CS2 Skin Rarity Tiers
Every CS2 weapon skin sits on a fixed rarity scale, color-coded from white through red — and knives and gloves sit outside that scale entirely, in their own gold-bordered category. This page covers the full tier list and how trade-ups use it.
Updated September 16, 2026
The rarity scale
| Rarity | Color | Relative frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Grade | White / gray | Most common |
| Industrial Grade | Light blue | Common |
| Mil-Spec Grade | Blue | Common |
| Restricted | Purple | Uncommon |
| Classified | Pink | Rare |
| Covert | Red | Rarest of the standard weapon-skin tiers |
| ★ Knives / Gloves | Gold | Rarest overall — a separate special-item category, not part of the Consumer-through-Covert scale |
This is the standard ordering used across CS2’s case system for weapon skins. Odds are weighted heavily toward the lower tiers — Covert-tier and knife/glove pulls are intentionally rare outcomes, which is central to how case pricing and expected value work (see the case opening EV explanation for the math).
Trade-up contracts and rarity
A trade-up contract consumes ten skins of the same rarity tier (and, depending on the specific contract rules, matching StatTrak™ status) and produces one random skin from the next tier up, drawn from the possible outcomes tied to the collections you used. It’s a way to climb the rarity scale deliberately rather than relying on a direct case pull, though the “cost” is committing ten items for one uncertain return — treat it as a probability trade, not a guaranteed upgrade in value.
Rarity isn’t the only price driver
While rarity broadly correlates with price, it isn’t the only factor — float value (see the float values guide), pattern or phase (see the Doppler guide for knife-specific variants), and simple market demand for a specific skin’s look can all outweigh rarity tier alone when it comes to actual resale value.
FAQ
What's the full rarity order from lowest to highest?
Consumer Grade (white/gray), Industrial Grade (light blue), Mil-Spec Grade (blue), Restricted (purple), Classified (pink), Covert (red) — that's the standard scale most weapon skins fall on, from a given case's item pool.
Where do knives and gloves fit on this scale?
They don't sit on the Consumer-through-Covert scale at all — knives and gloves (marked with a ★ star in their name) have their own gold-bordered rarity tier, reflecting their status as a case's rare 'special item' pull rather than a regular weapon skin drop.
Does a case guarantee one item from each rarity tier?
No — a case's odds are weighted so lower tiers (Consumer, Industrial, Mil-Spec) are far more common pulls than higher tiers (Classified, Covert), and the ★ knife/glove pull is the rarest outcome in a typical case by a wide margin. Exact published odds per tier aren't something we restate here since Valve's own official odds disclosure is the accurate source.
How does rarity relate to trade-up contracts?
A trade-up contract takes ten skins of the same rarity tier and produces one skin of the next tier up, chosen randomly from that next tier's possible outcomes for the collections involved. It's a way to work up the rarity scale without directly buying or unboxing a higher tier, though it requires committing ten items to get one back.
Does higher rarity always mean higher price?
Generally yes as a broad pattern (Covert skins tend to cost more than Consumer Grade skins of the same case), but float value, pattern/phase, and specific skin popularity can outweigh rarity tier alone — a well-patterned Restricted-tier skin can sell for more than a plain Covert-tier one in the same case, depending on demand.
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