Restricted is the fourth of the six weapon skin rarity tiers in CS2. It sits above Mil-Spec and below Classified. The label is purple, so traders call these skins "purples".
Valve's published case odds give Restricted a 15.98% chance per opening. That is about one in six cases, which makes purples common enough to be affordable but rare enough to carry some value. Prices vary a lot, since a popular Restricted skin on a popular gun can be worth far more than a Classified skin on a weapon nobody uses.
What makes one Restricted skin worth more than another?
The weapon matters most. AK-47, M4A4, M4A1-S, AWP and Desert Eagle skins draw more buyers than skins on rarely used guns. After that comes the design, the wear tier, the float within that tier, the pattern for skins where pattern matters, and whether the case is still in the active drop pool. Skins from retired cases stop being added to the market, so their supply only shrinks.
How do Restricted skins work in trade-ups?
Restricted is the sweet spot for many trade-up traders. Ten Restricted skins return one Classified skin from one of the input collections. Since some Classified skins sell for tens or hundreds of dollars, a well planned Restricted trade-up can pay off, but it can also return a Classified skin worth less than the ten inputs. The expected value depends on which collections you mix and how many outcomes each collection has.
Restricted skins are also the top output of a Mil-Spec trade-up, so a trader can chain blues into purples and purples into pinks. Each step adds risk, and each step should be checked in a trade-up calculator before you commit real items.