weapon | Steel Cage (am_oval_hex) sits in the uncommon tier as a weapon finish tied to the Bank Heist Collection. Valve leaned on multicolor electroplating and stencil metal paint rather than a busy illustration, so the read is gray-silver industry: cage-like geometry, brushed highlights, and a finish that stays readable in motion without screaming for attention. If you like loadouts that feel machined and vault-themed, this skin is one of the clearer metal statements in an older collection line that still turns up often on Steam Community Market and C5GAME.

Release date

It landed on 2014-05-01 with The Hunt Begins update, alongside the broader Bank Heist theme wave. That timing matters for collectors: it is not a modern case chase item, but a steady vintage listing you can still compare wear on without hunting a discontinued drop every week.

Designer

Valve authored the look. The design language is stencil metal lacquer—layered material reads over cartoon shapes—so identity comes from pattern breakup and plating shift, not a single hero graphic.

Source collection

It comes from the Bank Heist Collection, not a standalone weapon case headline. When you shop, match collection name plus wear band on Steam or C5GAME listings so you do not grab the wrong finish from a thumbnail alone.

Skin highlights

• Weapon / slot: weapon
• Finish: Steel Cage
• Rarity: uncommon
• Collection: Bank Heist Collection
• Technique: multicolor electroplating
• Wear range: 0.0 ~ 0.2

The official blurb describes hex patterning, stencil-applied metallic scale paint, and oval cutout motifs on top. In inspect, think in three layers: hex base grid, scale flecks that catch light, and oval cut panels that slice the surface into blocks. Spin the model and the electroplate color temperature shifts slightly, which gives the cage grid more depth than a flat gray slab. Factory New reads as the intended crisp stencil with tighter scale sparkle; wear still caps at 0.2, so the practical band is Factory New through Minimal Wear—large scrapes are uncommon, and most “differences” are edge contrast and how clean the hex reads.

What to look for

Inspect in-game before you commit. Side lighting shows whether the hex grid stays continuous around curves and whether the oval cutouts track the weapon silhouette. Within the same float band, scale density and brightness often change the vibe more than pattern index drama. For a Bank Heist-themed set, Steel Cage’s metal cage pairs well with louder high-tier finishes because the material story is restraint versus color. Confirm float stays inside 0.0~0.2, and pull up C5GAME or Steam Market inspect screenshots—they beat icon art when you are choosing between two similar listings.