Knife crafting in CS2 works through a trade-up contract: you hand in exactly 5 Covert skins, all regular or all StatTrak, and receive a random knife or pair of gloves from the collections those skins belong to. The option arrived on October 23, 2025, when Valve made major changes to the trade-up system; before that, rare items came only from cases or a marketplace purchase. To get a specific knife, use Covert skins from a case that holds only that model: Operation Breakout, for example, contains only the Butterfly Knife, and the Falchion Case only the Falchion.
Below are the contract rules, the Covert skins needed for every knife and glove series, what a crafting set costs right now and when it is smarter to simply buy the item you want.
Basic Trade-Up Contract Rules
Before you start crafting knives and gloves, it helps to understand the basic rules. The general mechanics of regular contracts are covered in what a trade-up contract in CS2 is.
Skin Requirements
Quantity: you need exactly 5 Covert skins to craft a knife or gloves.
Type: all skins must be of the same type, either all regular or all StatTrak. You cannot mix them.
Result: StatTrak inputs produce a StatTrak knife.
Collections: the result depends on which collections and cases the input skins come from.
Important Limitations
StatTrak gloves do not exist, so gloves can only come from a contract with regular skins.
Souvenir skins cannot be used in trade-up contracts.
Each knife and glove pair is tied to specific cases and collections.
Result Selection Mechanics
The new item belongs to the same collection as one of the skins used. If all five skins come from one collection, the result is guaranteed to be from it. If you mix collections, the chance of getting an item from a specific collection is proportional to the number of its skins in the contract.
Glove Crafting: Detailed Guide
Gloves in CS2 are divided into three series, each linked to specific cases. For every glove model with finish examples, see what gloves exist in CS2.
Series 1 Gloves: Glove Case and Operation Hydra
First-series gloves, including the popular Sport Gloves | Hedge Maze and Pandora's Box, come from the Glove Case and the Operation Hydra Case. Their Covert skins are:
Series 2 Gloves: Clutch Case and Revolution Case
Gloves such as Amphibious, Fade or Vice from the Clutch Case and the Revolution Case come from these Covert skins:
Series 3 Gloves: Operation Cases
For third-series gloves from the Snakebite, Recoil and Operation Broken Fang cases, choose from these skins:
Knife Crafting: Complete Collection Guide
The full list of knife models with prices is in all CS2 knives.
Butterfly Knife
One of the most popular knives in CS2. To craft it, you need Covert skins from these cases:
Recommended skins for the Fade and Slaughter finishes, which exist only in Operation Breakout:
For Doppler and Tiger Tooth from the Spectrum Case:
Important: every case above except Breakout also contains other knives (Huntsman, Falchion, Bowie, Shadow Daggers), so the Butterfly Knife is not guaranteed there.
Guaranteed method: five M4A1-S Cyrex and P90 Asiimov skins from Operation Breakout, which contains only the Butterfly Knife. This guarantees the model, not the specific finish. Every finish of the model with prices is reviewed in our list of the best Butterfly Knife skins.
Classic Knives (Karambit, M9 Bayonet, Gut Knife, Flip Knife, Bayonet)
Legacy Finishes
For legendary finishes like Case Hardened, Slaughter or Crimson Web, use skins from:
the eSports 2013, eSports 2013 Winter and eSports 2014 Summer cases;
the Winter Offensive Weapon Case;
the CS:GO Weapon Case 1, 2 and 3;
the Operation Bravo, Phoenix and Vanguard cases;
the Revolver Case.
The most expensive combination in this group:
Karambit | Case Hardened: about $1,600 in Factory New and from $650 in worn conditions; use skins from the cases listed above. For exactly which cases hold the Karambit, see which CS2 cases have Karambits.
Chroma Finishes (2015)
With the Chroma series in 2015, these finishes became available:
Doppler
Tiger Tooth
Marble Fade
Ultraviolet
Rust Coat
Damascus Steel
To get them, use skins from the Chroma, Chroma 2 and Chroma 3 cases.
Example for expensive knives:
Karambit | Doppler: use Galil AR | Chatterbox, AWP | Man-o'-war, M4A1-S | Chantico's Fire, PP-Bizon | Judgement of Anubis, M4A1-S | Hyper Beast, MAC-10 | Neon Rider
Falchion Knife
To craft a Falchion, use skins from the Falchion Case:
Guarantee: the Falchion Case holds no other knives, so five of these skins always give a Falchion.
Classic Knife
The CS 1.6-style knife only comes from skins of the CS20 Case:
Since the CS20 Case has only one knife type, the result is guaranteed.
