If you're new to mechanical keyboards, shopping for your first keycap set can get overwhelming fast. This guide walks through material, profile, sizing, compatibility and legend printing one decision at a time, so you end up with a set that actually fits your board.
- Why Are Keycaps Worth Choosing Carefully?
- Which Keyboards Let You Change Keycaps?
- PBT or ABS: Which Keycap Material Should You Choose?
- Which Keycap Profile Should You Choose?
- How Do You Know If Keycaps Will Fit Your Keyboard?
- What Does 1u Mean in Keycap Sizing?
- Double Shot vs Dye Sub: What's the Difference?
- Which Keycaps Should You Buy for Your Use Case?
- How Should a Beginner Choose Their First Set?
Why Are Keycaps Worth Choosing Carefully?
Product listings throw a lot of terminology at you right away:
- PBT Keycaps / ABS Keycaps
- Cherry Profile / OEM Profile / XDA Profile / SA Profile
- Double Shot / Dye Sublimation
And then there's key count and layout compatibility:
- 61 Keys / 87 Keys / 104 Keys / 130 Keys
- 60% Compatible / 65% Compatible / 75% Compatible
For a first-time buyer, that's a lot to parse. You've probably wondered:
Here's the thing — keycaps aren't just decoration. They're the part your fingers touch every day, and they affect:
- Typing feel
- Sound
- Comfort over long sessions
- The look of your board
- How long the set stays looking new
Swapping keycaps is one of the easiest ways to improve a mechanical keyboard. This guide covers material, profile, sizing, compatibility, legend printing, and what to pick for your specific use case.
Which Keyboards Let You Change Keycaps?
A keycap is the plastic cover that sits on top of a mechanical switch. The switch registers the keypress; the keycap determines everything you actually feel — texture, sound and appearance.
One important prerequisite: only mechanical keyboards let you swap keycaps. Membrane keyboards don't.
On a membrane board, the keys sit on a single moulded rubber dome sheet — the cap and the mechanism underneath aren't separable, and pulling one off usually means it won't go back. On a mechanical board, every keycap clips independently onto its own switch stem, which is the entire reason a keycap market exists.
- Check the product page or box — if it mentions mechanical switches, Cherry MX, Gateron, Kailh, or switch colours like red, blue, brown or silver, it's mechanical.
- Look at it from the side — if you can see individual switch housings in the gaps between keycaps, it's mechanical. A single flat plastic panel underneath usually means membrane.
- Press a key — mechanical switches have a distinct tactile bump or click and a crisp return. Membrane keys feel softer and mushier, and only register when bottomed out.
Once you've confirmed it's mechanical, swapping caps takes a keycap puller and a few minutes — see our guide on how to remove keycaps safely.
The rest of this guide works through the decisions in order: material → profile → compatibility → sizing → legends.
PBT or ABS: Which Keycap Material Should You Choose?
Material is usually the first thing to settle. The two common options are ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate). Both are injection molded — the difference shows up in how the surface behaves over time.
| PBT | ABS | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Lightly textured, more grip | Smooth and slick |
| Long-term wear | Resists shine | High-use keys develop shine |
| Colour options | More limited | Wider range, richer colours |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
Which One to Pick
| If you... | Go with |
|---|---|
| Type, code or game for hours daily | PBT |
| Are buying your first set | PBT |
| Prefer a slicker, smoother surface | ABS |
| Want bold colours or themed designs | ABS |
For a closer look at how the two compare on density, heat resistance, sound and real-world wear rate, we have a dedicated breakdown: PBT vs ABS Keycaps →
Which Keycap Profile Should You Choose?
After material, profile is the other factor that meaningfully changes your experience.
No single profile suits everyone. Rather than getting lost in specs, work backwards from how you actually use your board.
Pick a Profile by Use Case
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First set, no strong preference yet | OEM | The default on most stock boards — zero adjustment period |
| Long typing or coding sessions | Cherry | Lower than OEM, shorter finger travel, less fatigue |
| Clean, uniform desk aesthetic | XDA | Even height, wide flat tops, great for printed designs |
| Retro look and a deeper sound | SA | Tall spherical tops with real presence |
| Prefer a flatter typing angle | DSA | Uniform and low, suits compact layouts |
That covers the buying decision. If you want the actual height figures, the difference between spherical and cylindrical tops, and how each profile changes the sound of a board, we go into detail here:
Keycap Profiles Explained: Cherry vs DSA vs XDA →
How Do You Know If Keycaps Will Fit Your Keyboard?
The most common first-timer mistake is finding a colourway you like and ordering it on the spot. Unfortunately — not every keycap set fits every mechanical keyboard.
Three things to check before you buy:
- Switch compatibility — does the stem match?
- Keyboard layout — how many keys, and which layout?
- Special key sizes — Shift, bottom row, spacebar
1. Switch Compatibility
The overwhelming majority of mechanical keyboards use a Cherry MX style stem — the familiar cross-shaped mount. It's the de facto industry standard, and it covers:
- Cherry MX
- Gateron
- Kailh
- TTC
- Outemu
If your board uses standard MX-style switches, most third-party keycap sets will drop straight on.
Cherry Low Profile and Kailh Choc switches use a completely different stem and housing height, so standard keycaps will not fit. Confirm your switch type before ordering. For slim boards, see our low-profile keycap guide.
