Factory New and Minimal Wear sit right next to each other on the wear scale, and on many skins you’d struggle to tell them apart in a match. The price difference, though, can be large. Here’s how to decide when the cleaner label is worth it.
The numbers
| Wear | Float range | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Factory New | 0.00 – 0.07 | Clean paint; the most sought-after label |
| Minimal Wear | 0.07 – 0.15 | Light marks, often only visible up close |
The line at 0.07 is a hard cutoff. A 0.069 is Factory New and a 0.071 is Minimal Wear, even though in game they look the same. That’s why low Minimal Wear floats, just above 0.07, are a well-known value pick.
The float still matters inside each band. A 0.01 and a 0.06 are both Factory New, and a 0.08 and a 0.14 are both Minimal Wear, but on finishes that show wear easily they can look slightly different up close. The wear name is a range, not a promise.
When the jump is worth it
- Bright, clean finishes. Solid colors, gradients and polished metal show scratches early, so Factory New often looks noticeably better.
- Wear on the main artwork. If the first marks land on the part of the skin you look at most, a cleaner float pays off.
- Collection pieces. If the item is headed for long-term cold storage, or the label itself matters to you, Factory New is the point.
- Low-float hunting. Some collectors chase very low floats inside Factory New. That’s its own hobby, with its own premiums.
When Minimal Wear is the smarter buy
- Busy patterns and camos hide light wear well. On many of them you’d need a magnifying glass to spot Minimal Wear marks.
- Low Minimal Wear floats look almost identical to Factory New on most skins.
- Some skins can’t be Factory New at all. The AK-47 | Redline starts at Minimal Wear, and the AWP | Asiimov starts at Field-Tested. For skins like these, the best available wear is the top condition.
- Budget for the rest of the loadout. The difference can upgrade another slot entirely.
How to compare before you buy
- Compare floats, not labels. A high Factory New and a low Minimal Wear can be very close.
- Look at the side you’ll actually see, in game or in screenshots under the same lighting.
- Check the finish’s float range. Some finishes are capped at one end, which changes what “best available” means.
- Use the Ice Core Lab on the home page, which plots every skin by float, to see where a listing sits against the rest.
- Remember that the bot sends the exact item you bought, so the float you compared is the float you get.
The takeaway
Pay for Factory New when the finish is bright or clean enough to show wear, or when the label itself matters to you. Otherwise, a low Minimal Wear is often the best value on the shelf. To find them, sort the market by Float: lowest first and look at listings just above 0.07.
Fresh powder is lovely, but packed snow holds a penguin just as well.
