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Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard Size Guide

Modern mechanical keyboards come in a range of different sizes, shapes and layouts. The most common mechanical keyboard sizes/layouts are listed below.

Mechanical Keyboard Size Comparison

Keyboard SizeKey CountArrow KeysFunction Row
Extended105 key+YesYes
Full Size104 keyYesYes
TKL/Tenkeyless/80%87 keyYesYes
75%78 keyYesYes
65%66 keyYesNo
60%61 keyNoNo
40%47 keyNoNo
Numpads21 keyNoNo
Gaming KeypadsAround 32 keyNoNo
Note: Key counts are based on US ANSI keyboard regional layouts.

Extended Mechanical Keyboard

Extended mechanical keyboards go beyond the standard 104-key layout for the sake of adding a cluster of marco keys for gaming or media keys.

Corsair are a well-known producer of extended layout mechanical gaming keyboards, offering both extra macro keys and media keys in the Corsair K95 Platinum RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.

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Full Size Mechanical Keyboard

Full size layout, 104-key mechanical keyboards are familiar to most users and have been around in some form or another since the mid 1990s. The 104-key variant of the IBM Model-M Buckling Spring Keyboard was first released in 1994, setting the standard for the full size mechanical keyboard layouts we see today.

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TKL Mechanical Keyboard

Tenkeyless (TKL) mechanical keyboards are around 80% the size of full size layout keyboards due to the lack of a numeric keypad. Compact TKL mechanical keyboards are perfect for set-ups with limited space.

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75% Mechanical Keyboard

75% mechanical keyboards are similar in size to TKL mechanical keyboards, with a slightly smaller layout thanks to compact cursor and arrow keys. The Vortex Race 3 is a popular choice when it comes to 75% Mechanical Keyboards.

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65% Mechanical Keyboard

65% mechanical keyboards are small in size yet big in function. All MIYA Pro Mechanical Keyboards by Ducky and Varmilo feature a 65% layout.

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60% Mechanical Keyboard

60% mechanical keyboards have around 61 key and use secondary key shortcuts to replace ommited key clusters. The Ducky One 2 Mini is one of the best 60% mechanical keyboards and is what I am using to type this guide.

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40% Mechanical Keyboard

The 40% mechanical keyboard features around 41 key.

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Numpad

Mechanical numeric keypads feature 21 key, like the numeric key cluster on a full size layout mechanical keyboard. Mechanical numeric keypads are often used for data entry and can be paired with TKL or 60% keyboards.

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Keypad

Gaming keypads are focused around the keys mainly used for gaming on the left-hand side of a standard full size keyboard layout.

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Keyboards by Size/Layout

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