Mechanical Keyboard Switch Chart & Table

There are a lot of switch options out there, even for someone who’s actively writing about keyboards and switches, I find myself having to look up what some switches are and what they feel like. To help people find info about switches quickly, I’ve put together this living database of switches that log all information I could find on the switches.

The database includes what type of switch they are, and what their weight and actuation points are, you can use this table to approximate what a switch might feel like, a switch that has similar numbers to a red switch will give you an idea of what that switch could feel like. I’ve also created plot charts based on actuation travel (measured in mm) and actuation force (measured in grams). The farther up and to the right the switch is, the heavier that switch is in terms of feel.

These plots aren’t perfect, they’re likely missing a new switches, some data might be inaccurate due to available data, and some bubbles overlap heavily so it’s hard to read. You can hover over the plots to get clearer labels and some data points.

Pick the chart category of switch you’re interested in comparing. Jump to the plot charts:

• Cherry Switch Plot Chart
• Clicky Switch Plot Chart
• Tactile Switch Plot Chart
• Linear Switches

If you’re looking to learn more about mechanical switches and how they work, jump to what are mechanical switches.

Combine your favourite switch with our best keyboard recommendations and you’ll be sure to have a great typing and gaming experience.

The Big List of Keyboard Switches

Here’s our big ass list of keyboard switches and their actuation weights, bottom out weights and distances, if you don’t know what these terms mean please take a look at our everything you need to look for in a gaming keyboard post. A quick refresher, actuation point is the point where the key switch sends the signal to the computer, bottom out is when the key switch is fully pressed down.

A couple of notes on this table:

• Data was pulled from an array of sources including Input Club, PCGamer, Deskthority, /r/mechanicalkeyboards, Geekhack, NovelKeys, Mechanicalkeyboards.com, KBDFans, Massdrop and Originative. Consequently, a lot of these sites are the best places for you to get a lot of these switches on the table.
• Data is incomplete, some switches didn’t have definitive spec data on actuation or bottom out force, if more definitive information comes out I will update
• Key switch data testing is consistent, some of these force ratings are spec, some of them are from tests, they vary based on methodology and QA variances on the switch
• There are switches I didn’t cover due to them not really being used or being available, if there are new switches or switches you feel I should add, please comment below!
• Numbers do not replace the need to try out switches to see what you like, this giant switch tester from KBDFans has 63 switches if you’re really interested in trying a wide array, or if you know you’re sticking more mainstream here’s a 6 switch Cherry tester from WASD.
• Take a look at our gaming mouse size chart if you like data like this!

Cherry Switch Chart

Clicky Switch Chart

Tactile Switch Chart

Linear Switch Chart

What’s a mechanical switch?

If you’re still wondering what all these numbers and plot points mean then this section will give you an overview of what all the above data means. 

The mechanical switch is the reason why they’re called mechanical keyboards, under each keycap there is a switch with mechanical parts responsible for registering your keystrokes, these mechanisms are built up in different ways to give a variety of typing and gaming experiences.

Each switch is generally composed of these parts from top to bottom:

1. Stem: The part where the keycap is mounted on, most switches use a standard + pattern cherry mx stem so that aftermarket keycaps work with them.
2. Switch housing: a mini-case for all the parts of the switch.
3. Slider: The slider is the main piece that sits out the spring, when the slider drops due to pressure it interrupts the contact leaves causing a registered keystroke.
4. Metal contact leaves: When the leaves touch each other after separation they register the keystroke.
5. Spring: Switches are responsible for the force required to press down on the switch to actuate, it’s also responsible for resetting the switch to neutral position.

Switch Types: Clicky, Tactile or Linear

Each switch type falls into 3 major categories, each has its distinct features and they’re not inherently better than the other, it’s personal preference which switch type you like.

Clicky switches make an audible clicky noise when pressed, accompanying that is usually a very distinct bump that gives you physical feedback that the key has been pressed. Clicky switches make a lot of noise, so if you game at night or you just don’t want to annoy anyone with your AD or APM spamming then you might want to skip clicky switches. TheGamingSetups’s 7 best clicky switches.

