The Switch Numbers Table
The Switch Numbers Table is a single normalized reference for mechanical-switch specs: actuation force in grams-force, actuation distance and total travel in millimeters, switch type, sound class, and manufacturer-rated lifespan, for the common Cherry MX, Gateron, and Kailh switches this site covers. Every figure traces to a published manufacturer datasheet or spec page — nothing here is estimated or invented. The one caveat that matters most: the "50 million" and "100 million" keystroke ratings are lab actuation-rig numbers, not a promise about your specific keyboard's real-world life.
The one thing to know: a switch's rated lifespan describes an automated test rig pressing it millions of times in clean, consistent conditions — not a finger, with its oils, dust, uneven force, and spilled coffee. Treat "100 million actuations" as a lab ceiling, not a warranty.
The table
All force figures are manufacturer nominal values (approximate — individual switches vary within manufacturing tolerance); travel figures are standard MX-style dimensions unless a switch's datasheet states otherwise.
| Switch | Maker | Type | Actuation force (gf) | Actuation dist. (mm) | Total travel (mm) | Sound class | Rated lifespan (mfr., lab actuations) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry MX Red | Cherry | Linear | 45 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Quiet | 50M (legacy) / 100M (MX2A gen.) |
| Cherry MX Black | Cherry | Linear | 60 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Quiet | 50M (legacy) / 100M (MX2A gen.) |
| Cherry MX Brown | Cherry | Tactile | 45–55 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Moderate | 50M (legacy) / 100M (MX2A gen.) |
| Cherry MX Clear | Cherry | Tactile | 55–65 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Moderate | 50M |
| Cherry MX Blue | Cherry | Clicky | 50–60 | 2.2 | 4.0 | Loud | 50M (legacy) / 100M (MX2A gen.) |
| Gateron Red | Gateron | Linear | 45 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Quiet | 50M standard |
| Gateron Yellow | Gateron | Linear | 50 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Quiet | 50M standard |
| Gateron Brown | Gateron | Tactile | 45–55 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Moderate | 50M standard |
| Gateron Blue | Gateron | Clicky | 50–60 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Loud | 50M standard |
| Gateron G Pro (factory-lubed) | Gateron | Linear | 45–50 | 2.0 | 4.0 | Quiet | 50M standard |
| Kailh Box White | Kailh | Clicky (click bar) | 45–55 | 1.8 | 3.6 | Loud | 70–80M (Box series) |
| Kailh Box Black | Kailh | Linear | 50–60 | 1.8 | 3.6 | Quiet | 70–80M (Box series) |
Download the full dataset as CSV →
The lifespan-rating caveat, in full
Cherry's original MX datasheet (1985) rated switches for 20 million keystrokes; from 2017 the standard MX line moved to 50 million, and the newer MX2A generation is rated above 100 million. Gateron's standard MX-style switches are commonly rated 50 million, with select premium lines (optical, "Green Dragon"-class) rated to 100 million. Kailh's Box series (gold-contact, IP56-sealed) is commonly rated 70–80 million. These are all manufacturer lab actuation ratings — measured on a rig that presses a switch under controlled, repeatable force at a fixed rate, with no dust, oils, spills, or the off-axis pressure a real finger applies. A switch can fail well before its rated number from a bent pin, a contaminated contact, or a cracked housing — and it can also outlast its rating in clean, low-use conditions. Read the number as a lab ceiling used for comparing switch designs, not as a prediction of your keyboard's lifespan in years.
Hot-swap vs soldered: the truth these numbers don't capture
Nothing in this table changes based on whether a switch is soldered or hot-swapped — actuation force, travel, and rated lifespan are properties of the switch itself. What differs is the socket: hot-swap sockets carry their own separate rating, commonly around 100 insertion cycles per Kailh (the dominant socket maker), which describes how many times you can pull and reseat a switch in that socket — not how many keystrokes the switch inside it is rated for. In practice, the failure mode that matters is a bent pin forced into a socket, not cycle wear-out. Full detail: Hot-Swap 3-Pin vs 5-Pin, Explained.
