From Consumer grey to Covert red and gold — what CS2's rarity colours mean.
Every CS2 item has a rarity tier, shown as a colour in the inventory. For weapon skins, from most to least common:
| Tier | Colour |
|---|---|
| Consumer Grade | White/Grey |
| Industrial Grade | Light blue |
| Mil-Spec | Blue |
| Restricted | Purple |
| Classified | Pink |
| Covert | Red |
| Contraband | Orange-red (only the discontinued M4A4 | Howl) |
Knives and gloves sit above this ladder as Exceedingly Rare items (the gold tier). Stickers, agents and charms use their own parallel rarity scales.
Rarity sets supply at the drop level, but demand decides price. A popular Mil-Spec (like a clean playskin on a loved weapon) can out-trade an ugly Classified. Pattern, float and finish desirability regularly matter more than the colour band.
A trade-up contract converts ten skins of one tier into one skin of the next tier up — the main mechanic connecting the rarity ladder to the market.
Contraband — a tier that only contains the M4A4 | Howl, which was removed from cases after a copyright dispute. Knives and gloves are 'Exceedingly Rare' (gold) items outside the normal ladder.
No. Rarity limits supply, but demand, finish popularity, float and pattern often matter more. Some Mil-Spec skins trade above Classified skins.
Gold marks Exceedingly Rare special items — knives and gloves — which drop far less often than any weapon skin tier.