CS2 Skin Patterns Guide: Blue Gems, Slaughters & More

The Seed Number: Every skin has a "Paint Seed" from 0 to 999. This allows for 1,000 different variations of the same skin.

#Case Hardened (The King of Patterns)

The Case Hardened finish applies a "rust and gold" texture with patches of bright blue.

Gold Gem: Mostly gold/silver. Market price.
Blue Gem: Solid ocean blue.
Tier 1: The most blue possible (e.g., AK-47 Pattern #661 "Scar Pattern").

#Slaughter Patterns

Slaughter skins have abstract red shapes.

Diamond: Centered diamond. Highest value.
Heart: Distinct heart shape.
Angel/Phoenix: Winged figure.
Note: In CS2, Slaughter patterns are less hyped than in 2015, but Diamonds still fetch overpay.

Overpay

Overpay is when a trader pays more than market price for a specific pattern. Never sell a Case Hardened on the Steam Market without checking if it's a rare tier first.

Fade Percentage

Fade patterns are also seed-based. Seed X might be 80% fade, while Seed Y is 100%. Use databases to check.

#Conclusion

Pattern trading is advanced. If you unbox a Case Hardened, do not accept friend requests until you verify the pattern ID.

#Deep Dive: Case Hardened Economics

The Case Hardened finish is the most complex pricing system in CS2. Two identical weapons can have a 1000x price difference based solely on the pattern.

The Tier System (Unofficial but Universal)

Tier 1: The Gods ($50,000 - $1,500,000)

AK-47 #661 "Scar Pattern" (100% blue top)
AK-47 #670 "Blue Gem"
Five-SeveN #278 "#1 Pattern"

Tier 2: The Collectors ($5,000 - $50,000)

80-95% blue coverage
Minimal gold/rust intrusion
Clean magazine area

Tier 3: The Overpay Range ($500 - $5,000)

60-80% blue
Some gold acceptable
Market price + 200-500%

Tier 4: Market Price ($10 - $500)

Everything else
"Gold Gems" (mostly gold)
Mixed patterns

The Pattern Database

Use CSGOZone or CSGOStash to verify patterns before buying. A $10 Case Hardened might be worth $10,000 if you know what to look for.

How to Identify Blue Gems (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Inspect the Item Right-click → Inspect in-game. Don't trust inventory thumbnails.

Step 2: Check the Pattern Index Use CSGOFloat browser extension to see the seed number (0-999).

Step 3: Compare to Database

Go to CSGOZone.net
Search for weapon + pattern index
Compare your item to the database screenshots

Step 4: Calculate Value

Check recent sales of similar patterns
Blue % matters: 90% blue = ~10x market, 95% = ~50x, 99% = ~500x

Top AK-47 Patterns

Five-SeveN Patterns

#Slaughter Patterns: The Diamond Standard

The Slaughter finish creates blood-red abstract patterns. Certain shapes command premium prices.

Pattern Types & Values

Diamond (Centered)

Value: Market + 50-100%
Rarity: ~5% of drops
Best weapons: Karambit, M9 Bayonet, Butterfly

Angel/Phoenix

Value: Market + 20-40%
Rarity: ~10%
Desirable on knives and M4A4

Heart

Value: Market + 15-30%
Rarity: ~8%
Popular among collectors

Dog Bone

Value: Market + 10-20%
Rarity: ~12%
Less popular than Diamond but still sought after

In CS:GO (2015-2017), Slaughter patterns were HUGE. A centered diamond Karambit could sell for $1,000+. In CS2 (2024-2026), the hype has cooled. Diamonds still sell for overpay, but not as much as before. The market shifted focus to Dopplers and Case Hardened.

How to Verify Slaughter Patterns

Playside vs Backside: Only the playside (the side you see when holding the weapon) matters for value
Centered Patterns: A diamond on the edge is worth less than a centered diamond
Condition Matters: Slaughter patterns look best in Factory New (0.00-0.07 float)

#Fade Patterns: The Percentage Game

Fade skins have a gradient from purple → pink → yellow. The "Fade %" determines value.

