Pattern Index: Why Two Identical CS2 Skins Sell for Different Prices

Alongside its float, each CS2 skin carries a pattern index, also called a paint seed. It runs from 0 to 1000 and tells the game how to position the texture on the weapon.

On most skins you will never notice it. A solid-colour finish looks the same whatever its seed. On skins with large, uneven textures, the seed moves the artwork around the model, and that changes what you see.

• ▸Case Hardened finishes, where the seed sets how much blue and gold covers the weapon
• ▸Fade finishes, where it sets how much of the colour gradient shows
• ▸Crimson Web, where it sets where the webs land
• ▸Marble Fade and similar finishes on knives

Case Hardened shows the effect at its most extreme. Most seeds produce a mix of gold, purple and some blue. A small number cover almost the whole weapon in blue, and traders call these blue gems.

The AK-47 Case Hardened with pattern 661 is the best-known example. Copies with top-tier blue patterns have traded for sums far beyond the price of an ordinary copy of the same skin in the same wear.

Steam names the item by weapon, finish and wear. Two AK-47 Case Hardened skins in Field-Tested share the same market name whatever their seed. A marketplace that groups listings by name will show you one price for the name, and that price reflects the cheapest copy on offer, which for a pattern-driven skin means an ordinary pattern.

If you want a specific pattern, look at the individual listing, check its pattern index, and inspect it before you pay.

If you like how a Case Hardened looks and want a fair price, a common pattern gives you the skin you saw in the preview. Tracking seeds pays off for collectors who know which patterns they want and what those patterns sell for.