Souvenir AK-47 | Cartel (Factory New)

Skin overview

AK-47 | Cartel is a Classified rifle finish that pairs dark engraved metal with warm, strongly grained wood. The engraving of skeletons, flowers and serpents on the receiver and magazine is the main detail, and in Factory New the fine lines stay sharp against the dark metal. The wood keeps its full polish, so the contrast between black steel and orange-brown furniture is as strong as it gets.

Item type: rifle. The weapon is available only on the Terrorist side. Classified is the second-rarest weapon tier, only Covert sits above it.

Patina: an aged metal surface; wear is part of the design, so the gap between qualities is less visible.

Other qualities of this skin: Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred. The same quality also exists as the StatTrak™ version.

How the skin looks in Factory New

The receiver, dust cover and barrel area are finished in dark gunmetal with a fine engraved ornament of skeletons, flowers and serpents. The curved magazine carries the same dark engraved pattern along its length.

The dark metal is even and the engraving on the receiver and magazine is fully crisp. Edges, the muzzle and the magazine base show no rubbing. The wood keeps its glossy finish and deep grain contrast. At normal distance in game the rifle reads as a clean black and orange-brown AK with a visible ornament up close.

Factory New wear: float 0–0.07

The whole float range of Souvenir AK-47 | Cartel is 0–0.75; Factory New takes the 0–0.07 segment (9% of the scale). The lower the float within the range, the cleaner the surface looks and the higher a copy is usually priced.

Origin of the skin

Souvenir AK-47 | Cartel belongs to The Chroma Collection, which holds 14 skins.

The source is Chroma Case (on sale since Jan 8, 2015).

What it costs in each quality

Among 11 skins of the AK-47 in the Classified grade and this quality, this skin ranks 8th by price, counting from the dearest.

Souvenir version

This is the Souvenir version: such copies dropped to tournament viewers in souvenir packages; the team stickers and signatures on them cannot be removed or chosen. Souvenir items never carry StatTrak™. There is also the regular version without tournament stickers.

Which stickers suit it

Gold, bronze and muted red stickers suit the dark engraved metal and warm wood. Placing them on the receiver above the magazine keeps them readable against the dark background, while busy multicolour stickers tend to compete with the ornament.

What to check before buying

• Check where the float sits within the wear grade, since lower values keep the dark coating on the edges noticeably longer.
• Inspect the receiver corners, muzzle and magazine base, as these lose the dark finish first.
• Look at how clearly the engraving reads on the receiver and magazine in the inspect view.
• Check applied stickers and the name tag, as they change how the dark receiver and wood combination looks.

Who the Factory New quality suits

• Collectors who want the engraving and wood at their sharpest.
• Sticker crafters who need a clean dark receiver as a base.
• Conclusion: the choice for those who want Cartel in its cleanest form.