Fade Percentage Tiers

Fade %	Value Multiplier	Description
100% Gold	1x (market)	Full yellow tip (least desirable)
90/10	1.2x	90% purple, 10% yellow
95/5	1.5x	Mostly purple, tiny yellow tip

Fire & Ice Explained

Fire & Ice is NOT a Fade pattern - it's a Marble Fade variant. True F&I has ZERO yellow. Any yellow = Fake Fire & Ice or Tricolor.

Tools for Checking Fade %

CSGOZone Fade Checker

Upload screenshot or pattern index
Automated fade % calculation
Shows comparison to max fade

Manual Method

Inspect weapon in bright lighting (Dust2 CT spawn)
Compare yellow coverage to database images
Estimate percentage

Popular Fade Weapons

Karambit Fade

100% Fade (Yellow tip): $2,000
90/10 (Minimal yellow): $2,500
99% Fade: $3,000+

Glock-18 Fade

95% Fade: $250
100% Fade: $400
Full Fade with low float (0.00x): $600+

#Marble Fade: The Fire & Ice Hunt

Marble Fade has multiple pattern types, but Fire & Ice is the king.

Pattern Types

Fire & Ice (True)

Only red and blue, ZERO yellow
Pattern indexes: #412, #121, #811, #868
Value: 5-10x market price

Fake Fire & Ice (Tricolor)

Red, blue, AND a tiny bit of yellow at the base
Pattern indexes: #1, #580, #648
Value: 2-3x market

Blue Dominant

Mostly blue with small red patches
Value: 1.5-2x market

Red Dominant

Mostly red with small blue patches
Value: 1.3-1.8x market

Yellow Dominant

Large yellow sections (least desirable)
Value: Market price or below

True Fire & Ice Verification

Pattern Index Database

#Pattern Sniping: Finding Hidden Value

Most players don't check pattern indexes. This creates arbitrage opportunities.

Strategy 1: Steam Market Sniping

The Steam Market doesn't show pattern indexes. Use this to your advantage.

Process:

Install CSGOFloat Market Checker (browser extension)
Search for Case Hardened weapons
Extension shows pattern index next to each listing
Buy tier-2/tier-3 blue gems at market price
Relist on CSFloat/Reddit with pattern screenshots
Profit: 200-500%

Strategy 2: Trade Server Hunting

Many community servers have !shop or !trade commands.

Target Patterns:

Butterfly Knife Slaughter with centered diamond
AK-47 Case Hardened with 70%+ blue
Glock-18 Fade 100%

How to Negotiate:

Offer market price + 10-20%
Don't reveal the true value
Close the deal quickly before they research

Strategy 3: Unboxing Sniping

Monitor Twitch streamers who open cases. If they unbox a rare pattern and don't realize its value:

Add them on Steam immediately
Offer 2-3x market price (still 50-80% below true value)
Trade before they get other offers

Ethical Consideration

Some consider this predatory. Others call it business. Know your moral boundaries before engaging in pattern sniping.

#Pattern Crafting: Creating Value

Some patterns gain value through association, not inherent rarity.

Pro Player Skins

When a pro player uses a specific pattern, its value increases.

Example: S1mple's AK-47 Case Hardened

Pattern #670 (Blue Gem)
S1mple used it in tournaments 2018-2020
Value increased 300% due to association
Now worth $40,000+ in Factory New

Meme Patterns

Pattern #420

Any weapon with pattern #420 sells for +20-50% due to the meme
Collectors specifically hunt for this

Pattern #666

"The Devil's Pattern"
Popular for Crimson Web, Slaughter, and red skins
Sells for +15-30% overpay

Pattern #69

Self-explanatory
Immature but profitable (+10-25% overpay)

#Advanced Pattern Math: The Blue % Formula

For Case Hardened specifically, traders calculate "Blue %" to determine value.

