Knife | Scorched is a spray-painted finish (sp_dapple, catalog 175) on knives. Rarity is Consumer Grade (Common); wear runs 0.06–0.80, so you will see everything from relatively fresh to heavy Battle-Scarred. Valve’s line is simple: the blade was painted with a sun-dappled look—not a flat wash, but light and dark patches that shift as float climbs.

That patch layout is the whole identity. On curved knife models the same finish reads differently: edges catch highlights, flats hold bigger blotches, and two listings with the same wear tier can look nothing alike. Always inspect in-game (or match float, seed, and seller screenshots on C5GAME or the Steam Community Market) before you commit.

Wear & pattern cheat sheet

| Float band | What you usually get |
|------------|----------------------|
| Lower (FN / low MW) | Sharper patch edges, cleaner contrast |
| Mid (MW / FT) | Softer transitions, more “used metal” read |
| High (WW / BS) | Blurred edges, stronger age; BS often pushes base vs. patch contrast |

Because the finish is official Valve spray (not a rare special pattern tier), price is mostly knife model + float + how the dapple sits on the blade—not hype around a paint index lottery.

Shopping verdict

Buy if: you want a muted, gray-tactical melee that still reads in third person; you are fine shopping by inspect/screenshot, not thumbnail; you are pairing darker loadouts where neon finishes feel loud.

Skip or wait if: you need a fixed, symmetric look every time (this finish is placement-sensitive); you only care about flex tier finishes on knives; you will not open inspect and assume “common = looks the same on every listing.”

Budget tip: same wear number, different seeds—compare a few listings side by side on C5GAME or Steam; the “right” Scorched is often the cheap one whose patches landed where you like them.

Expert notes

The Arms Deal drop on 14 Aug 2013 is when knives entered the skin economy; Scorched on knives shows up in that same wave as an early sp_dapple example. Treat it like any spray knife: float tells age, seed tells geography on the blade.

The phoenix quote on the official page is flavor, not a wear mechanic—but it fits the skin’s vibe: worn surfaces, still deliberate, not garish. For editors and collectors, Scorched is a styling pick, not a status pick; the skill is curating which dapple you can live with for months of play.