How to trade up in CS2: step by step

Updated 2026-09-25

Short answer: In CS2 open your inventory → Trade Up Contract, drag in 10 skins of the same rarity (all normal or all StatTrak™), and confirm. You receive 1 random skin of the next rarity from the collections of your inputs; its float comes from your input floats. Since October 2025, 5 Covert skins return a knife or gloves instead.

Step by step

1. Pick the skins. 10 of one rarity (Consumer → Covert are the input tiers; Covert needs only 5). Mixing normal and StatTrak™ is not allowed; mixing collections is.
2. Check the outcome first. Put the same skins in the trade up calculator: it shows every possible result, its exact chance, output float and today’s price, plus expected value and chance of profit.
3. Open the contract in game. Inventory → Trade Up Contract (bottom right) → drag skins into the 10 slots (5 for Covert).
4. Read the preview. The game lists the possible outcomes but not the odds or float – that is what the calculator adds.
5. Confirm. The inputs are destroyed and the result appears in your inventory immediately.

How the odds work

Example: 7 inputs from a collection with 2 next-rarity skins → 35% each; 3 inputs from a collection with 5 → 6% each. Price, float and StatTrak™ never change the odds.

How the float works

Normalised = (float − skin min) ÷ (skin max − skin min). Low-float inputs give a low-float, better-looking result – see the float guide for the exact number you need for Factory New.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using inputs from a collection that has no next-rarity skin – that share of the contract is wasted (the calculator warns you).
• Ignoring marketplace fees – set the fee of the market where you sell; Steam takes ~13%.
• Trusting “all FN inputs = FN result” – it depends on the output skin’s range.
• Trade-locked skins: a skin with a trade hold can still be used, but the result inherits the remaining hold.