What the pattern number is
When a skin item is created, it gets two hidden values: a float, which sets how worn it is, and a pattern number, which sets how the texture is laid onto the model. The pattern can be any whole number from 0 to 1000. Like float, it never changes after the item is created. In CS2 you can see it in the item info when you inspect your own item, where it is called Pattern Template.
Think of it as where the paint job "starts". The texture is shifted, rotated or offset a little differently for each number. On some designs that shift is almost invisible. On others it decides which colours you see at all.
Finishes where the pattern matters a lot
The pattern has the biggest effect on finishes built from large, irregular areas of colour:
- Case Hardened. The heat-treated finish has blue, gold and purple zones. The pattern decides where they fall, so two copies of the AK-47 | Case Hardened or the Karambit | Case Hardened can look like different skins.
- Fade. The gradient is shifted along the blade or slide, so copies show different amounts of each colour. See the Karambit | Fade or the Glock-18 | Fade.
- Marble Fade. The three candy colours are distributed differently on each copy of the Bayonet | Marble Fade.
- Crimson Web. The web lines sit in different places, for example more or less centred on the blade of the M9 Bayonet | Crimson Web.
- Doppler. Within one phase, the marbling moves around the blade, so two copies of the same phase still differ.
Finishes where it barely matters
Many skins are drawn as a fixed illustration. On designs like these, the pattern can only shift small details, and copies usually look the same at normal viewing distance. Solid or near-solid colour finishes, like the all-black AK-47 | Slate, also leave little room for visible differences. If a skin's look doesn't depend on the pattern, you only need to think about float when comparing copies.
Phases are not patterns
Doppler and Gamma Doppler finishes come in phases. A phase is a separate version of the finish with its own colours. The Karambit | Doppler has seven: Phase 1 to Phase 4, Ruby, Sapphire and Black Pearl. The Glock-18 | Gamma Doppler has five, including Emerald.
The phase and the pattern are two different things. The phase sets the colour scheme; the pattern then moves that scheme around the blade or slide. The market name of a Doppler doesn't include the phase, so you need to look at a picture of the copy to know which one it is. On a skin page, all phases are shown, each with a caption.
What we don't do
You'll find lists of "special" pattern numbers and percentages on the internet. We don't publish them in the wiki, for a few reasons:
- A pattern number on its own doesn't show you what the item looks like. Only a picture of that copy does.
- Many such claims are hard to verify.
- Popularity of a look changes over time and between communities.
Instead, we describe what the pattern controls for each finish and leave the judgment to you.
How to compare copies yourself
- Look at real screenshots of the specific copy, not the catalog image. The catalog image shows one typical copy.
- Check both sides. On knives and pistols, the two sides of the blade or slide can show different colours from the same pattern.
- Compare at the same exterior. Wear can hide or soften colours, so compare patterns between copies with similar floats.
- Use the same lighting. Metallic finishes like Case Hardened and Doppler look very different in bright and dark scenes.
- Focus on what you see in a match. For knives that's mostly one side of the blade; for rifles, the side facing you in first-person view.
The comparison guide covers the full process, including float and exteriors, and the float guide explains the other hidden value every skin carries.