Keyboard switch database: actuation, travel and force

The database

Sortable. Manufacturer-stated specifications. Actuation and total travel in millimetres, force in grams-force. Hall effect switches show their minimum settable actuation.
Switch	Type	Actuation	Travel	Force	Peak	Notes
Cherry MX Red	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	45 gf	-	The reference linear. Predictable, light, widely cloned.
Cherry MX Speed Silver	Linear	1.2 mm	3.4 mm	45 gf	-	Short-throw linear built for early actuation, at the cost of accidental presses.
Cherry MX Black	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	60 gf	-	Heavier linear. Popular with people who bottom out hard.
Cherry MX Brown	Tactile	2 mm	4 mm	45 gf	55 gf	The mildest mainstream tactile. Often described as a scratchy linear.
Cherry MX Blue	Clicky	2.2 mm	4 mm	50 gf	60 gf	Click-jacket design. Reset point sits above the actuation point, which hurts fast double-taps.
Gateron Yellow (KS-3)	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	50 gf	-	The budget-linear benchmark. Smooth for the money.
Gateron Red	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	45 gf	-	Lighter Gateron linear, close to MX Red in feel.
Kailh Box White	Clicky	1.8 mm	3.6 mm	45 gf	55 gf	Click-bar clicky: reset and actuation are close together, unlike MX Blue.
Kailh Speed Silver	Linear	1.1 mm	3.5 mm	40 gf	-	One of the shortest mainstream mechanical throws.
Gazzew Boba U4T	Tactile	2 mm	3.6 mm	62 gf	68 gf	Sharp, rounded bump. A community favourite for typing rather than twitch aim.
Durock/JWK Alpaca	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	62 gf	-	Smooth heavier linear, long-standing enthusiast default.
C3 Tangerine (67g)	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	67 gf	-	UHMWPE housing, notably smooth, heavy spring.
NovelKeys Cream	Linear	2 mm	4 mm	55 gf	-	All-POM housing that breaks in noticeably over time.
Razer Optical Linear Gen-3	Optical linear	1 mm	3.5 mm	40 gf	-	Beam-break actuation removes debounce delay entirely.
SteelSeries OmniPoint 3.0	Hall effect	0.1 mm	4 mm	45 gf	-	Adjustable 0.1 to 4.0 mm, per-key, with rapid trigger.
Wooting Lekker L45	Hall effect	0.1 mm	4 mm	45 gf	-	Adjustable 0.1 to 4.0 mm. The switch that made rapid trigger mainstream.
Gateron KS-20 Magnetic	Hall effect	0.1 mm	3.5 mm	30 gf	-	Light magnetic linear used across many budget Hall effect boards.
Gateron Jade (magnetic)	Hall effect	0.1 mm	3.4 mm	40 gf	-	Shorter total travel than the KS-20, which sharpens rapid trigger.

Reading the columns

What each specification tells you about how the switch will play.
Column	What it means	What to look for
Type	Force curve family and sensing method	Linear for the smoothest repeated presses; Hall effect if you want adjustable actuation and rapid trigger
Actuation	Depth at which the press registers	Shorter means less travel time. 1.0 to 1.4 mm is a good competitive range on fixed switches.
Travel	Depth at which the key bottoms out	The gap between actuation and travel is wasted movement if you bottom out, which most people do.
Force	Force required to actuate	40 to 50 gf is light and fast. 60 gf and above resists accidental presses at the cost of fatigue.
Peak	Maximum force, at the tactile bump	Only present on tactile and clicky switches. The gap between force and peak is how pronounced the bump is.

A note on the Hall effect entries

The four magnetic switches in this table show 0.1 mm actuation, which is the minimum settable value rather than a fixed property. Their real actuation is whatever you configure per key, anywhere from 0.1 mm to full travel.

Do not read that 0.1 mm as a recommendation. It is unusable in practice: at that depth the weight of a resting finger triggers the key. Sensible values are 0.8 to 1.2 mm on movement keys and 1.5 to 2.0 mm on ability and typing keys. See Hall effect and rapid trigger for the full configuration guidance.

What the numbers cannot tell you

Smoothness, sound, and how much a switch wobbles in its housing are the three properties that most determine whether you enjoy a switch, and none of them is a specification. They are also the properties that vary most between production batches. Use this table to narrow to a few candidates on the measurable axes, then get a switch tester or a sample if the feel matters to you.

Corrections

If a manufacturer has updated a specification, or if a figure here disagrees with current documentation, tell us and we will check and log it.

Frequently asked questions

What do actuation and travel mean?

Actuation point is how far the key must go down before the press registers, typically 1.0 to 2.2 mm. Total travel is how far it can go down before bottoming out, typically 3.4 to 4.0 mm. The difference is movement that happens after the key has already fired, and it is the main source of finger fatigue.

Is a lower actuation point always better?

For movement keys in a competitive game, generally yes down to about 0.8 mm. Below that, resting fingers start actuating keys accidentally. For typing keys and ability binds, a deeper actuation is better because an accidental press is more costly than a slightly slower one.

What does operating force mean in grams-force?

The force required to actuate the switch. 45 gf is typical and light, 60 gf is firm, 70 gf and above is heavy. For tactile and clicky switches the peak force, which occurs at the bump, is higher than the operating force and is listed separately here.

Why do Hall effect switches show 0.1 mm actuation?

Because their actuation point is a software setting rather than a mechanical property, and 0.1 mm is the minimum most boards allow. The number in the table is the floor of the range, not a recommendation. Setting movement keys to 0.1 mm produces constant accidental input.

Are these figures measured or manufacturer-stated?

Manufacturer-stated, transcribed from published specifications. Individual switches vary from their specification by a few grams and a few tenths of a millimetre, and switches from different production batches vary from each other. Treat them as nominal values.

The database

Reading the columns

A note on the Hall effect entries

Corrections

Related reading

Frequently asked questions