Best Guide for Knife and Glove Trade-Ups in CS2

In the big October 2025 update, developer Valve Corporation officially expanded the “Trade Up Contract” so you can now use five Covert (red-rarity) items to craft a knife or a pair of gloves. Previously, knives and gloves were only obtained via case openings or very rare drops.
Here are the specifics:

Use 5 regular Covert items → get one regular knife or one pair of gloves (from the collections of the input skins)
Use 5 StatTrak™ Covert items → get one StatTrak™ knife (gloves are not in this path)
The knives/gloves you receive must come from the same collection(s) as your input items, so mixing collections affects the possible outcome pool.

Best Guide for Knife and Glove Trade-Ups in CS2

Before you burn five Coverts, test your luck on DaddySkins. Open knife and glove cases, then send the profit into trade ups if you want to go deeper.

Table of Contents

Why This Matters – The Big Impact

This update isn’t just a new feature; it’s shaking up the entire skin economy in CS2.

The market value of Covert-skins has surged because they are now “crafting fuel” for knives/gloves.
Conversely, the rarity of knives/gloves has been diluted, causing big drops in value for many existing items.
For you as a player/trader at triple2s, this means new opportunities (you can aim for a knife via trade-up rather than random case) and new risks (values shifting fast, what is “rare” today may be less so tomorrow).

Step-by-Step: How to Do a Knife or Glove Trade-Up

Follow this walkthrough to use the new system correctly. I’ve made it super clear so you can share with clients or do it yourself confidently.

Step 1: Prepare Your Inventory

Launch CS2, go to your Inventory.
Make sure you have 5 Covert-quality skins (they must be “Covert / red rarity”).
Decide whether you want regular outcome (knife or gloves) or StatTrak knife only path: if you want StatTrak knife, ensure all five inputs are StatTrak.

Get coverts instantly on Daddyskins using our covert case. Use these covert skins to get yourself a knife or gloves by following the steps below.

Step 2: Choose a Collection Strategy

Pick skins from collections that also include the desirable knife/glove you want. Example: if you want a knife from “Dreams & Nightmares” collection, use five Covert skins from that collection (or collections that include it) so your craft outcome is drawn from that set.
Avoid mixing wildly different collections if you want control; mixing expands outcome pool and reduces control.

Step 3: Execute the Trade-Up Contract

In your Inventory, click “Trade Up Contract”.
Select your 5 Covert items.
Confirm:
- If all are StatTrak → you will receive a StatTrak knife.
- If regular → you will receive a regular knife or gloves (random which one) from the collection(s).
Submit the contract. It will process and deliver your new item.

Step 4: After the Craft – What to Do

Once received, you can hold, inspect, trade, or sell your new knife/gloves.
But note: due to recent changes, the market is volatile. What you craft today may drop in value tomorrow. Use caution if your goal is investment rather than usage.

Tips & Strategies for Smart Traders

Here are some humanized insights to help you thrive, not just survive, in this newly shifting market.

Target collections deliberately: If you have high ambition, choose five input skins from a collection that has a highly-desirable knife finish. That increases the upside.
Calculate your input cost vs expected outcome: If your five Covert skins cost you $100 each, that’s $500 input. If knives in that collection are now $700, you’re potentially ahead—but maybe knives drop further.
Be aware of the cooldown/hold rules: Many players have reported trade-holds. Example: if you acquire skins via trade they may have a cooldown before you can use them in contract. Buying items directly from Steam Market avoids this.
Market timing is everything: With the update just dropping, there’s a rush. Covert skin prices spiking → may pull down later. Knife/glove values dropping → might bounce or might keep dropping. Watch closely.
Use for value or use for flair: If your goal is using a knife for gameplay/showing off, this is great. If your goal is long-term investment, proceed extra carefully. The “rarity guarantee” used to be stronger.

Regions & Networks: Global Strategy

The update is global, every region where CS2 is played will see similar mechanics. But region-specific dynamics matter:

North America / EU: Big skin market maturity, lots of traders. Price moves will be swift and large.
Asia / SEA: May lag a little behind in reaction, giving you arbitrage opportunities (buy input skins cheaper in one region, craft, sell in region where knife demand is higher).
Emerging regions: Smaller markets may have fewer buyers for high-end knives now, so you might hold longer or face more hold time.

From a human-network perspective: sharing these strategies in Discord communities, creating trust circles for cost-sharing trade-ups, and leveraging your network (as triple2s does) means you’re not alone. People pooling five covert skins together, agreeing on profit-sharing, etc, are the new trade-up model.

Risks & Warnings

To wrap with honesty: this isn’t foolproof. Here are the major risks:

Value can drop fast. Some knives/gloves may be worth 50 % less than pre-update due to increased supply.
If you pick input skins from the “wrong” collection (one without the desired knife) you might get a lesser outcome, less value.
Trade holds and cooldowns can delay your ability to flip or use the item.
The update may change again. Rare item rules in CS2 have shifted; this could affect long term investment trust.