2. Layout Compatibility: How Many Keycaps Do You Need?
Beyond the stem, layout is where most people get caught out.
It's tempting to assume "my board has 68 keys, so I need 68 keycaps." Not quite. What matters more than the count is whether the set includes the right sizes — right Shift, bottom row and spacebar. Miss one and the set won't complete your board.
Layout Quick Reference
| Layout | Typical keys | Right Shift | Bottom row | Spacebar | Recommended set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40% | 40–45 | 1.75u | Non-standard | Varies | Board-specific kit |
| 60% | 61 | 2.75u | Standard | 6.25u | 61+ keys |
| 65% | 66–68 | 1.75u | 1.25u + 1u Fn | 6.25u | 130 keys |
| 75% | 80–84 | 1.75u | 1.25u ×3 | 6.25u | 130 keys |
| TKL | 87 | 2.75u | Standard | 6.25u | 87+ keys |
| Full Size | 104 / 108 | 2.75u | Standard | 6.25u | 104+ keys |
What Each Layout Actually Is
Alphas, number row and core modifiers. No function row, number pad or dedicated arrows. The simplest layout to shop for — most standard sets work.
60% plus dedicated arrow keys and a few navigation keys. To fit the arrows in, right Shift gets shortened and an extra Fn key appears on the bottom row.
Check for: 1.75u Shift · 1u FnKeeps the function row, number row and arrows, but removes the gaps found on traditional boards. Commonly 81, 82 or 84 keys.
Check for: 1.75u Shift · 1.25u bottom rowTenkeyless — a full-size board minus the number pad. Standard ANSI TKL uses a standard bottom row and Shift, so compatibility is straightforward.
The traditional office layout with a full number pad. Common variants are ANSI 104, ISO 105 and 108 — a 104-key set covers most cases.
Minimalist to the extreme — even the number row is gone. Bottom row sizing varies wildly between boards, so a board-specific kit is usually the only safe option.
Check for: your exact board modelWhy Is Everyone Recommending 130-Key Sets?
It's a fair question: "My 65% board only has 68 keys — why would I buy a 130-key set?"
The answer is simple — a bigger set means more size options, not more keys on your board. You're buying coverage, not quantity.
Large sets typically include extras like:
- Multiple Shift sizes
- Alternate bottom row combinations
- Mac modifier keys
- ISO layout keys
- Spare accent-colour keys
A single 130-key set will usually cover 60%, 65%, 75%, TKL and even some full-size boards.
What Does 1u Mean in Keycap Sizing?
Key count isn't the whole story — sizing matters just as much. The industry measures keycap width in u (units).
| Key | Common size |
|---|---|
| Letter keys | 1u |
| Ctrl | 1.25u |
| Alt | 1.25u |
| Tab | 1.5u |
| Caps Lock | 1.75u |
| Shift | 1.75u / 2.25u |
| Enter | 2.25u |
| Spacebar | 6.25u |
Why Sizing Matters So Much
Because layout changes special key sizes. A 65% board might use a 1.75u right Shift where a full-size board uses 2.75u.
Double Shot vs Dye Sub: What's the Difference?
How the legends (the letters and symbols) are applied determines how long they stay readable. Both mainstream methods are permanent — they differ in what each does well.
| Method | How it works | Good at | Not good at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Shot | Two plastics moulded together — legend and body are separate pieces | RGB shine-through, legends that never wear | Complex artwork, higher cost |
| Dye Sublimation | Heat infuses dye into the surface of the plastic | Detailed artwork and multi-colour themes | Usually no shine-through |
Which Keycaps Should You Buy for Your Use Case?
Requirements differ, and the most expensive set isn't automatically the right one for you.
PBT + OEM / Cherry profile + Double Shot + shine-through
Gaming hammers the same handful of keys and generates more hand moisture, so surface durability matters. PBT holds up over time and Double Shot legends won't wear off WASD.
PBT + Cherry profile + dye-sublimated legends
Built for hours of input: an easy-to-adapt height, a stable textured surface, and no shine developing on your most-used keys.
Distinct profile + themed dye-sub set + artisan accent keys
Enthusiast builds tend to prioritise design and personal expression. Start from a solid base kit, then add hand-finished artisan keycaps as accents.
How Should a Beginner Choose Their First Set?
If this is your first keycap purchase, you don't need to master every spec up front. This combination works for the vast majority of mechanical keyboards:
- PBT material — durable, resists shine
- Cherry or OEM profile — minimal adjustment period
- MX-compatible stem — fits most mechanical keyboards
- Supports your layout — confirm before ordering
- Includes common special sizes — 1.75u Shift, 1u Fn
- Double Shot or dye-sub legends — won't wear off
It's compatible, easy to adapt to, and built to last — hard to go wrong with.
Five Checks Before You Order
| Step | Check | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Material | PBT resists shine; ABS is smoother with more colour options |
| 2 | Profile | OEM is universal, Cherry suits long sessions, XDA / SA for a distinct feel |
| 3 | Compatibility | Confirm switch type and keyboard layout |
| 4 | Sizing | Spacebar, Shift and bottom row all accounted for |
| 5 | Design | Colour, artwork and style — decide this last |