How to find your keyboard

If you want something ready to use, browse prebuilt keyboards. If you want to put it together yourself, start with custom keyboard kits. Already have a keyboard? Go straight to switches, keycaps or the part you want to change.

The layout is the arrangement of keys. Choose that before worrying about materials or sound. Our first-keyboard guide explains each part and the common layouts.

Open a collection and choose Show filter. Start with one thing you know you want, such as a keyboard size or switch feel. Add another filter only when it helps narrow your choices.

For keyboards, look at size and keyboard type. A custom kit needs parts added; a prebuilt is assembled. Hall Effect describes magnetic key sensing and can apply to a kit or a prebuilt.

Use In stock when you are looking for available items, then read the listing’s release status before ordering: a product accepting preorders can still be available to purchase. If nothing appears, remove a filter and try again.

Linear feels smooth. Tactile has a bump. Clicky adds an audible click. Silent describes noise reduction, so a switch can be both silent and tactile.

Actuation force is the pressure at the point a key registers. Bottom-out force is the pressure when you press it all the way down. Higher gram values generally mean a heavier press. Compare the same measurement across switches.

Total travel is the full distance the switch can move, measured in millimetres. It is different from the distance needed to register a keypress; shorter total travel does not automatically mean faster response.

Some products have several weight options. Check the selected variant’s actuation and bottom-out values together. A product-level filter can match any of its listed options.

Factory lubed means lubricant has been applied by the maker. You can use these switches as supplied. Housing and stem materials are useful details to explore later; the full keyboard also affects the sound.

Profile is the shape and height of the keycaps. ABS and PBT are common plastics. Sublegends are the extra characters printed alongside the main letters.

Double-shot makes the lettering from a second plastic. Dye-sublimation puts dye into the plastic using heat. These describe how the lettering is made, not which keyboards the set fits.

Look at the set’s included-key diagram. Check your Shift, Enter and spacebar sizes, the switch-stem compatibility, and whether you need an ANSI or ISO set. These are different physical key arrangements, especially around Enter and the left Shift.

Live group buys are accepting orders for a production run. Preorders reserve an upcoming allocation. Coming soon previews a release. In-stock items are already held for fulfilment, subject to processing and delivery.

Read the timing and status on the product page. A listing being available to buy does not always mean it is ready to ship. Limited runs and sold-out listings can be useful references, but a restock is never guaranteed.

QQ House is home to our own designs and collaborations: products made for the desks we want to use.

Custom Projects covers personalisation such as laser engraving, gifts and collaborative runs. For custom keyboard kits, the assembly is part of your own build experience.

• Select all product options, including any extra plate or bundle, on the product page.
• Check exactly what is included before buying stabilizers or tools.
• Check switch pack sizes. For 87 keys, nine packs of ten gives you 90 switches.
• Read the current shipping and release terms. Use separate orders if you need in-stock items sent ahead of future-release items.