Keycap Profiles Explained: OEM, Cherry, SA, DSA, MT3, and More
When people talk about keycap profiles they mean the height and shape of the keycaps — how tall they are, how they curve, and how each row angles differently. It sounds like an aesthetic detail. It's actually one of the biggest factors in how your keyboard feels to type on.
Here's a plain-English guide to the main profiles.
Why Profile Matters
Every keycap has a top surface angled toward your fingers. The angle, height, and curvature vary by profile. These variations change:
- Hand position — taller keycaps keep your fingers higher; shorter ones sit closer to the board
- Typing angle — some profiles angle each row differently ("sculpted"); others are the same height across every row ("uniform")
- Sound — taller keycaps produce a deeper, lower-pitched sound on bottoming out
- Feel — some profiles have a concave dish; others are flat or even convex
The Main Profiles
OEM
The most common profile in the world. It's what ships on the majority of prebuilt gaming keyboards and office keyboards. Moderately tall, sculpted (each row has a slightly different angle), with a slight scoop on the top surface.
Height: Medium-tall
Sculpted: Yes
Feel: Familiar and comfortable for most people who've used any keyboard.
If you've spent years on a standard keyboard and want a custom board that feels immediately familiar, OEM profile keycaps are the safe choice.
The downside: OEM profile is less common in the enthusiast market. Premium keycap sets (group buys, high-quality PBT sets) more often use Cherry or other profiles.
Cherry
Cherry profile is the standard in the custom keyboard world. It's slightly lower than OEM — noticeable, but not dramatically so. Sculpted like OEM, with each row angled slightly differently. The top surface has a slight scoop.
Height: Medium (slightly shorter than OEM)
Sculpted: Yes
Feel: After a day or two of adjustment from OEM, most people find Cherry profile extremely comfortable for long sessions.
Why it dominates the hobby: The largest selection of high-quality keycap sets use Cherry profile. GMK (the gold standard for doubleshot ABS) and most premium PBT sets use it. If you want premium keycaps, you'll mostly be choosing between Cherry-profile sets.
Browse our keycap catalog for Cherry-profile options.
SA
SA (Spherical All) is tall. Very tall. Nearly twice the height of Cherry. The top surface is deeply concave — spherical — and the shape of each key is rounded and almost sculptural. Fully sculpted across rows.
Height: Very tall
Sculpted: Yes
Feel: Divisive. Fans love the vintage typewriter feel and the deep, resonant sound. Critics find tall keycaps tiring on the wrists over long sessions and fatiguing on fingers that have to travel further.
Who it suits: Typists who want the maximum vintage aesthetic and don't mind the height. People who already type with their wrists elevated (using a wrist rest).
Who should avoid it: Gamers (the height adds travel time for fast inputs). People with wrist pain. Anyone who types with flat wrists.
DSA
DSA is the opposite of SA in one key way: it's uniform. Every row is the same height and angle. This matters because you can rearrange keycaps freely without a row mismatch — useful if you use a custom or non-standard layout.
Height: Medium-short
Sculpted: No (uniform)
Feel: Flat and consistent. Some people love it; others find the uniformity slightly disorienting at first since your fingers lose the directional cues from sculpting.
Best for: Split keyboards. Custom layouts. People who rearrange their keys frequently (Dvorak, Colemak, programmable layers).
MT3
MT3 is a profile designed by /dev/tty and manufactured by Drop. It's heavily sculpted with a deep spherical scoop on each key — deeper than SA, with a more aggressive angle on each row. The goal was to recreate the feel of an IBM Model M or vintage typewriter.
Height: Tall
Sculpted: Yes, aggressively
Feel: Many enthusiasts consider MT3 the most ergonomic tall profile. The deep dish guides your fingers naturally. The sound profile is deep and satisfying.
Who it suits: Enthusiasts who want maximum typing feel and vintage aesthetic. People who liked SA but found it too vertical.
Quick Comparison
| Profile | Height | Sculpted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| OEM | Medium-tall | Yes | Familiar feel, first build |
| Cherry | Medium | Yes | Most keycap sets, long typing sessions |
| SA | Very tall | Yes | Vintage look, deep sound |
| DSA | Medium-short | No (uniform) | Custom layouts, split keyboards |
| MT3 | Tall | Yes | Ergonomic feel, enthusiast typing |
What Most People Should Start With
Cherry profile, PBT material, doubleshot legends. This is the most practical starting point:
- The widest selection of high-quality sets at every price point
- Comfortable height for most typists
- PBT doesn't shine over time like ABS
- Doubleshot legends won't fade or wear
If you've used keyboards your whole life and just want something that feels right immediately, OEM profile is also fine — the adaptation is small.
SA and MT3 are worth exploring once you know what you like. Starting there is a gamble.
Browse our keycap catalog with available sets.
One More Thing: Compatibility
All these profiles assume MX-style stems — the cross-shaped stem that fits Cherry MX switches and the vast majority of clones. If you're using Choc (low-profile) switches, you need Choc-compatible keycaps, which have their own profiles (Choc, MBK, etc.) and far fewer options.
Check that your switches use MX-style stems before buying keycaps. If they do, every profile above will fit.