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How CS2 Trade-Up Contracts Choose an Item From Your Skins

A standard CS2 Trade Up Contract exchanges ten same-quality items for one item of the next tier. Valve also allows specified five-Covert contracts, but the rules alone do not reveal exact odds, output float or profitability.
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A standard CS2 Trade Up Contract consumes ten items of the same quality and returns one item of the next quality tier, drawn from a collection represented among your inputs. There is also a newer exception: five Covert items can be exchanged for a Knife or Gloves outcome under specific rules. Neither route makes the exact result predictable from the contract rules alone.

What happens in a standard ten-item contract?

Valve’s May 14, 2014 release notes define the standard Trade Up Contract: exchange ten items of identical quality for one item of the next highest quality, from a collection represented among the items provided. The inputs do not all have to come from the same collection; the result is tied to one of the collections represented in the contract. Valve’s release notes

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In practical terms, you give up all ten input items and receive one higher-quality item. This is an exchange, not a way to choose a specific output: the rule establishes the eligible quality tier and collection relationship, but does not by itself identify which item you will receive.

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What is the five-item Covert exception?

On October 22, 2025, Valve added a route that uses five Covert items instead of the standard ten-item contract:

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  • Five regular Covert items can produce one regular Knife item or one regular Gloves item from a collection represented among the inputs.
  • Five StatTrak Covert items can produce one StatTrak Knife item.

These are distinct rules; the StatTrak route described by Valve specifies a Knife outcome, not Gloves. See Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 update.

How do collections affect the result?

A standard contract may combine items from different collections. The result comes from a collection represented among the inputs, so the set of collections you include matters. However, Valve’s cited contract descriptions do not give a complete probability formula for the possible results in a mixed-collection contract. Knowing which collections are present is not enough to calculate an exact chance for each output.

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For a concrete but time-specific example, Valve’s March 11, 2026 announcement described the Dead Hand Collection as containing 17 weapon finishes and 22 gloves as rare special items, with Dead Hand Terminal items available as a possible weekly drop. That announcement describes the collection; it does not establish that every item in it is eligible for a contract. Valve’s Dead Hand Collection announcement

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Does input wear determine the output wear?

Valve’s Weapon Finishes Guide lists these wear-label ranges:

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Wear label Range
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Well-Worn 0.37–0.44
Battle-Scarred 0.44–1.0

These ranges describe the wear labels. They do not establish the formula that maps the input items’ float values to a contract output’s float. Therefore, the ranges alone cannot tell you what wear label a particular contract will produce. Valve’s Weapon Finishes Guide

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Can you know the exact result or whether a contract is profitable?

Not from the contract rules described here. They establish the required item count, quality relationship and collection relationship, along with the five-Covert exception, but do not provide a complete calculation for mixed-collection output probabilities or the current float calculation. They also provide no current prices or expected-value figures.

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Before committing items, identify the eligible output pool for the collections and contract route you are considering, then check current acquisition costs against the value you could actually realize from each possible result, accounting for applicable fees. Prices and item availability change, and a collection announcement is not a price guide. Without the full output odds and current market data, a claim that a contract is profitable is not supported.

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What to check before submitting a contract

  1. Confirm the route: use ten items of identical quality for the standard contract, or verify that your five inputs meet the specified Covert route and StatTrak type.
  2. List the represented collections: the contract result is drawn from a collection included among the inputs, so identify the possible collections before proceeding.
  3. Establish the eligible output pool: identify what can come from those collections at the applicable tier. Do not assume every item in a collection is contract-eligible.
  4. Check wear and value separately: wear-label ranges do not supply the output-float formula, and prices must be checked at the time you make the decision.
  5. Review current rules: Valve can change contract functionality, so consult the latest Counter-Strike 2 update before relying on a rule.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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