you can check the exact float and wear on every listing before you buy, so you pick the look you want at the right price rather than guessing from a condition label alone.
Wear vs float: what’s the difference?
Wear condition is the label, Factory New, Field-Tested, and so on. Float is the number behind it, running from 0.00 to 1.00, that determines exactly where within a condition a skin sits and how it actually looks. Two skins can share the same wear condition and look noticeably different because their floats are at opposite ends of the range.
Float also has caps per skin. Not every skin can reach FN or BS, some have minimum or maximum float values that lock them out of certain conditions entirely. For the full explanation of how float is calculated, what float caps mean in practice, and how float affects Trade-Up Contracts, read the CS2 float values guide.
It’s also worth knowing that souvenir skins follow the same wear system, though they come with their own set of rules around how they’re obtained and what makes them valuable.
If you have skins sitting in your inventory at a wear you’re not happy with, you can trade unwanted skins for a better wear instantly using Skinvault’s trade bots.
