CS2 Fade Percentage Explained

By the P2Trades editorial teamLast updated August 9, 2026prices refresh daily

Ask two traders what a Karambit | Fade is worth and the first thing they will ask back is "what percentage?". Fade is a gradient finish, and how far that gradient runs across the blade is decided by the item's hidden pattern index. That single number, invisible in Steam, can move the price by hundreds of dollars on an item whose market name never changes.

What the percentage measures

The Fade finish paints a gradient — typically running from yellow through orange into pink and purple — starting at one end of the weapon. The pattern index decides how far along the model that gradient travels. Traders express this as a percentage:

100% fade — the gradient covers the full blade. The most sought after and the most expensive.
Mid-range fades — the gradient stops short, leaving more of the starting colour. Perfectly attractive, noticeably cheaper.
Low fades — least gradient coverage; the cheapest examples of the same skin.

Two details trip people up. First, the percentage scale is notthe same on every weapon: each model has its own minimum, so "90%" on one knife is not visually equivalent to "90%" on another. Second, on some weapons the community values a specific look rather than the maximum number — a fade with more pink and purple on the visible side can be worth more than a technically higher percentage that hides its colour where nobody sees it.

Fade percentage vs float — they are not the same thing

This is the most common confusion, and it costs people money. Float value is wear: scratches and fading of the finish, mapping to Factory New through Battle-Scarred. Fade percentage is pattern: where the gradient sits. They are independent numbers set at the moment the item is created, and neither changes with use.

In practice that means a Factory New Fade can have a mediocre percentage, and a Minimal Wear one can be a full fade. If you are comparing two Fades, you need both numbers — the wear name alone tells you less than half the story.

How to check a fade before trading

Ask for the inspect link.The percentage is derived from the pattern index, and the pattern index comes from the item itself — not from a screenshot, and not from the seller's description.
Run it through a fade calculator. Pattern tools convert the index into a percentage for that specific weapon. Use the number as a starting point, then look at the item.
Judge the visible side. Two items with the same percentage can look different depending on where the colour falls. Trust your eyes over the number when they disagree.
Re-verify inside the Steam trade window. Fades are a classic quick-switch target: the inventory icon is identical for every percentage. Same rule as always — check the item in the offer you are about to confirm, as covered in our scam prevention guide.

Every Fade skin in CS2 and what it costs

The gradient runs differently on every model — a Fade on a curved Karambit blade reads nothing like one on a Glock slide. The gallery below shows each weapon that carries the finish, so you can see how the yellow-to-purple run lands on the shape before you go hunting for a percentage. These are the standard market images; the exact percentage varies item by item and only the inspect link tells you which one you are looking at.

Prices are for ordinary examples, refreshed daily. A full fade of the same item sits above this range, and how far above is a matter of negotiation rather than any published index.

CS2 Glock-18 Fade — Fade — current market prices

CS2 Butterfly Knife Fade — Fade — current market prices

Is a high percentage worth paying for?

It depends entirely on why you are buying. If you want the item for yourself, buy the one that looks best to you — the gap between a 95% and a 100% fade is often invisible in a match and very visible on the price tag. If you are trading to hold value, the higher percentage is easier to sell later precisely because buyers ask for the number first.

What you should not do is pay a full-fade premium without verifying the pattern. That premium exists only as long as the number is real, and the number takes thirty seconds to check.

Ready to look? Browse live listings or see the most expensive CS2 skins to understand where Fades sit in the wider market.