Butterfly Knife in CS2: Skins, Cases & Prices
The Butterfly Knife is one of the two most wanted knives in CS2, alongside the Karambit. Its balisong flipping animation is the whole appeal. Here is which Butterfly skins are worth looking at, where it drops, and how to get one for the least money.
Short answer: the Butterfly Knife is the balisong knife added with Operation Breakout in July 2014. It comes in 24 finishes plus the vanilla knife (35 versions counting every Doppler and Gamma Doppler phase), drops from 5 cases, and since October 2025 can also be made in a trade up. Five Covert skins from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case always give a Butterfly Knife, because it is the only knife in that case. Today's lowest price for every finish is in the live table below.
Best Butterfly Knife skins
| Finish | Why people want it |
|---|---|
| Doppler (Sapphire, Ruby, Black Pearl) | The jackpot phases; among the priciest knives in the game |
| Doppler (Phase 1–4) | Colorful and more affordable. Phase 2 is usually the priciest normal phase, and on the Butterfly Phase 4 also sells above Phase 1 and Phase 3 (phases explained) |
| Fade | Pink/purple/yellow gradient; higher fade % costs more |
| Case Hardened | Price depends heavily on the pattern; blue gems are collector items |
| Crimson Web | Classic look; low-float FN is rare and expensive |
| Marble Fade | Red, blue and yellow pattern; "fire and ice" patterns cost extra |
| Tiger Tooth | Bright gold stripes, strong mid-tier pick |
| Slaughter | Red and white pattern; some patterns (e.g. "diamond") cost more |
| Vanilla (no finish) | Plain steel with a clean look; surprisingly popular |
| Safari Mesh, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Forest DDPAT | The cheapest way to own a Butterfly |
Butterfly Knife | Doppler
Butterfly Knife | Fade
Butterfly Knife | Case Hardened
Butterfly Knife | Crimson Web
Butterfly Knife | Marble Fade
Butterfly Knife | Tiger Tooth
Butterfly Knife | Slaughter
Butterfly KnifeButterfly Knife prices by finish
| Finish | Lowest price | Factory New | Cheapest on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safari Mesh | $353.85 FT | $544.32 | Buff.Market |
| Forest DDPAT | $354.76 FT | $810.55 | SkinSwap |
| Boreal Forest | $360.00 BS | $652.99 | Buff.Market |
| Urban Masked | $369.29 FT | $920.00 | SkinSwap |
| Scorched | $371.98 BS | $823.10 | SkinSwap |
| Night | $404.49 BS | $1,294 | SkinSwap |
| Rust Coat | $407.50 BS | – | SkinSwap |
| Ultraviolet | $410.14 BS | $1,593 | SkinSwap |
| Bright Water | $412.79 BS | $502.50 | SkinSwap |
| Lore | $422.04 BS | $1,559 | SkinSwap |
| Stained | $432.47 WW | $822.67 | SkinSwap |
| Black Laminate | $452.21 BS | $680.77 | SkinSwap |
| Freehand | $452.36 BS | $574.70 | SkinSwap |
| Crimson Web | $456.78 BS | $3,699 | SkinSwap |
| Damascus Steel | $528.27 WW | $678.31 | SkinSwap |
| Autotronic | $551.02 BS | $1,116 | DMarket |
| Case Hardened | $556.94 BS | $1,253 | SkinSwap |
| Blue Steel | $594.95 WW | $1,057 | SkinSwap |
| Tiger Tooth | $874.19 FN | $874.19 | SkinSwap |
| Vanilla (no finish) | $930.27 | – | SkinSwap |
| Slaughter | $970.47 FT | $1,166 | SkinSwap |
| Marble Fade | $1,091 FN | $1,091 | Skins.com |
| Gamma Doppler | $1,361 FN | $1,361 | SkinSwap |
| Doppler | $1,786 FN | $1,786 | SkinSwap |
| Fade | $1,789 FN | $1,789 | SkinSwap |
Lowest listing across up to 11 marketplaces in the CS2TradeUp.gg price feed, without StatTrak or Souvenir, checked on 2026-11-11. Prices change every day, so open a skin for live prices.
Breakout Coverts: the guaranteed Butterfly trade up
The Operation Breakout Weapon Case has only one knife in its rare pool: the Butterfly Knife, vanilla or one of 12 original finishes. Since the October 22, 2025 update, a Covert trade up gives a knife from the case of one of your inputs, so five Coverts from that case (the P90 | Asiimov and the M4A1-S | Cyrex) can only give a Butterfly Knife. Five StatTrak ones give a StatTrak Butterfly.
It is also the only source of those 12 finishes, including Fade, Case Hardened, Slaughter and Crimson Web: Spectrum and Spectrum 2 have the Chroma finishes, Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares the Gamma ones. The finish you get is still random, and the pool mixes high-end finishes such as Fade with budget camos such as Safari Mesh, so a guaranteed Butterfly is not a guaranteed profit. The result's float follows your inputs' floats (float guide). Price five inputs against the whole pool in the knife trade up calculator first.
