Everything You Need to Know About CS:GO Trade Up Contract

It is commonly believed that Skin Trade Up Contracts in CSGO are structured in such a way that the player is bound to lose. After all, it’s a form of investment, and just like investing in the stock market, it comes with some inherent risks. However, there are some clever ways to improve your chances. First of all, you need to understand what it is all about. Luckily, this article will help you do just that. So sit back and relax, because we’re about to tell you everything you need to know about CSGO Trade Up Contracts.

What Is a CSGO Trade Up Contract?

First of all, it’s worth clarifying what CSGO Trade Up Contracts are all about.

Skin Trading Contracts are a feature that the game offers to players. It gives them a chance to exchange their old, forgotten weapon skins for new (and hopefully better) items. All one has to do is collect ten identical quality skins from the same rarity grade, and then enter them into a Trade Up Contract. After that, the game will exchange them for one higher-quality skin. Sounds pretty simple, right? Unfortunately, in practice, it is a tad more difficult.

It is important to note that the algorithms that govern Trade Up Contracts are not transparent, therefore the results cannot be 100% predicted. In addition, players must be aware of the fact that various factors affect the outcome. Namely:

• Float Values
• Rarity
• Belonging to a collection
• Presence of StatTrack

Each of them has a big impact on the potential outcome skin, and it’s easy to overlook something, especially if you’re just getting started with Trade Ups.

Now we will do a quick overview of each factor that characterizes the different CSGO skins. However, if you want to know more, here is a full guide to Counter Strike skins, which explains everything in great detail.

What Is the Skin Float Value?

The skin float value is the main determinant of the skin’s wear rating. It is represented by a number that varies between 0.00 and 1.00. Based on what the float value of a particular weapon skin is, we can tell which level of skin wear it falls into. Here’s a list that contains every CSGO weapon skin condition:

• Battle-Scarred
• Field-Tested
• Well-Worn
• Minimal Wear
• Factory New

What Is the Skin Rarity Grade?

Each weapon skin in CS:GO is assigned a quality grade, which indicates the probability of its drop (aka its rarity) and its potential value. There are currently seven quality grades in CS:GO (there used to be eight, but the Contraband Gradewas discontinued). In case you’re not familiar with them, here’s a quick overview of all CSGO skin quality levels, from lowest to highest:

• Consumer
• Industrial
• Mil-Spec
• Restricted
• Classified
• Covert
• Gold

However, Gold skins only apply to knives and gloves, which are excluded from Contracts. Consumer Grade skins are also impossible to get as your potential Trade Up outcome.

What Are Skin Collections?

A collection is basically a skin grouping system. It’s a compilation of items that usually share some common characteristics e.g., recurring themes or names that refer to a specific thing (or sometimes are just put together completely at random). Collections may reference an existing CSGO map ( e.g., the Italy Collection) or an upcoming CS:GO event, such as the next Majors.

What Are StatTrak Skins?

StatTrak skins were first added to CS:GO with the Arms Deal update. What sets them apart from other items is that they have a counter that records the number of kills a player has scored since purchasing the skin. It is displayed in the form of an orange LED number attached to the weapon. In addition, StatTrak skins are usually much more expensive than the regular variant of a given item. Due to their special in-game status, they they can only be found by opening Weapon Cases.

Why Is the Problem With Trade Ups?

The main problem with Trade Ups is that you never know what the final outcome will be. It is obvious that the skin resulting from the exchange will be of the next highest grade tier, but what if it is of low float value? What if you exchange ten Factory New items for a Field-Tested skin?

As we mentioned earlier, it all depends on the output skins. Valve officially states that the float value of 10 input skins you use to make a contract determines the value of the output skin. However, the algorithms that perform these calculations are complicated, and on top of that, they are not available anywhere. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to estimate (at least on your own) what kind of item you will get as a result of a Trade Up Contract.

Fortunately, Trade Up Calculators can do that for you.

What Is a Trade Up Calculator?

There are several Trade Up calculators available on the Internet and they all work on a similar principle.

The player enters the skins he or she intends to use to enter a contract. Then, the system calculates the possible outcomesof that particular transaction, as well as the average float value which is a key factor if you want to get a skin that is in good condition. Additionally, the device will usually also show the cost of each weapon skin as well as its odds of making a profit.

What Is the Calculator Based On?

The CSGO Trade Up calculator works on the basis of one of two theories, “old” and “new.” The old one is calculated according to the ingredients of a trade, while the new one, which is now widely considered more reliable, makes calculations based on past Trade Up outcomes. The calculations performed by the calculator are quite complex, however, they are available online. We recommend familiarizing yourself with their basics in order to better understand how the tool works.

How to Make Profitable Contracts with the Trade Up Calculator?

The obvious advantage of the Trade Up Calculator is that it fully automates the process of predicting the outcome of a trade, and thus speeds it up. On top of that, thanks to these online tools, we don’t need to own a particular weapon skin to find out whether the Trade Up Contract involving it will be profitable. The best approach is to enter numerous combinations of skins (don’t be afraid to use different collections) into the calculator and thus check in real time which ones are worth investing in.

It’s worth noting that many calculators provide the option to save and track the Trade Ups you want to keep an eye on. This feature allows players to analyze statistics in real-time and put their money at the best possible moment, which is key when it comes to making a profit. Keep in mind that values in the Steam Marketplace fluctuate, which means that Trade Ups that have great potential today may be doomed to failure tomorrow. Investments require patience.

Is CS:GO Trade Up Calculator legit?

It’s only natural that the question of the calculator’s reliability comes to everyone’s mind. After all, there is actual money at stake (the money we have invested in the skins and the potential Steam fees). The answer is: the Trade Up calculator is as legit as it can be.

As we mentioned earlier, the algorithms governing contracts are not transparent, which makes it impossible to 100% predict the outcome of Trade Ups. However, the CSGO Calculator was constructed on the basis of data that was drawn from previous contracts. Additionally, it has been tested by a huge number of players who confirmed its validity. Not to mention that it’s pure math.

Conclusion

Trade Up contracts can seem intimidating, especially if you are just starting out in skin trading. Keep in mind that many factors affect the results and even the smallest change can have a huge impact on the potential outcome of a Trade Up. However, if you decide to start your adventure with contracts, using a Trade Up Calculator is the way to do it. By doing so players can predict the potential results of their trades, instead of putting themselves completely in the hands of a randomized algorithm.