Fade %

Fade is a finish that applies a bright gradient — historically yellow-red-pink-purple — across part of the weapon, most famously on knives. How much of the weapon that gradient actually covers is set by pattern index, and the community measures it as a percentage: a "100% Fade" or "full fade" copy has the gradient running the entire length of the blade, while a low fade percentage might only show a sliver of color near the handle.

Fade percentage is checked directly against pattern-index lookup tables rather than eyeballed, since two copies can look similar at a glance but score noticeably differently. Full and near-full fades on knives are some of the most expensive individual pattern indexes in the entire game.