Fade, Marble Fade & Case Hardened

Fade: the percentage game

Fade skins render a yellow-to-pink-to-purple gradient across the weapon. The paint seed decides how much of the full gradient actually appears - summarized by the community as a fade percentage, usually between roughly 78% and 100% depending on the weapon.

• A 100% ("full") Fade shows the complete gradient with maximum purple - the most wanted roll, priced above lower percentages.
• Percentages are weapon-specific conventions measured by collectors from the visible gradient, not an official stat.
• Most Fade finishes are float-capped low (Glock-18 Fade: 0.00 - 0.08), so nearly every Fade is Factory New - the seed, not the float, is the differentiator.

Marble Fade: true Fire & Ice

Marble Fade swirls red, blue and yellow across the blade. The prized layout is Fire & Ice: only red and blue visible, meeting in a clean split, with little to no yellow. The community grades it by how pure the two-color split is on the playside:

• First-class (true) Fire & Ice: no visible yellow on the playside. The rarest and most expensive outcome - on a Karambit, seeds like 412 and 16 are the famous examples.
• Second-class Fire & Ice: trace yellow visible. Still a strong premium, below first-class.
• "Fake" Fire & Ice: red/blue dominant but with clear yellow - often marketed optimistically, so check screenshots.
• Tricolor: all three colors in distinct bands - its own smaller collector niche.

Like Doppler, Marble Fade is capped at 0.08 float, so condition is almost always Factory New and the seed carries the entire premium.

Case Hardened: the Blue Gem economy

Case Hardened paints the weapon in patches of blue, purple and gold. Blue covers the least area in the texture, so seeds that land mostly blue on the visible surfaces - Blue Gems - are the rarest and most valuable outcomes. Gold-dominant "Gold Gems" have a smaller following of their own.

• Tiers are judged by blue coverage on the playside first, backside second. Tier 1 means near-full blue on the visible side.
• Case Hardened has the full 0.00 - 1.00 float range, so a Blue Gem can exist in any wear - a clean FN Tier 1 is the unicorn.
• StatTrak versions of famous seeds are exponentially rarer (each seed+StatTrak combination is a separate roll).
• The same seed number means nothing across weapons - always check the per-weapon tier list.

Buying pattern skins safely

• Always verify the seed number against the current community tier list for that exact weapon.
• Ask for (or check) playside screenshots - the pattern premium lives on the visible side.
• Remember float still matters: a Tier 2 at 0.01 can be worth more than a Tier 1 at 0.35.
• Be skeptical of "Fire & Ice" or "Blue Gem" claims without the seed shown - the names get used loosely.