Which wear to buy, and what to check
- Two wears only: Doppler, Gamma Doppler, Fade, Marble Fade and Tiger Tooth have a 0.00–0.08 float range, so they exist only in Factory New and Minimal Wear. Phase, fade % or pattern matters more than wear here.
- Slaughter (0.01–0.26) stops at Field-Tested; Rust Coat (0.40–1.00) is always Well-Worn or Battle-Scarred.
- Crimson Web, Night, Ultraviolet and the camo finishes start at 0.06, so Factory New only covers 0.06–0.07. That's why a Factory New Crimson Web Butterfly is rare.
- Before paying: Steam Market listings have shown float and pattern since the May 12, 2026 market redesign. All Doppler phases share one Steam listing name, so confirm the phase by paint index; fade % is fixed by the pattern seed. Our pre-purchase checklist and safe trading tips apply to the Butterfly too.
Which cases have the Butterfly Knife?
The Butterfly Knife drops from 5 cases. In the Operation Breakout Weapon Case it is the only knife in the rare pool, so every knife from that case is a Butterfly Knife. The table lists every case with the Butterfly Knife finishes it can give and the odds per case opened.
| Case | Butterfly finishes in this case | Any Butterfly | One specific finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation Breakout Weapon Case | 13: Vanilla, Fade, Crimson Web, Slaughter, Case Hardened, Urban Masked, Blue Steel, Night, Stained, Forest DDPAT, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Safari Mesh | 0.26% (1 in 385) | 0.02% (1 in 5,000) |
| Spectrum Case, Spectrum 2 Case | 6: Marble Fade, Tiger Tooth, Doppler (Ruby, Sapphire, Black Pearl, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4), Damascus Steel, Ultraviolet, Rust Coat | 0.052% (1 in 1,923) | 0.0087% (1 in 11,538) |
| Operation Riptide Case, Dreams & Nightmares Case | 6: Gamma Doppler (Emerald, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4), Lore, Autotronic, Black Laminate, Freehand, Bright Water | 0.052% (1 in 1,923) | 0.0087% (1 in 11,538) |
How the odds are calculated: every case gives a knife or gloves 0.26% of the time, and we split that evenly over the different knife finishes in each case's rare pool (counted from the case's item list, with a Doppler or Gamma Doppler counted as one finish whatever its phase), because Valve only publishes the 0.26% total.
Work out your chances over many openings with the CS2 knife odds calculator, check what every Butterfly Knife sells for on CS2 knife prices, or skip the unboxing with a knife trade up using Covert skins from one of these cases.
Cheapest way to get a Butterfly Knife
- Buy one in a budget finish and heavy wear. That's by far the cheapest route to a Butterfly.
- Knife trade up: five Breakout Coverts always give a Butterfly (see above). Coverts from Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide or Dreams & Nightmares can give one too, but there it shares the pool with four other knives, so under the usual odds model only about 1 in 5 results is a Butterfly. See the knife trade up guide, and check the odds in the knife trade up calculator.
- Unboxing for a Butterfly is a very expensive lottery.
Compare it with the other top knife: the Karambit. Or see where it sits among the most expensive knives.
Frequently asked questions
What case has the Butterfly Knife?
The Butterfly Knife first appeared in the Operation Breakout Weapon Case in 2014. It is also in Spectrum and Spectrum 2 (Chroma finishes such as Doppler, Marble Fade and Tiger Tooth) and in Operation Riptide and Dreams & Nightmares (Gamma finishes).
What are the odds of unboxing a Butterfly Knife?
Any knife or gloves drop 0.26% of the time. Split evenly over the knife finishes in each case's rare pool, a Butterfly Knife in any finish is between 0.052% and 0.26% per case (about 1 in 1,923 to 1 in 385), depending on the case.
Why is the Butterfly Knife so expensive?
Demand. Its animations are widely seen as the best in the game, and it is a 0.052–0.26% drop per case depending on the case.
What is the cheapest Butterfly Knife?
Usually a worn Safari Mesh, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Forest DDPAT or Urban Masked. It's still pricier than most other knives in the same finish.
Can you trade up to a Butterfly Knife?
Yes. Five Covert skins from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case (P90 | Asiimov and M4A1-S | Cyrex) always give a Butterfly Knife, because it is the only knife in that case's pool; the finish is random among the vanilla knife and its 12 original finishes. Coverts from Spectrum, Spectrum 2, Operation Riptide or Dreams & Nightmares can give one too, but there it shares the pool with four other knives.
How many Butterfly Knife skins are there?
24 finishes plus the vanilla knife, or 35 versions if you count each Doppler and Gamma Doppler phase separately. The 12 original finishes, including Fade, Case Hardened and Crimson Web, come only from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case.