Nova | Caged Steel (Field-Tested)

The Nova | Caged Steel (Field-Tested, FT) is an Industrial Grade shotgun skin with a gray hex-pattern metal-flake finish. Field-Tested is the most worn grade this finish reaches, and the cheapest way to run the caged, industrial look.

Design

The whole shotgun wears a gray hex pattern of stencilled metal-flake paint under an oval-cutout hydrographic — a caged, machined design that leans on texture and muted color rather than bold graphics. Valve designed the finish, which comes with the in-game line "Say matte!"

Nova | Caged Steel (Field-Tested) Float and Wear

The finish is float-capped at 0.20, and Field-Tested sits at the top of that tight 0.00–0.20 range — so this is the most worn grade the skin ever reaches, and it stays far milder than a Field-Tested copy of a full-range finish would. Expect only modest scuffing on the edges, with the gray hex mesh still clearly readable. It's the budget end of an already cheap finish.

Nova | Caged Steel Rarity

Rarity: Industrial Grade — the light-blue, low tier of the standard weapon grades. Common to run across, which is a big part of why the finish stays so affordable.

Nova | Caged Steel Case and Collection

This Nova is a member of The Bank Collection, which debuted with the April 2014 update. Because it's a collection finish and not a case item, it reaches players via collection drops and trade-ups rather than from a paid case.

Nova | Caged Steel Patterns

Every copy carries the identical hex mesh — the gray cage pattern is fixed, so the paint index has no effect on appearance and there's nothing like a blue gem to seek out. Wear and float remain the only meaningful differences from one unit to the next.

StatTrak & Souvenir

No StatTrak variant exists for this finish. StatTrak counters are created inside weapon cases, and The Bank Collection was never released as a case, so the mechanism never applied. Likewise there's no Souvenir version, as those come exclusively from Major-tournament packages this collection was never part of.

Nova | Caged Steel Price

Field-Tested is the cheapest grade of the skin — and since the whole finish is budget-priced, that makes it about as low-cost as a Nova gets. It's the entry point for anyone who just wants the industrial hex look for pocket change. It's available to buy on Skin.Land with instant delivery and no hidden fees.

FAQ

Does the Field-Tested Caged Steel look worn?

Only mildly. Because the finish is capped at a 0.20 float, even its most worn grade shows just modest edge scuffing — nothing like the heavy battering a full-range Field-Tested skin carries. The gray hex mesh stays clearly readable, so it still looks tidy in-game despite being the lowest grade here.

Why does this skin only go down to Field-Tested?

The finish is float-capped at 0.20, and Well-Worn (WW) and Battle-Scarred (BS) both require higher float values than that. Since the game never rolls a Caged Steel above 0.20, those heavier grades simply can't exist — Field-Tested is as worn as this Nova gets.

Is Field-Tested worth it over Minimal Wear (MW)?

If you want the absolute lowest price, yes — Field-Tested is the cheapest grade, and the wear is light enough that the hex look holds up fine. Minimal Wear costs only a little more for a slightly tidier surface, so the two are close; pick by whichever float and price you prefer.