CS2 Trade Up Contract inputs and outputs
| Contract type | Required inputs | Possible result | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard finish trade-up | 10 eligible weapon finishes of one grade | One finish from the next higher grade, chosen from collections represented in the inputs | All inputs must be the same grade and all regular or all StatTrak™; collection must have an eligible next-grade result |
| Regular Covert special trade-up | 5 regular Covert weapon finishes | One regular Knife or Gloves item from a collection represented in the inputs | Do not mix with StatTrak™ inputs; result is selected from the eligible input collections |
| StatTrak™ Covert special trade-up | 5 StatTrak™ Covert weapon finishes | One StatTrak™ Knife from a collection represented in the inputs | All five inputs must be StatTrak™ Covert |
The standard ten-item contract
A standard Trade Up Contract consumes ten eligible weapon finishes of identical grade and returns one finish at the next higher grade. Inputs can come from different collections as long as they share the required grade and each represented collection has an eligible higher-grade outcome. The resulting finish is chosen from the collection set represented by the inputs; the contract does not let the player name or guarantee one specific output.
The contract is an inventory action rather than a match action. Open it from the CS2 Inventory, choose eligible items and inspect the resulting outcome preview before submitting. The final confirmation consumes the ten inputs. There is no undo that restores the submitted items if the outcome is not the finish the player wanted. Avoid treating a contract as a guaranteed upgrade in market value: the result depends on the eligible pool and its item condition as well as the changing prices of the inputs and output.
Grades, collections and eligible inputs
Weapon finish grades progress from Industrial Grade to Mil-Spec, Restricted, Classified and Covert. A standard trade-up advances by one grade. The selected input collections determine which higher-grade finish families are eligible to appear, so collection mix matters. If a collection has no next-grade weapon finish available, an item from that collection cannot provide a valid standard trade-up path by itself. The CS2 contract interface indicates whether a finish is eligible and shows the possible result range.
Knives and Gloves are not standard ten-item finish inputs, and Contraband items are excluded. The rule is about eligible weapon finishes rather than every object in a player’s inventory. Capsules, cases, stickers, charms, agents and Souvenir Packages are not substitutes for weapon-skin inputs. See Weapon Skins, Collections and Inventory for the item categories.
Mixed collections and possible outcomes
A contract can include finishes from more than one collection. The output then comes from an eligible higher-grade pool connected to the input collections. The exact distribution can depend on the input composition and available outcomes; do not assume every visible result has an equal chance or that dividing inputs by collection gives a confirmed probability. The preview identifies possible outcomes, but it may not provide a complete public probability breakdown.
For that reason, check the collections and output list before signing. If several collections are represented, count how many inputs come from each collection and consider that the result is not a player-selected finish. The input list, eligible next grade and in-game preview are more reliable than an online calculator that assumes an unverified weighting formula. A contract cannot make a result from a collection that is not represented by its eligible inputs.
StatTrak™ contracts
Regular and StatTrak™ weapon finishes cannot be mixed within one standard contract. All ten inputs must be from the same StatTrak status, in addition to sharing the same grade. The resulting finish follows the applicable StatTrak category where an eligible StatTrak outcome exists. Verify the preview rather than assuming every collection has a matching StatTrak result at the next grade.
The special Covert trade-up has its own StatTrak rule. Since October 22, 2025, five StatTrak™ Covert finishes can be exchanged for one StatTrak™ Knife from a collection represented by those inputs. Five regular Covert finishes can instead produce one regular Knife or one regular Gloves item. These special contracts have different input counts and outputs from the ordinary ten-item weapon-finish trade-up.
Calculating the output finish condition
For a standard finish output, the resulting float is derived from the average float of the input items and the minimum and maximum float range of the selected output finish. A commonly used relationship is: output float = average input float × (output maximum float − output minimum float) + output minimum float. Here, average input float is the mean of the ten submitted floats, while the minimum and maximum refer to the particular output finish’s allowed range.
This means the same set of input floats can produce different visible wear on different possible output finishes because their float ranges may differ. Inputs with lower average floats generally lower the output float within the selected finish’s range, but the output cannot go below that finish’s minimum or above its maximum. The wear label—such as Factory New or Field-Tested—is assigned from the output float using the finish’s allowed range. Do not use a generic calculator result without checking each possible output’s caps and current CS2 item data.
Deciding whether to submit
Before confirming a contract, inspect all ten or five inputs, their grades, StatTrak status, collection membership, floats and current value. Then review every possible outcome in the contract screen. The contract consumes all submitted items even when the player receives an unexpected or less desirable result. Consider whether the same items are more useful as owned inventory, for another contract or for a different purpose.
Trade Up Contracts connect item grades and collections, but they do not promise profit or a rare result. Market prices change, and a possible output list is not a probability guarantee. The decision is a conversion with uncertain result selection. Weapon Cases use a separate container process; Trade Up Contract is an inventory conversion using items the player already owns.
CS2 history and version scope
The contract dates to the Arms Deal era of Counter-Strike, but this page describes current CS2 eligibility and outputs. On October 22, 2025, Valve expanded the contract to allow five Covert inputs to produce special items: regular Covert inputs can yield one Knife or Gloves item, while StatTrak™ Covert inputs can yield one StatTrak™ Knife. This dated addition does not change the ten-item rule for standard grade-to-grade finish contracts.
Earlier descriptions may refer only to ten weapon finishes and omit the later Covert special trades. The CS2 contract interface and dated patch notes determine the applicable contract type. Collection outcomes, item conditions and market values vary with the submitted items and current catalogue. The Wiki “Trade Up Contract” page covers multiple Counter-Strike versions; older interface screens and edition-only details are not presented as current CS2 rules.
May 21, 2026 IEM Cologne Major update
A May 21, 2026 CS2 update allowed Souvenir-quality items to be selected in a Trade Up Contract alongside normal-quality items. When a Souvenir item was exchanged, its Souvenir attributes were removed. The contract then produced one normal item of a quality one grade higher, drawn from the collections represented by the items selected for exchange.
This means a Souvenir input does not preserve its gold team, autograph and map sticker attributes in the output. The result is a normal-quality item, not a higher-grade Souvenir. The patch does not create a separate Souvenir-only contract or exempt these inputs from the contract’s collection and quality rules. See Souvenir and Collections.
Trade Up Contract interface in the Limited Test (March 24, 2023)
The March 24, 2023 update removed the Trade Up Contract interface for the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test. This records a test-build interface limitation on that date; it does not say that the contract system was removed from later CS2 builds or change the contract’s item-selection rules.