CS2 Covert Trade-Ups: Best Red-Tier Contracts (August 2026)
The highest-value contracts, including the route to knives
By chod on August 31, 2026
Covert is the top of the normal rarity ladder and the only tier with a special rule: five Coverts from the right collections can be traded up for a knife or gloves. These are the highest-value contracts in the game, and the ones where getting the float and the collection right matters most.
Key takeaways
- 4 contracts made the cut for CS2 covert trade ups, all priced from live market data.
- Best return on investment right now: 46% on the StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor contract.
- Cheapest entry: $87.82 for all 10 inputs.
- Highest odds to profit in this list: 85%.
| Rarity | Role in trade-ups |
|---|---|
| Consumer Grade | White. Never a trade-up output worth chasing. |
| Industrial Grade | Light blue. Cheap inputs for Mil-Spec contracts. |
| Mil-Spec | Blue. The most common input tier by far. |
| Restricted | Purple. The first tier where outputs are reliably worth real money. |
| Classified | Pink. Expensive inputs, high-value outputs. |
| Covert | Red. Five Coverts can be traded up for a knife or gloves. |
| # | Most likely output | Cost | Expected value | Profit | ROI | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear) | $87.82 | $128.59 | $40.77 | 46% | 85% |
| 2 | StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear) | $88.09 | $128.59 | $40.50 | 46% | 85% |
| 3 | StatTrak™ AK-47 The Empress (Battle-Scarred) | $100.80 | $143.54 | $42.74 | 42% | 80% |
| 4 | StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear) | $92.09 | $128.59 | $36.50 | 40% | 50% |
Best trade-ups into Covert
These contracts use Classified inputs and output a Covert skin. This is the cheapest way to acquire Covert skins, and usually the most profitable direction to trade in.
🥇 #1: StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear)
ROI: 46% · Net profit: $40.77 · Odds to profit: 85%
- Total input cost: $87.82
- Expected value: $128.59
- Average input float: 0.211
- Collection(s): The Prisma Collection (x7), The Revolution Collection (x3)
- Rarity: Classified → Covert
What you put in (10 skins)
7x StatTrak™ XM1014 Incinegator (Field-Tested, $8.86 each, float 0.250) — buy
3x StatTrak™ UMP-45 Wild Child (Minimal Wear, $8.60 each, float 0.120) — buy
What you can get out
- ✅ 35.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $214.56)
- ✅ 35.0% → StatTrak™ Five-SeveN Angry Mob (Minimal Wear, float 0.130, $89.88)
- ❌ 15.0% → StatTrak™ AK-47 Head Shot (Field-Tested, float 0.190, $37.00)
- ✅ 15.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $109.94)
Open this contract in the CS2 trade-up calculator »
🥈 #2: StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear)
ROI: 46% · Net profit: $40.50 · Odds to profit: 85%
- Total input cost: $88.09
- Expected value: $128.59
- Average input float: 0.211
- Collection(s): The Revolution Collection (x3), The Prisma Collection (x7)
- Rarity: Classified → Covert
What you put in (10 skins)
3x StatTrak™ P2000 Wicked Sick (Minimal Wear, $8.69 each, float 0.120) — buy
What you can get out
- ✅ 35.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $214.56)
- ✅ 35.0% → StatTrak™ Five-SeveN Angry Mob (Minimal Wear, float 0.130, $89.88)
- ❌ 15.0% → StatTrak™ AK-47 Head Shot (Field-Tested, float 0.190, $37.00)
- ✅ 15.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $109.94)
Open this contract in the CS2 trade-up calculator »
🥉 #3: StatTrak™ AK-47 The Empress (Battle-Scarred)
ROI: 42% · Net profit: $42.74 · Odds to profit: 80%
- Total input cost: $100.80
- Expected value: $143.54
- Average input float: 0.64
- Collection(s): The Recoil Collection (x2), The Spectrum 2 Collection (x8)
- Rarity: Classified → Covert
What you put in (10 skins)
2x StatTrak™ Sawed-Off Kiss♥Love (Well-Worn, $5.00 each, float 0.440) — buy
8x StatTrak™ PP-Bizon High Roller (Battle-Scarred, $11.35 each, float 0.690) — buy
What you can get out
- ✅ 40.0% → StatTrak™ AK-47 The Empress (Battle-Scarred, float 0.640, $133.23)
