CS2 Pattern Index Explained
Alongside its float, every CS2 skin carries a second hidden number: the pattern index, also called the paint seed. It is an integer from 0 to 1000, assigned when the item is created, and it decides how the finish is positioned on the weapon model. Steam never shows it. On the right finish, it is worth more than everything else about the item combined.
What the number actually does
Most CS2 finishes are not painted directly onto the model — they are a texture laid over it. The pattern index sets where that texture lands: its rotation, its offset, which part of the source image ends up on the visible face of the weapon.
For a finish with a uniform texture, moving it around changes nothing you would notice. That is why the pattern index is irrelevant on most skins. But when the source texture has distinctive regions — a colour gradient, a metallic vein, a web, a splash of a second colour — then where it lands is the entire look of the item.
The finishes where it matters
- Case Hardened— the source texture is a mottled blue-and-gold case hardening effect. Patterns that put a large unbroken blue area on the visible face are the famous "blue gems", and specific seeds are catalogued and chased. Full detail in our Case Hardened guide.
- Fade — a gradient whose travel across the model is set by the seed, expressed by traders as a percentage. See the fade percentage guide.
- Marble Fade— red, blue and yellow arranged differently per seed. The sought-after arrangements have names: "Fire and Ice" puts red and blue adjacent with minimal yellow on the visible side, and ranks by how clean that placement is.
- Doppler and Gamma Doppler — here the seed decides the phase itself, which is a step beyond cosmetic placement. Ruby, Sapphire, Black Pearl and Emerald are all pattern outcomes hiding under an identical market name. Our Doppler phases guide covers the price gaps, which routinely run several times over.
- Crimson Web — the web texture is positioned by seed. Items with a full, centred web on the main face carry a substantial premium over ones where the webs fall on the grip or off-model.
- Slaughter — the splatter arrangement varies; certain seeds produce recognisable shapes traders name and price separately.
- Ultraviolet, Freehand, Tiger Tooth and similar — mild variation. Worth checking, rarely worth a large premium.
Pattern index and float are independent
This trips up almost everyone once. The float value is wear — how scratched the finish looks. The pattern index is placement. They are rolled separately and neither constrains the other.
So a Factory New item can have a completely unremarkable pattern, and a Field-Tested one can be a top-tier seed. When two people are comparing the same skin in the same wear and one is worth ten times the other, the pattern is usually the reason. Never price a pattern-dependent finish off the wear name alone.
How to check a pattern before trading
- Get the inspect link.The seed is encoded in the item data, which means it comes from the item — not a screenshot, not the other trader's word. See our inspect link guide for how to read one.
- Look the seed up. Community pattern databases catalogue the notable seeds per finish and per weapon. The same seed number looks different on different weapons, so always check against the exact model.
- Then look at the item. Databases rank patterns by consensus, not by your taste. If the tier says one thing and your eyes say another, buy what you like — you are the one who will be looking at it.
- Re-verify inside the trade window. Pattern-dependent skins are the single most common quick-switch target, because every seed shares one inventory icon. Confirm the item in the offer you are about to accept, exactly as described in our scam prevention guide.
Should you pay a pattern premium?
If you are buying to keep: only for a look you genuinely want. Pattern premiums are the most subjective pricing in the game, and paying a large one for a distinction you cannot see in a match is a bad trade for you specifically.
If you are buying to hold value: notable patterns are more liquid at the top end and far less liquid in the middle. A recognised tier-one blue gem has a queue of buyers; a "pretty good" seed has one buyer at a time and no agreed price. Factor that into what you pay.
Browse live listings — float and item data are shown directly on each one, so you can check before you ask.