The Formula

Blue % = (Blue Pixels / Total Pixels) × 100

Professional traders use Photoshop to:

Extract the weapon texture
Use "Color Range" to select blue pixels
Calculate coverage percentage
Cross-reference with sales data

Blue % Price Correlation (AK-47 Field-Tested)

Blue %	Market Price	Avg. Sale Price	Multiplier

| 10-30% | $30 | $30 | 1x | | 40-50% | $30 | $50 | 1.7x | | 60-70% | $30 | $150 | 5x | | 80-90% | $30 | $1,500 | 50x | | 95%+ | $30 | $15,000+ | 500x+ |

Blue on Case Hardened represents "pure steel" - the highest quality metal. Gold represents "rust" or imperfections. The community assigned value to blue arbitrarily in 2013, and it stuck. There's no gameplay advantage; it's pure collector psychology.

#Pattern Scams to Avoid

Scam 1: Fake Pattern Index

Scammer edits a screenshot to show a rare pattern index, but the actual item has a different pattern.

Defense: Always inspect the item yourself. Never trust screenshots.

Scam 2: Backside vs Playside

Scammer shows the backside (hidden side) which has a great pattern, but the playside (visible side) is trash.

Defense: Inspect both sides. Only playside matters for value.

Scam 3: Minimal Wear vs Field-Tested

Case Hardened patterns are identical across wear levels (FN, MW, FT, etc.), but scammers claim "this FT looks FN!"

Reality: Pattern = seed. Float = wear. They're independent. Don't overpay for "clean FT" if you want the pattern.

#Pattern Communities & Resources

Trading Forums

r/GlobalOffensiveTrade (Reddit)

Active pattern trading community
Price checks available
Reputation system

CSGOLounge (Classic)

Less active than 2015-2018
Still has niche collectors

Discord Servers

"CS:GO Zone" - Pattern database and trading
"Blue Gem Hub" - Specialized Case Hardened trading
"Fade Collectors" - Fade % verification and sales

Pattern Tools

Tool	Purpose	Link
CSGOZone	Pattern index lookup	csgoz zone.net
CSGOStash	Visual pattern browser	csgostash.com
CSGOFloat	Float and pattern extension	csgofloat.com
Fade Checker	Automated fade % calculation	csgoz one.net/fade

#Investment Strategy: Buying Patterns Long-Term

The Thesis

Rare patterns appreciate faster than regular skins because:

Fixed supply: Only 1,000 of each pattern exist
Collector demand: High-tier patterns never lose value
Status symbol: Owning #661 is like owning a rare car

Portfolio Allocation

Conservative (Low Risk)

70%: Liquid skins (Dopplers, Redlines)
20%: Mid-tier patterns (70-80% blue Case Hardened)
10%: Cases/stickers

Aggressive (High Risk, High Reward)

40%: Tier-1 blue gems (95%+ blue)
30%: Fire & Ice knives
20%: Slaughter diamonds
10%: Speculative patterns (new meme seeds)

ROI Expectations

Historical Data (2018-2024):

Tier-1 Blue Gems: +400% (avg)
Fire & Ice Knives: +250%
Regular skins: +80%

2026 Predictions:

Tier-1 patterns will continue to appreciate
New charm patterns may emerge as "the next blue gem"
Fade % trading will stabilize

#Frequently Asked Questions

No. Pattern indexes are permanently assigned when the item is unboxed. Float values also never change. These are immutable properties stored on Valve's servers.

No. A Chinese player can own the same #661 Scar Pattern as a US player. Patterns are global.

No. StatTrak™ is independent of patterns. A StatTrak™ AK-47 Case Hardened #661 exists and is even rarer (worth 1.5-2x the non-ST version).

You cannot cancel a Steam Market sale after it's purchased. This is why experienced traders NEVER sell Case Hardened on Steam without checking the pattern first.

Unlikely for Case Hardened (fully mapped). Possible for newer finishes like Charms (still being discovered). The pattern database is crowdsourced and 99% complete.

#Final Thoughts: Patience Pays

Pattern trading is not for day traders. It's for patient collectors who understand:

Rarity compounds value (only 1,000 of each pattern exist)
Knowledge is profit (most players don't check indexes)
Community drives prices (a pattern is worth what collectors pay)

Found a Rare Pattern?

Use our Trade-Up Calculator to determine if you should hold, sell, or trade up. Our pattern database integration shows true market value beyond Steam prices.

Analyze Pattern Value →

Last Updated: December 22, 2026. Pattern values fluctuate based on collector demand. Always verify current market prices.