Aside from the case, the keycaps are the most visually striking part of a keyboard and play a major role in its final design. Even if your keyboard doesn’t support easy switch replacement (Hotswap), you can always remove the keycaps and replace them with a different set to refresh the look of your keyboard.
ABS or PBT?
Keycaps for mechanical keyboards are typically made from one of two types of plastic: ABS or PBT.
ABS keycaps are often favored for the sound profile they help produce. The leading brand in the field, GMK, exclusively manufactures ABS keycaps. Additionally, the double-shot molding process, which embeds the legends (letters or numbers) as a separate layer of plastic, is easier to achieve with ABS. However, ABS keycaps have a significant drawback — they tend to wear down over time, developing a shiny, greasy-looking layer on the surface.
PBT keycaps have a “dry,” slightly textured feel compared to ABS, offering more grip and resisting the shine associated with wear. They typically retain their original texture over time. Nowadays, many companies are able to produce high-quality double-shot PBT keycaps, so there’s no shortage of vibrant color options and sharp legends in PBT sets. While budget keycaps are often made from PBT, some high-end PBT keycaps deliver exceptional sound profiles that rival those of ABS.
Beyond ABS and PBT, there are niche keycap sets made from materials like ceramic, rubber, wood, or even metal. However, these are rare and generally don’t offer great usability or sound quality.
When choosing keycaps, consider their thickness. Thin keycaps produce a more hollow and high-pitched sound, whereas thicker keycaps enhance the sound with a deeper, richer tone. A thickness of 1.5 mm is considered ideal for most use cases. Keycaps with a thickness of 1.7 mm or more create a deeper “thocky” sound but may not be compatible with all switches. Make sure to verify that your switches can accommodate thick keycaps before purchasing.
Profile, Legends, and Design
Keycaps come in a variety of shapes that differ in height, the height variation between rows, the curvature or concavity of the top surface, and overall form. The most popular profiles are OEM and Cherry, with Cherry being slightly shorter. Other profiles include XDA (uniform height for all keys), SA, MDA, DSA, MT3, and more. The differences between profiles primarily affect typing comfort, which is subjective, but they can also slightly influence the sound. Cherry is by far the most popular profile.
When it comes to the legends (the letters and symbols on the keycaps), the preferred method is double-shot molding, as mentioned earlier. In this process, the keycap is first molded without the legend, and then a second layer of plastic in a different color is injected to form the legend. This results in extremely sharp, durable legends. For keyboards with multiple languages, you may encounter the term triple-shot, which refers to each part of the keycap being molded separately with different colors of plastic.
A simpler and more affordable method is dye sublimation (Dye Sub). In this process, solid ink is converted into a gas through heat and pressure, bonding it to the plastic so the color becomes part of the keycap material rather than sitting on the surface. Dye sublimation can produce good results, though the printed legends are generally less sharp than those achieved with double-shot molding.
If backlighting matters to you, you might prefer keycaps where the legends aren’t molded but rather etched into the keycap and covered with a clear layer, allowing light to shine through the etching. These are known as Shine-through keycaps, which are especially common on gaming keyboards. Another option is Pudding keycaps (don’t ask me where the name comes from), where not only the etched legend shines, but the entire lower half of the keycap is made from a translucent material, making the keyboard’s lighting much more prominent. While these keycaps offer a visually striking lighting effect, they are generally considered inferior in terms of material quality and the sound they produce.
It’s worth mentioning that beyond the universal legends for letters, numbers, and symbols, many keycap sets include additional caps with unique illustrations or icons. These are called Novelties and add a personal and artistic touch to the keyboard for those who choose to use them. In many cases, manufacturers sell the basic keycap set separately from the novelty set.