- ✅ 40.0% → StatTrak™ P250 See Ya Later (Well-Worn, float 0.450, $199.84)
- ❌ 10.0% → StatTrak™ USP-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred, float 0.540, $69.51)
- ❌ 10.0% → StatTrak™ AWP Chromatic Aberration (Well-Worn, float 0.450, $33.63)
Open this contract in the CS2 trade-up calculator »
#4: StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear)
ROI: 40% · Net profit: $36.50 · Odds to profit: 50%
- Total input cost: $92.09
- Expected value: $128.59
- Average input float: 0.214
- Collection(s): The Prisma Collection (x7), The Revolution Collection (x3)
- Rarity: Classified → Covert
What you put in (10 skins)
7x StatTrak™ AUG Momentum (Field-Tested, $9.47 each, float 0.250) — buy
What you can get out
- ✅ 35.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 The Emperor (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $214.56)
- ❌ 35.0% → StatTrak™ Five-SeveN Angry Mob (Minimal Wear, float 0.130, $89.88)
- ❌ 15.0% → StatTrak™ AK-47 Head Shot (Field-Tested, float 0.190, $37.00)
- ✅ 15.0% → StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear, float 0.150, $109.94)
Open this contract in the CS2 trade-up calculator »
How Covert trade-ups work
Ten Classified skins produce one Covert skin. The possible outputs are the Covert skins in whichever collections your inputs came from, and each collection's share of the odds is proportional to how many inputs you contributed from it. Use ten inputs from a single collection and every Covert skin in that collection is equally likely.
Ten Covert skins in turn produce one Gold (knives and gloves) skin, following exactly the same rules one tier up.
Picking the right collection
The best Covert contracts share one trait: a small outcome pool where most of the outputs are worth more than the contract cost. A collection with two Covert skins gives you a 50% shot at each; a collection with six spreads your odds thin. Check the outcome count before you commit, or let the calculator do it for you.
Where to buy the input skins
Input prices decide whether a contract is profitable, so it is worth checking two or three marketplaces before you buy. Tradeit.gg is the fastest for bulk buying cheap inputs, CSFloat is the best place to hunt a specific float, and Skinport usually wins on fees when you sell the output.
Frequently asked questions
How many skins do you need for a Covert trade-up?
Ten. Ten Classified skins of the same StatTrak status produce one Covert skin, and ten Covert skins produce one Gold (knives and gloves) skin.
Are Covert trade-ups profitable in CS2?
Frequently, yes. The best Covert contract in this round-up is currently returning 46% in expected value with 85% odds to profit. Profitability depends entirely on the collection you pick and the float of your inputs.
Can you mix collections in a Covert trade-up?
Yes, and it is a deliberate tactic. Adding inputs from a second collection adds that collection's outputs to your pool. Traders use cheap "filler" inputs from a collection with good outputs to shift the odds, but it also dilutes them, so the maths has to be checked each time.
What is the cheapest Covert trade-up?
The cheapest contract on this page costs $87.82 for all inputs. Cheaper ones exist but tend to have negative expected value once you account for how little the outputs sell for.
Keep reading
- CS2 trade-up calculator
- CS2 trade-ups under $5
- Best CS2 trade-ups under $10
- 100% profit CS2 trade-ups
- CS2 trade-ups with 10% profit
- Best low float CS2 trade-ups
- CS2 restricted trade-ups
- CS2 trade-up calculator: float
- Live profitable trade-ups
- Open the calculator
Ready to find your next profitable trade-up?
Trade Up Lab tracks profitable CS2 trade-up contracts in real time, with live prices, float calculations and profit odds worked out for you.
Disclaimer: Trade-up contracts involve risk and prices move quickly. Figures in this article reflect market data at the time of writing and are not financial advice. Always double-check prices before committing skins. Some links are affiliate links that support Trade Up Lab at no extra cost to you.