Tactile switches are like clicky switches, they have a physical bump in the middle of the key press travel, but they don’t make a distinct click noise when pressed. TheGamingSetup’s 8 best tactile switches.

Linear switches don’t provide and audible click or bump near the actuation point. TheGamingSetup’s 7 best linear switches.

Actuation point, bottom out and travel

The actuation point refers to the specific point when the key switch registers the key press, switches can have a variety of actuation points, measured by force in grams. A keyboard with a really light actuation <30 grams requires very little force to register a keystroke when compared to a switch that has a  50 gram actuation. The lower weight means you have a faster, more reactive keyboard, but you might be more prone to grazing a key register.

You bottom out a key when you press hard enough that you fully press down the switch, this is also measured in force, a higher bottom out weight means that it’ll be much harder for you to press all the way down on each individual key. A heaver key switch allows for heavier fingered gamers and typists to have a more tactile experience, while also removing chances of accidental key presses.

Key travel, how far the switch goes from fully depressed to bottoming out. You’ll likely be experienced with lower travel keyboards in laptops like the new Macbook (yuck). The standard travel distance is 4 mm but there have been a few low travel mechanical switches released in the past few years. Unless you know you prefer a shallow travel, I’d stick with a standard travel key switch.

Switch brands

There are several large manufacturers of switches including some major brand proprietary switches on this list, I want to point to some of the bigger switch brands, for a full comprehensive list of what’s out there, check out our big list of keyboard switches post.

Cherry MX, the original mechanical switch producer and still the most common switches, they’re in every large retail keyboard:

• Cherry MX Blue: Clicky, 50 gram actuation
• Cherry MX Brown: Tactile, 45 gram actuation
• Cherry MX Red: Linear, 45 gram actuation
• Cherry MX Black: Linear, 60 gram actuation

Gateron, started out as a pure Cherry MX clone, producing the same colours as Cherry at a lower cost and lower quality, they have since grown up to produce their own switch types and have even improved on the original Cherry MX, with much smoother switches compared to the originals.

• Gateron Blue: Clicky, 55 gram actuation
• Gateron Brown: Tactile, 45 gram actuation
• Gateron Red: Linear, 45 gram actuation
• Gateron Black: Linear, 50 gram actuation

Romer-G, Logitech’s keyboard switch produced by mouse switch manufacturer Omron, they emphasize on pure gaming switches with great LED stems, these stems however are not compatible with aftermarket keycaps.

• Romer-G Tactile, 45 gram actuation
• Romer-G Linear, 45 gram actuation
• GX Blue; Clicky, 50 gram actuation

Razer Switches Razers propietary switch used in their keyboards, these switches have a stem that is compatible with aftermarket keycaps.

• Razer Green: Clicky, 50 gram actuation
• Razer Orange: Tactile, 45 gram actuation
• Razer Yellow: Linear, 45 gram actuation
• Razer Opto-Mechanical: Clicky, 45 gram actuation

Steelseries QS1 switches are propietary switches found in Steelseries keyboards, these are made by Kaihua and resemble the Logtech Romer-G with the empty stemp in the middle for RGB lighting.

• QS1: Linear, 45 gram actuation

This is just a quick rundown of the switches that major brands might use, there’s a huge universe of more niche switches out there. We’re not covering other major switches like Topre, ALPS/Matias or buckling spring since they’re not really suited for gaming given how heavy and niche they are.

I’d recommend getting a keycap tester to figure out which keycaps you prefer. This WASD Cherry MX Switch Tester is a good place to start.

O-Rings

O-rings are little rubber circles that can be installed on the keycap to reduce the clickety clackity noise of mechanical keyboards when you bottom out on the key, most brands don’t include these, but if you’re in an environment where people are sleeping or just annoyed at the noise O-rings can be acquired cheaply on Amazon and are very easy to install, these ThreeBulls ones do the trick.