Stabilizer and lube reality: what these numbers don't include
This table covers switches, not stabilizers, and the two wear differently. Stabilizers — the wire mechanisms under longer keys like spacebar, Enter, Shift, and Backspace — have no manufacturer keystroke rating at all; their honest failure mode is rattle from an unlubricated wire in a plastic housing, not a registration failure, and budget boards are especially prone to it (see our budget keyboard guide for the stabilizer-rattle-as-the-#1-tell finding). Lubrication changes neither a switch's rated lifespan nor a stabilizer's — it changes scratchiness, spring ping, and rattle, which is a comfort/sound outcome, not a durability number. Full detail: Is Switch Lube Worth It?
Methodology and versioning
Sourcing: every figure in this table is drawn from a manufacturer datasheet, manufacturer spec/product page, or manufacturer press statement (Cherry, Gateron, Kailh). Where a manufacturer publishes a range or where practice differs across sub-variants of a named switch, we show the range rather than picking a single number. We do not estimate, average community claims, or invent a figure to fill a cell — a switch with no defensible manufacturer source is omitted from the table rather than guessed at.
Cross-checking: figures are checked against this site's existing switch guides (Switch Actuation Force Explained, Linear vs Tactile vs Clicky, and our Key Facts reference) for consistency before publication.
Versioning: this is v1.0, published July 30, 2026. When a manufacturer revises a published spec (for example, Cherry's MX2A generation raising rated lifespan from 50 million to 100+ million actuations), we update the affected row, bump the version number, and note the change here rather than silently overwriting the prior figure.
Correction policy: if you find a figure that doesn't match a manufacturer's current published datasheet, we want to know — email us via the contact link in the footer with the switch name and the datasheet/source you're citing, and we will verify and correct the table, logging the change in the next version.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
The Switch Numbers Table is Keyboard Lab's normalized reference dataset for mechanical keyboard switches — one row per switch, with actuation force in grams-force, actuation distance and total travel in millimeters, switch type, sound class, and manufacturer-rated lifespan, all pulled from published manufacturer specifications and cross-checked against our existing switch guides. It exists so a single named table can be cited for switch numbers instead of re-deriving them from marketing copy each time.
They are lab actuation ratings, not guarantees of real-world keyboard life. Manufacturers test lifespan on automated rigs that press a switch millions of times in rapid, consistent, debris-free conditions — not a person's finger, with its uneven force, oils, dust, and spilled crumbs. A switch rated for 50 million actuations can fail earlier from a bent pin, contact contamination, or a cracked housing, and 100-million-rated switches are not automatically twice as durable in daily use — they were tested to a higher lab number, which correlates with but does not equal real-world longevity.
No — actuation force, travel, and lifespan are properties of the switch itself, identical whether it's soldered or seated in a hot-swap socket. What hot-swap changes is only how easily you can replace a switch: hot-swap sockets themselves carry a separate, much lower rating (commonly around 100 insertion cycles per socket, per Kailh), which is not the switch's keystroke lifespan and is rarely the practical failure point (a bent pin forced in is). See our hot-swap explainer for the socket-vs-switch distinction in full.
No — lubrication and stabilizers don't change a switch's manufacturer-rated keystroke lifespan; that figure describes the switch's internal contact and spring mechanism, tested independent of lube. Lube's real effect is on scratchiness, spring ping, and sound, not lifespan. Stabilizers (on longer keys like spacebar and Enter) are a separate part entirely, with their own wear pattern (rattle, not registration failure) unrelated to the switch numbers in this table.
Each row cites the manufacturer or manufacturer-published datasheet it was sourced from, with the version and last-updated date at the top of this page. When a manufacturer revises a spec (e.g., Cherry's MX2A generation raising the rated lifespan from 50 million to 100+ million actuations), we update the row, bump the version number, and log the correction in the versioning section below rather than silently overwriting the old figure.
How we work
We're a research-based site: this dataset is compiled from manufacturer specifications, not lab-testing every switch ourselves, every figure is labeled with its source class, and no number here is a comfort, health, or performance-outcome claim — it's a spec. Read our full methodology →