Anyone who wants to enter the world of Counter-Strike skins has to deal with many different aspects. It is not just a matter of understanding what skins are, but also how they work. The most important characteristic and decisive for the sometimes high prices of the skins is their rarity. In this article, we will explain the different skin classes and how rare they are.
1. The different skin tiers
With a total of seven different rarity levels, skins in Counter-Strike can be precisely classified. Each of these seven levels is assigned a colour and so the spectrum starts with the grey skins and ends with the very rare and sought-after knife and glove skins.
You can also check out our video on this topic
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2. The different rarities in Counter-Strike
| Colour | Name | Probability Case | Probability StatTrak |
| Grey | Consumer Grade | ||
| Light Blue | Industrial grade | ||
| Blue | Mil-Spec | 79,92% | 7,99% |
| Purple | Restricted | 15,98% | 1,6% |
| Pink | Classified | 3,2% | 0,32% |
| Red | Covert | 0,64% | 0,06% |
| Gold | Rare Special Item | 0,26% | 0,03% |
Consumer grade / Grau
The consumer level is the lowest rarity level in Counter-Strike and includes common skins that are easy to find. These skins often have simple designs and are usually very cheap. Some examples of consumer level skins are the Negev Boroque Sand or the MP5-SD Dirt Drop.
Industrial Grade / Hellblau
The industry level already offers somewhat more interesting designs and a little more detail work. These skins are still very affordable and are also often distributed through in-game drops. A well-known industry level skin is the AK-47 Safari Mesh
Mil-spec / Blau
The third level is the first rarity level, which can also be found in the normal crates. With a probability of almost 80 percent, every skin is blue when a crate is opened, which also makes the skins available in masses. There are some exceptions, but even here on the class the skins are mostly rather cheap.
Restriced / Lila
Purple is the first level that is a little more special. While the grey to blue levels are the basics of every box or come as in-game drops, purple skins are somewhat rarer – limited. Here, there are also skins that can be quite expensive, for example, the Desert Eagle Blaze costs over 700 Euro. The probability of getting a skin of this class from a box is almost 16 percent.
Classified / Pink
Before you get to the really rare levels, there is pink, the “confidential” skins. At this level at the latest, you will find a number of sophisticated skins with patterns and effects. With a probability of only 3.2 percent when opening boxes, the pink skins are also much rarer and correspondingly more expensive. Popular skins in this category are, for example, the AWP Redline or M4A1-S Guardian.
Covert / Rot
The final and highest level for weapons like the AK-47, AWP or M4A4 is the red level. Here you will find the best designs, but you will also have to dig deep into your wallet for them. Getting a red skin from a crate is also very rare, with only a 0.64 per cent chance.
Rare Special Item / Gold
The final item in the rarity ranking is the coveted Rare Special Items, i.e. skins for the knife or gloves. Even the cheapest knives cost almost 100 euros and gloves at least 50 euros. Unlike all other classes, the level cannot be reached through upgrading contracts. If you want knives or gloves, you either have to buy them on the Community Market, SkinBaron or have to open cases.
The Revolution Case with Blue to Gold Rarity Level Skins (Source: Valve)
3. Contraband: Why is the M4A4 Howl so special?
When you start with skins and make your first investments, you will only have to deal with the seven classes mentioned so far. However, it could happen that you come across another special feature during your research, namely the M4A4 Howl. The Howl skin was introduced in May 2014 with the Huntsman box and was initially a red skin like any other. However, as early as June it emerged that the skin’s designer had stolen the artwork. In response, the M4A4 Howl was deleted from the box and given the new rarity level “contraband”. The skin was removed from the Huntsman box and since then there are no new M4A4 Howl skins. Even Howl weapons with battle scars now cost over 3,000 euros.
Left: The original M4A4 Howl skin Right: The new version after June 2014 (Source: Valve)
4. The different drop sounds
Even without looking at the colour of the skin, you can tell what rarity your skin has when you open a crate or make an in-game drop. Each class also has its own drop sound. Although the differences between the tiers are minimal, you can still tell the difference if you listen closely. The easiest way to recognise the rarity is, of course, to look at the colour of the skin.
5. Float Value and other peculiarities
In addition to the seven rarity levels, skins are divided into even more subcategories. The most important of these is the level of wear that each skin has. From factory new to battle scars, the degree of wear defines how good a skin looks in the end. So you can have a really nice skin on your weapon, but it looks really bad due to a high degree of wear. More detailed information on the degree of wear and the so-called “float value” can be found in our separate article on this topic.
StatTrak and Souvenir-Skins
Last but not least, skins can also come with the StatTrak function or as souvenir items. StatTrak skins, for example, count the kills you achieve with the special skin in the game. However, the probability of getting a StatTrak skin is comparatively very small. Even with the blue skins, the probability of getting the function is less than eight percent.
In addition to StatTrak skins, there are also souvenir weapons that come directly with golden stickers. The skins are always assigned to a specific major event and bear the tournament logo as well as the map icon and logos of two participating teams. However, there is no combination of StatTrak and souvenir, nor are there knives or gloves as souvenir items