Shadow Daggers
The guaranteed route to Shadow Daggers is the Shadow Case, which contains no other knives. Its Covert skins:
Doppler and Tiger Tooth Shadow Daggers come from the Spectrum and Spectrum 2 cases, where they share the pool with the Butterfly, Bowie, Falchion and Huntsman knives. Suitable skins:
AK-47 | Bloodsport and USP-S | Neo-Noir from the Spectrum Case (see the Butterfly Knife section)
Bowie Knife
For standard Bowie finishes, use skins from the Operation Wildfire Case. It holds no other knives, so the model is guaranteed:
Kukri Knife
The Kukri appears in two cases, Kilowatt and Gallery, and it is the only knife in both, so any of these skins works:
Series 3 Knives (Skeleton Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife)
To get knives from the Shattered Web and Fracture cases, use:
The most expensive option in this group:
Skeleton Knife | Crimson Web: about $1,300 in Factory New and from $220 in Battle-Scarred; use the skins listed above.
Talon Knife and Ursus Knife
Horizon-series knives (Talon, Ursus, Navaja, Stiletto) with Doppler finishes come from the Prisma and Prisma 2 cases. For a Talon Knife | Doppler, use:
Gamma Doppler
Gamma Doppler for different knife models sits in different cases. For more on its phases, read Gamma Doppler phases in CS2.
M9 Bayonet | Gamma Doppler and the other classic knives: the Gamma and Gamma 2 cases.
Butterfly Knife | Gamma Doppler: the Dreams & Nightmares and Operation Riptide cases.
Strategies for Successful Crafting
1. Use Skins from One Collection
To get a specific knife or gloves, take all five skins from one case. That guarantees the result comes from the right collection.
2. Study Case Contents
Before crafting, check which knives the source case contains. Operation Breakout, Falchion, CS20, Shadow, Operation Wildfire, Kilowatt and Gallery each hold a single knife model, so the model is guaranteed.
3. Calculate Economic Viability
Crafting is not always cheaper than buying. Compare the cost of five Covert skins, the price of possible results and the odds of getting the item you want. Reference points at current LIS-SKINS prices (cheapest wear of each item):
| Case | What drops | 5 Covert skins | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation Breakout | Butterfly Knife | about $830 | $410 to $2,100 |
| Shadow | Shadow Daggers | about $220 | $35 to $130 |
| Falchion | Falchion Knife | about $130 | $50 to $190 |
| Kilowatt | Kukri Knife | about $120 | $35 to $160 |
| Fracture | 4 series 3 knives | about $150 | $35 to $490 |
| Glove Case | Series 1 gloves | about $1,100 | $60 to $2,100 |
| Clutch | Series 2 gloves | about $120 | $25 to $240 |
In most cases, five Covert skins cost more than a typical result, and a craft pays off only when a high-end finish drops. If you want one specific knife, buying it directly is usually cheaper.
4. Consider Float (Wear)
The condition of the knife or gloves you receive has a big effect on value. Driver Gloves | Black Tie, for example, cost more than 10 times as much in Factory New as in Battle-Scarred: about $1,100 versus $85. Base your math on cheap-wear prices and be ready for any outcome. For how float maps to wear, see how skins wear in CS2.
5. Start with Budget Crafts
If this is your first knife craft, start with affordable combinations such as the Kilowatt, Falchion or Clutch cases to learn the mechanics without losing a large sum on a bad roll.
The Update's Impact on the Skin Market
Knife and glove crafting changed the CS2 economy noticeably:
prices for many knives and gloves dropped after the update, especially for common finishes;
the Covert skins needed for contracts became more sought after and more expensive;
cheap knife finishes now cost tens of dollars: the Kukri Knife and Shadow Daggers start at about $35.
Current prices for the gloves mentioned in the earlier version of this section:
Driver Gloves | Black Tie (Factory New): about $1,100.
Moto Gloves | Transport (Factory New): about $250, or about $30 in worn conditions.
Conclusion
Knife and glove crafting in CS2 has opened a new way to get rare items without opening hundreds of cases. Understanding contract mechanics, knowing the right collections and choosing the right skins all improve your odds of the result you want.
Remember that crafting always involves chance. Even with the right approach, you may not get the knife or gloves you were hoping for, so weigh the risks and compare the contract cost with the purchase price before you craft.
FAQ
How many skins do you need to craft a knife in CS2?
Exactly 5 Covert skins of the same type: all regular or all StatTrak. Souvenir skins are not allowed.
How do you craft a specific knife?
Take all five Covert skins from a case that holds only that model (see strategy 2 above). The finish and wear are still random.
Can you craft gloves in CS2?
Yes, from the Covert skins of the glove cases (Glove Case, Hydra, Clutch, Revolution, Broken Fang, Snakebite, Recoil). Use regular skins only, since StatTrak gloves do not exist.
Is crafting a knife cheaper than buying one?
Usually not. Five Covert skins tend to cost more than the average contract result, so crafting makes sense as a shot at an expensive finish rather than as a cheap way to get a knife.
