CS2 Trade-Up Contracts Explained: A Beginner's Guide (2026)

Trade-up contracts are one of the most satisfying ways to grow a CS2 inventory: you combine ten skins of one rarity into a single skin of the next rarity up. Done right, they can be genuinely profitable. This guide covers the essentials for July 2026.

What is a trade-up contract?

You put in ten skins of the same rarity (for example ten Mil-Spec skins) and receive one skin of the next rarity (Restricted). The possible outputs come from the collections your inputs belong to.

How the output is decided

• Collections matter: the more inputs you use from a given collection, the higher your chance of getting an output from that collection.
• Float carries over: the average float of your ten inputs determines the float (wear) of the output skin.
• Odds are simple maths: each collection's chance is proportional to how many inputs you contributed from it.

What makes a trade-up profitable?

Profit comes down to expected value versus cost. If the average value of all possible outputs (weighted by their odds) is higher than what you paid for your ten inputs, the trade-up is profitable on average. Our trade-up calculator works this out for you instantly.

Where to buy input skins

Cheap, consistent inputs are the key to profit. Compare prices on Tradeit.gg, CSFloat and Skinport before committing.

Your first profitable trade-up

1. Browse ready-made profitable contracts on our Trade Ups page.
2. Buy the ten input skins at (or below) the listed prices.
3. Open the trade-up contract in CS2, add your skins and confirm the output odds.
4. Submit and enjoy the result.

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.