CS2 Trading Slang & Terms Explained: A BUFF Market User Guide

If you’ve spent any time browsing CS2 (formerly CSGO) skin listings on BUFF Market, you’ve likely run into a wall of shorthand: FN, float, StatTrak™, Buy Order, overpay, and more. This guide breaks down every key CS2 trading slang term and abbreviation you need to know to trade confidently, avoid costly mistakes, and get the best value on every buy or sell.

Skin Condition & Float Value Glossary

The first set of terms you’ll see on every skin listing relate to wear condition, standardized across all CS2 skin markets: - FN (Factory New): 0.00–0.07 float range, the lowest possible wear, with no visible scuffs or damage - MW (Minimal Wear): 0.07–0.15 float range, nearly perfect with only faint, hard-to-spot wear - FT (Field-Tested): 0.15–0.38 float range, moderate visible wear, the most popular tier for most traders balancing price and condition - WW (Well-Worn): 0.38–0.45 float range, heavy visible scuffs across the skin - BS (Battle-Scarred): 0.45–1.0 float range, extreme wear, often with large sections of the design faded or missing

Float value is the exact numerical wear score assigned to every individual CS2 skin, even within the same wear tier. A 0.08 MW skin will look almost identical to a 0.07 FN skin, but will usually cost 20–30% less. Condition impacts price differently across skin tiers: for example, an AWP | Mortis (Well-Worn) costs $4.11 on BUFF Market as of September 2026, while a rarer AWP | Asiimov (Battle-Scarred) costs $77.82 for the lowest wear tier.

StatTrak™ Explained

StatTrak™ is a special skin variant with a built-in kill counter that tracks the number of kills you get while using the skin, resetting if you trade or sell the item. StatTrak™ skins almost always command a price premium over non-StatTrak variants of the same skin and condition. For context, a StatTrak™ M4A4 | Hellfire (Minimal Wear) costs $166 on BUFF Market as of September 2026, while a StatTrak™ AK-47 | Case Hardened (Field-Tested) costs $472 for the same variant.

Pattern vs Exterior: What’s the Difference?

Many new traders confuse exterior (wear tier/float value) with pattern index, the unique, randomly generated layout of a skin’s design. Two Factory New skins with identical float values can have drastically different prices based on pattern rarity. For example, two identical FN AK-47 | Case Hardened skins can vary in price by thousands of dollars if one has a rare full-blue pattern (known as a blue gem), while the other has a standard gold and brown pattern.

Price & Order Terminology for BUFF Market

These terms appear on every BUFF Market listing, and understanding them will help you get the best deal: - Asking Price: The fixed price a seller has listed a skin for sale at - Buy Order: An offer you post to purchase a specific skin at a set price; any seller with the item can accept your order instantly - Direct Listing: A standard seller listing for a fixed price, open to offers or immediate purchase - Instant Listing: A seller listing that automatically matches the highest existing Buy Order for immediate sale - Counter-offer: A modified price offer sent by a buyer or seller in response to an existing listing or offer - Spread: The gap between the lowest asking price for a skin and the highest active Buy Order. For example, if the lowest listed price for an AK-47 | Head Shot (Minimal Wear) is $48.18 on BUFF Market as of September 2026, and the highest Buy Order is $45, the spread is $3.18.

Liquidity & Skin Classification Slang

Traders use these terms to describe how easy a skin is to sell, and its price bracket: - Liquid: A skin that sells quickly within 5% of its average market price, usually popular staple skins with high Buy Order volume - Illiquid: A niche or rare skin that can take weeks or months to sell, often requiring a discount to move fast - Budget Skin: Low-cost skins under $10, e.g., the AWP | Mortis (Well-Worn) for $4.11 - Mid-tier Skin: Skins priced between $10 and $200, e.g., the M4A1-S | Vaporwave (Minimal Wear) for $75.45 on BUFF Market as of September 2026 - God Tier: High-demand, high-value skins priced over $200, e.g., the StatTrak™ AK-47 | Case Hardened (Field-Tested) for $472

Trade & Transaction Terms Trade Cooldown: A mandatory 7-day hold placed on any skin you receive via Steam trade or Steam Community Market purchase; you cannot trade or sell the skin until the cooldown ends Overpay: Paying above the average market price for a skin with a specific float, pattern, or variant you want Underpay: Offering below the average market price for a skin, usually to secure a fast deal as a buyer or liquidate inventory fast as a seller BUFF Market Platform-Specific Terms Seller Credit Score: A 0–100 trust score assigned to all BUFF Market sellers based on their past trade history, cancellation rate, and user feedback; higher scores signal lower risk of order cancellations for buyers Bulk Supply: A tool for high-volume sellers to list hundreds of skins at once, instead of listing each item individually Pre-listing: A feature that lets sellers list skins they do not yet have in their inventory, locking in a price and delivering the item once it is out of trade cooldown Referral Rewards: Ongoing rewards earned for referring new users to trade on BUFF Market Fee-sharing: A continuous rebate stream that returns a portion of trading fees to both buyers and sellers on every trade Quick Reference Glossary Table Term Definition FN (Factory New) 0.00–0.07 float, lowest possible wear MW (Minimal Wear) 0.07–0.15 float, near-perfect condition FT (Field-Tested) 0.15–0.38 float, moderate wear, most popular tier WW (Well-Worn) 0.38–0.45 float, heavy visible scuffs BS (Battle-Scarred) 0.45–1.0 float, extreme wear Float Value Exact numerical wear score for an individual skin StatTrak™ Skin variant with a built-in kill counter Pattern Index Unique, randomly generated design layout of a skin Asking Price Fixed listed sale price for a skin Buy Order Buyer’s posted offer to purchase a skin at a set price Direct Listing Standard fixed-price seller listing Instant Listing Seller listing that automatically matches the highest Buy Order Counter-offer Modified price offer sent in response to an existing listing Spread Gap between lowest asking price and highest Buy Order Liquid Skin that sells fast near market price Illiquid Niche skin that takes weeks/months to sell Budget Skin Skins priced under $10 Mid-tier Skin Skins priced between $10 and $200 God Tier High-demand skins priced over $200 Overpay Paying above market price for a specific rare skin attribute Underpay Offering below market price for a fast deal Trade Cooldown 7-day hold on newly received skins before they can be traded Seller Credit Score BUFF Market seller trust score based on past trade history Bulk Supply Tool for high-volume sellers to list multiple items at once Pre-listing Listing an item not yet in your inventory for future delivery Referral Rewards Ongoing rewards for referring new users to BUFF Market Fee-sharing Rebate program that returns a portion of fees to traders FAQ What does FN mean in CS2 trading?

FN stands for Factory New, the lowest possible wear tier for CS2 skins, with a float range of 0.00–0.07 and no visible wear.

How do I check a skin’s float on BUFF Market?

You can view the exact float value, pattern preview, and wear details for every skin listed on BUFF Market directly on the listing page.

What is a good Seller Credit Score on BUFF Market?

Scores above 90 are considered strong, indicating a seller has a low cancellation rate and positive trade history.

Can I sell a skin during trade cooldown?

You can pre-list a skin that is in trade cooldown on BUFF Market, and the item will be delivered to the buyer automatically once the cooldown ends.

Looking to pick up any of the skins mentioned here? BUFF Market has low prices, averages 31%+ below Steam Market, and lists 34,000+ item types. Browse the market