How Output Float Capping Works
A trade-up does not just average your inputs — it squeezes that average into the output skin's own float range. That squeeze is what people mean by float capping.
The formula
The contract takes the average float of your ten inputs and maps it onto the output skin's range with this formula:
outputFloat = minFloat + averageInput × (maxFloat − minFloat)
Here averageInput is a number between 0 and 1 (the mean of your inputs), and minFloat / maxFloat are the lowest and highest float the output skin can ever have.
Why each skin has its own cap
Not every skin uses the full 0.00–1.00 range. Many finishes are restricted by their own minimum and maximum float. A skin capped at 0.10–0.80, for example, can never appear as Factory New no matter how clean your inputs are — the formula simply cannot return a value below 0.10 for it.
This is why two outputs from the same trade-up can land in different wear brackets: each is mapped onto a different min/max, so the same average input float produces a different output float per skin.
A worked example
Say your ten inputs average a float of 0.20:
- Full-range skin (0.00–1.00): output = 0.00 + 0.20 × (1.00 − 0.00) = 0.20 — Field-Tested.
- Capped skin (0.00–0.50): output = 0.00 + 0.20 × (0.50 − 0.00) = 0.10 — Minimal Wear.
- Higher-floor skin (0.10–0.80): output = 0.10 + 0.20 × (0.80 − 0.10) = 0.24 — Field-Tested, and never cleaner than 0.10.
The same average input gives three different results because each output skin caps the range differently.
What this means in practice
Lower-float inputs always help, but the cap sets the ceiling on how clean any given output can be. Before you build a contract, check the min/max of the skins you are hoping for — a tight low cap is what makes a Factory New reward possible, while a high floor can put it out of reach entirely.
Try different input floats in the CS2 trade-up calculator, or read the broader guide to float and wear for the wear-bracket thresholds.