Keycap geometry / quick guide
A profile is two decisions: how tall the caps sit, and whether every row is shaped the same. Here’s the whole field, drawn side-on.
Tallest row of each profile
Tap a silhouette to jump to it · millimetres, approximate
Shortest to tallest is more than a doubling: DSA tops out near 7.6 mm, SA reaches about 16.5 mm. That changes wrist angle and finger travel far more than any colourway does.
Sculpted profiles give each row its own height and tilt, so the rows curve toward your fingertips. Uniform profiles use one shape everywhere — flat, and every cap fits every slot. Read the drawings as side elevations: front row on the left, number row on the right. The sag in each top line is the dish.
The nine, shortest first
DSA
7.6 mmThe lowest here by a clear margin. Hands stay almost flat, no wrist rest needed, and every cap is interchangeable — ideal when your layout keeps changing.
Uniform · Dished spherical
Sound: Light, crisp
XDA
9.4 mmWide, almost flat tops give a forgiving landing pad on every key and plenty of room for legends. Uniform, so ortho and split boards are covered.
Uniform · Wide, near-flat
Sound: Clean, clacky
CHERRY
10.4 mmA millimetre lower than OEM with gentler angles — flatter hands, less lift between rows. The enthusiast default, and the profile most sets are made in.
Sculpted · Shallow cylindrical
Sound: Deeper, fuller
OEM
11.5 mmWhat almost every pre-built ships with. Taller walls than Cherry, so your fingertip sits down inside the cap. Nobody’s upgrade, but a sane baseline to judge the rest against.
Sculpted · Shallow cylindrical
Sound: Neutral
Retro
12.4 mmDomed, generously rounded tops chasing a typewriter memory. Types like any medium-tall sculpt; you’re picking it because the finished board looks like 1968.
Sculpted · Rounded spherical
Sound: Warm, full
KAT
12.6 mmSmooth spherical tops and the gentlest row steps in this height band. Clearly taller than stock while asking the least of you in return.
Sculpted · Smooth spherical
Sound: Rounded, full
ASA
13.2 mmSA’s silhouette and spherical tops with a few millimetres trimmed off. Photographs almost like SA, types considerably more normally.
Sculpted · Spherical
Sound: Fuller than Cherry
MT3
15.0 mmThe deepest dish of any common profile — your fingertip locks into each cap’s centre. Great for accuracy, less so if you like sliding between keys.
Sculpted · Deeply scooped
Sound: Deep, dry
SA
16.5 mmThe tall one. Steep steps, big hollow shells, unmistakably retro — and the loudest and most demanding profile here. Reaching the number row is a genuine climb.
Sculpted · Spherical
Sound: Loud, resonant
If you only want one answer
Safest upgrade from stock
Cherry — lower than OEM, and nearly every set exists in it.
Most comfortable all day
MT3 if you like being guided, KAT if you’d rather not think about it.
Ortho or split board
XDA for wider tops, DSA if your desk sits high.
The photogenic one
SA — budget for a wrist rest at the same time.
