Butterfly Knife | Blue Steel

Origin Story

The Butterfly Knife | Blue Steel, released on July 1, 2014, as part of the Operation Breakout update, introduced a classic knife finish to the game. Its cold blued appearance, described in-game as having been "cold blued," offers a muted and dark metallic look. This finish is considered a classic, mid-to-high tier knife, valued for the iconic butterfly animation and its understated aesthetic. The flavor text, "This is the malbec of weapon design," suggests an acquired taste rather than a flashy display.

Drop Chance

Butterfly Knife | Blue Steel is a knife-tier skin, so standard Valve rarity odds don't apply. Knives drop at a combined rate of approximately 0.26% from supported cases before accounting for which knife type and finish you get. Valve doesn't publish individual knife or phase probabilities.

Skin Condition

Float range 0 to 1. Exteriors: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred. StatTrak is available in FN, MW, FT, WW, BS.

• Factory New ($1,150.00): The blade shows the richest blue/purple patina, with the most uniform and clean cold-blued surface.
• Minimal Wear ($1,125.55): The dark blue-gray patina retains most of its depth, with only subtle dulling compared to Factory New.
• Field-Tested ($1,279.30): Noticeable dulling of the patina makes the blade appear more gray-blue, with visible edge wear and light exposed steel along the tip and cutting edge.
• Well-Worn ($793.61): The patina is considerably faded and dark, with significant exposed bare metal on edges and patches on flat areas, creating a very worn aesthetic.
• Battle-Scarred ($978.37): The Blue Steel patina is heavily degraded, with the blade looking mostly gray metal and splotchy dark remnants of the original finish.

Model

Blue Steel uses the legacy Butterfly Knife model, introduced with Operation Breakout on July 1, 2014. The inspect animation and third-person appearance match the original CS:GO version.

How to Obtain

Knives are exceptionally rare drops from these cases, with a combined drop rate of approximately 0.26%. A StatTrak version is also available for kill tracking. Players can also acquire this knife directly from the Steam Community Market, third-party marketplaces, or case-opening sites.

Price Range

Butterfly Knife | Blue Steel ranges from $978.37 (Battle-Scarred) to $1,150.00 (Factory New). Field-Tested copies sit at $1,279.30. StatTrak versions carry a premium at every wear tier.


The current 7-day median is $1,088.95. The 90-day median is $1,136.20. The all-time median is $204.43. Volume averages 1 trades per day.

Visual Theme

Patina: It has been cold blued. This results in a dark bluish-gray steel appearance with muted blue and purple tones, giving the knife a cold, desaturated metallic look. In first-person view, the mottled blue/gray patina is most visible on the blade flats and edges. Community discussions often contrast Blue Steel finishes with brighter, gem-like knives, noting Blue Steel's more understated or "realistic" aesthetic.

Player Rating

Rating: 5.00 / 5
Votes: 1

Sticker Compatibility

As a knife skin, the Butterfly Knife | Blue Steel does not have sticker slots. However, its subdued, cold-blued aesthetic makes it a natural fit for loadouts featuring cool-toned, blue, or purple stickers on other weapons, as well as dark or navy gloves, to create a cohesive visual theme.