Two AWP Fades can wear the same price tag and look worlds apart. The finish blends purple, pink and yellow into a gradient, but how much of that gradient actually shows depends entirely on the pattern index — and the community turns that into a single number: the fade percentage.
What the percentage measures
Fade grading is simple to read: a 100% fade — a 'full fade' — shows the complete three-colour gradient across the blade or slide, while lower percentages cut the gradient off earlier and leave more of one colour dominating. The scale is set by the pattern index, not by wear.
That distinction matters because the percentage moves real money. On Fade knives — Karambit, Talon, Butterfly — and on guns like the Glock-18 Fade or AWP Fade, a 100% consistently prices above a 90%, which in turn sits above lower tiers of the same skin.
Percentage tiers and what they cost
Buyers pay in a ladder that tracks coverage. The exact premiums shift with the skin and the market, but the ordering is stable: fuller gradients cost more, and the jump to a genuine 100% is the one people chase hardest.
| Grade | What shows | Price effect |
|---|---|---|
| 100% (full fade) | Complete purple-pink-yellow gradient | Top of the ladder |
| ~90% | Almost the full gradient, slightly cut | Below full fade |
| Lower % | Gradient cut off earlier, one colour leads | Progressively cheaper |
Colour dominance, condition and verifying the seed
Some Fades are judged less by percentage and more by which colours dominate. 'Fire and ice' Marble Fades and the yellow-tip versus purple-tip distinction on certain knives follow the same seed-driven logic — the pattern index decides the look, and the market prices the preference.
One thing Fades rarely hinge on is condition. They occupy the lowest float ranges and are mostly Factory New, so wear is seldom the question — the seed is. Before paying a full-fade premium, open an inspection link to confirm the percentage, and sanity-check the price against the wear price ladder for that skin.