CS2 floats, explained like you have five minutes
What a float actually is, why 0.15 is not the same as 0.16, and which skins punish you for ignoring it.
The one-line version
Every CS2 item is generated with a random number between a minimum and a maximum — usually 0 and 1. That number is the float. It never changes, and it decides the wear bucket: Factory New up to 0.07, Minimal Wear to 0.15, Field-Tested to 0.38, Well-Worn to 0.45, Battle-Scarred above that.
Two items with the same name, same pattern and same sticker can be worth wildly different amounts because one is 0.060 and the other is 0.069.
Why the edges are expensive
A 0.0699 Factory New item is the last possible Factory New of that skin. Collectors chase those because you cannot get closer to Minimal Wear without crossing it. Same story at the bottom: 0.0601 near-mint items carry a premium on high-end skins.
The middle of a bucket is where the boring items live. A 0.25 Field-Tested anything is worth its normal price and nothing more.
Where it actually costs you money
Skins with cap above 0.7 — think many rifles and gloves — have a narrow Factory New band, so Factory New supply is genuinely small and prices reflect it. Skins capped at 1.0 can drop as Battle-Scarred, which is where most of the supply sits.
If you are buying to flip, check the range before the price. A cheap-looking Factory New item on a 0.06-capped skin is not a bargain, it is a different item.