How does the trade hold calculator work?
Enter the date and time you got a CS2 item and pick how you got it. The calculator shows when the item becomes tradable and marketable again, and when Trade Protection ends. Times show in your own time zone and in UTC, with a live countdown.
Below that, a second box covers account-wide restrictions. These block all trading and Market use for a while, for example after a password reset. Pick what happened and when, and the tool shows the end date.
Every rule comes from a Steam Support page or a Valve post. Each result links to its source with a short quote.
What is CS2 Trade Protection?
Trade Protection is a Steam feature that lets you undo recent trades if you lose control of your account. Steam Support says Counter-Strike 2 is currently the only game that uses it.
When you receive a CS2 item in a trade, it arrives right away and you can use it in game. For the next 7 days it is Trade Protected. Steam's Trade Protected Items page says these items "cannot be consumed, modified, or transferred (including being moved to a Storage Unit)." Once the 7 days are over, the protection ends and the trade can no longer be reversed.
Our guide on trade protection and reversals covers the details.
Do CS2 items still have a trade hold?
No. The old trade hold kept items away from both players for up to 15 days if you did not have the Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator. Steam Support now says: "Counter-Strike 2 items are not subject to trade holds or trade escrow." Because of Trade Protection, CS2 items move between accounts right away, whatever security you have.
Trade holds still exist for other games on Steam. Read Steam trade hold explained to see how the two systems differ.
What rules does the calculator use?
| How you got the item | Tradable after | Trade Protection | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade with a player or a site's bot | 7 days | 7 days, trade can be reversed | Steam Support |
| Bought on the Steam Community Market | 7 days | Not described by Steam | Valve (2018) and Steam Support |
| Bought in game (CS2 store) | 7 days | Not described by Steam | Valve (2018) and Steam Support |
| Weekly drop, case unbox, trade up | Not modelled | Not modelled | No official page found |
For Market and in-game purchases, the 7-day length comes from Valve's March 2018 CS:GO post, which says traded items get "the same seven-day trade cooldown as items purchased in-game or via the Steam Community Market." Steam Support today says these items are not tradable or marketable "until after the date indicated on the item in your Inventory," without giving a number. So always check that date too.
What time of day does an item unlock?
We could not find a Valve or Steam page that gives a fixed unlock hour for CS2 items. So the calculator adds full 24-hour days to the exact time you enter. Traders have reported that Steam changed how unlock times work in 2026. Until Valve documents it, treat our time as a close guide. The date and time on the item in your Steam inventory is always the final word.
The calculator shows the result in your time zone and in UTC. If a daylight saving change falls inside the 7 days, the local clock time moves by an hour, but the real amount of time is still exactly 7 days.
Worked example 1: a skin from a trade
You accept a trade on Thursday, 24 September 2026 at 18:00 UTC.
- Trade Protection lasts 7 days, so it ends on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC.
- Until then, you can equip the skin, but you cannot trade it, sell it, use it up or put it in a Storage Unit.
- Until then, the person who sent it can also reverse the trade, and the skin goes back to them.
- From 1 October at 18:00 UTC, the trade is final and the skin is yours to trade.
If you are in New York (UTC minus 4 hours in autumn), the calculator shows 2:00 PM local time for the same moment.
Worked example 2: a Market purchase and a new phone
You buy a skin on the Steam Community Market on 10 March 2026 at 09:30 UTC. The calculator shows it becomes tradable on 17 March 2026 at 09:30 UTC. It has no Trade Protection window, because Steam describes that feature for trades.
Now say you moved your Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator to a new phone on 15 March at 12:00 UTC. Steam puts a 2-day trade and Market restriction on the account after a transfer. That ends on 17 March at 12:00 UTC. So even though the skin unlocks at 09:30, you cannot trade it until 12:00, when your account restriction ends.
Which account changes block trading?
These come from Steam Support's Trading and Market Restrictions page and the Mobile Authenticator FAQ.
| What happened | Trading and Market blocked for |
|---|---|
| New device or browser, no authenticator for 7+ days | 7 days |
| Steam Guard turned on (or off and on again) | 15 days |
| Forgotten password reset | 5 days (30 if inactive 2+ months) |
| Mobile Authenticator removed | 15 days |
| Mobile Authenticator moved to a new phone | 2 days |
| You cancelled an accepted trade that was on hold | 7 days |
| You reversed your trades with Trade Protection | 30 days |
Adding funds with a new card that is not verified also means a 3-day wait before you can buy on the Community Market. Steam Support cannot remove any of these restrictions.
What does "not modelled" mean?
Some ways of getting items have no official rule we could find, such as weekly drops, unboxed items and trade up results. Instead of guessing, the calculator says the case is not modelled and asks you to check the item in your inventory. We will add these as soon as Valve or Steam Support publishes the rule.
When should I use this calculator?
Use it when you plan to resell an item and need to know when you can. Pair it with the trade profit calculator so you know your profit and your waiting time before you buy.
Use it after a trade too. Knowing when Trade Protection ends tells you how long a trade could still be reversed. If someone pushes you to trade in a hurry or sends you a login link, check it with the scam link checker first, and read how to secure your Steam account.
