TF2 trading glossary
Terms you meet when trading Team Fortress 2 items and using an exchange, in a sentence or two each.
- TF2 key (Mann Co. Supply Crate Key)
- A Team Fortress 2 item that opens Mann Co. crates. It costs $2.49 in the store and is the main trading currency of TF2.
- Tour of Duty Ticket
- A pass to Mann Up mode in Mann vs. Machine. Used up only after a mission is completed.
- Ref (refined metal)
- The small change of TF2 trading: metal used for crafting. 1 ref = 3 reclaimed = 9 scrap; cheap items are priced in ref, expensive ones in keys.
- Mann Co. crate
- A locked box with items. A key opens it, and both the key and the crate are used up.
- Backpack
- The TF2 inventory. Free accounts have 50 slots, Premium ones 300; a trade into a full backpack fails.
- Trade offer
- A Steam trade that one side sends and the other accepts. Site bots work through trade offers.
- Trade URL
- A link that lets anyone send you a trade offer without being friends. Where to find it.
- Trade hold
- Steam holds a trade for up to 15 days if the mobile authenticator has been on for less than 7 days. How to remove it.
- Trade restriction
- An item from the Mann Co. Store or the Steam Community Market cannot be traded for 7 days after purchase.
- Steam Guard
- Steam account protection. The mobile authenticator confirms sign-ins and trades and is needed for trades without a hold.
- Steam Community Market
- The item market inside Steam, paid with Steam wallet funds. The seller of a TF2 item receives about 15% less than the buyer pays.
- Bot
- A site's Steam account that sends and accepts trade offers automatically.
- Order book
- The list of all open buy and sell orders by price. It shows how many items you can buy or sell right away.
- Bid and ask
- The bid is the best buyer price (what you get selling now); the ask is the best seller price (what you pay buying now).
- Spread
- The gap between the best sell and buy prices. The smaller it is, the cheaper it is to buy and sell back.
- Market order
- Buying or selling instantly at the best orders in the book. Here it is the Exchange page.
- Limit order
- An order at your own price that waits in the book until someone matches it. Here it is the Trading page.
- USDT
- A stablecoin pegged to the US dollar (1 USDT ≈ $1). All prices and payments on the exchange are in USDT.
- Network
- The blockchain a USDT transfer travels on. Send only on the network chosen for the deposit.
- Tag (memo)
- An extra transfer field on some networks. If the site shows one, a payment without it is not credited automatically.
- Scam
- Trading fraud: fake sites, swapped trade offers, requests to send items first. How to stay safe.
Read next
- TF2 key guidesStep-by-step, no filler: buying and selling keys, Steam wallet, trades and safety.
- Why Steam Holds Your Trade and How to Remove ItWhy Steam holds trades for up to 15 days and how to remove the hold: the Steam Guard mobile authenticator, the 7-day wait and item trade restrictions.
- How to Find Your Steam Trade URLWhere to find your Steam trade URL (trade offer link) on desktop and mobile, how to copy and renew it. A direct link to the trade offer settings.
- Buy TF2 keysMann Co. keys for USDT at the live exchange price. Buy instantly from the best offer; keys land in your storage and go to Steam in a trade offer from our bot.
- FAQ