The AK-47 is the rifle that rewards short, controlled bursts, and Case Hardened skips paint in favor of real metalwork. The steel is color case-hardened by heating it packed in wood charcoal, a genuine hardening process that leaves swirling blue, gold, and silver tones in the surface. Because the coloring comes from the heat treatment, the blue placement varies from rifle to rifle.
Case Hardened skins are tinted by a paint seed, one of 1000 patterns. The seed fixes the blue, gold and purple layout on the weapon, so two Case Hardened of the same wear can look completely different and trade at very different prices.
Seeds with heavy blue coverage on the most visible side are called "Blue Gems". On the AK-47 the best-known examples are seeds like 661, 670 and 955; on the Karambit, seed 387 is the reference Blue Gem. Tier lists rank seeds by blue percentage, and top patterns command large premiums over an average Case Hardened.
Because the seed is not shown in the item name, buyers check the paint seed in the inspect screen or a pattern database before paying a Blue Gem price.
Across 31 markets the FT floor moved +2.2% in 18 days: $450.00 → $460.00.
Cheapest venue vs Steam right now: $840.99 apart (65%).
Sources: Valve item data · our 31-market price snapshot.
How much does AK-47 (Case Hardened) cost?
AK-47 (Case Hardened) starts at $460.00 across 31 marketplaces in our comparison, buyer fees included. Current floors by wear: FN $873.66 · MW $610.00 · FT $460.00 · WW $383.61 · BS $361.21. Steam asks $1,300.99 for the same listing.
Where can I sell or cash out AK-47 (Case Hardened)?
Right now DMarket pays the most: $435.02 net after its seller fee; the full ranking sits in the Sell tab. Steam offers $1,211.61, wallet-only — Steam funds never cash out.
Does AK-47 (Case Hardened) come in StatTrak or Souvenir?
It does — StatTrak (from $460.00), Souvenir (from $910.45) listings exist too. Pick a Quality pill above to see that variant priced across the same markets.
How do I get AK-47 (Case Hardened)?
The drop source is CS:GO Weapon Case, itself listed from $118.11; the direct market price starts at $460.00. Opening containers for one specific skin rarely beats buying it outright.
CS:GO Weapon Case
Inspect a FT copy in game 
