Keyboard sizes from 40% to full-size

A 40% board keeps the letters, the modifiers and little else: no number row, no function row, no arrow keys and no navigation cluster^[1]. Numbers, symbols and arrows live on layers you reach by holding a key, so using one properly means learning a layout in software first. It's the smallest size anyone builds in any quantity, and it suits people who want the least possible desk footprint and don't mind the setup involved. We don't currently list a 40% board or kit, since it's a small, layer-heavy niche next to the sizes below.

A 60% keeps the alphas, number row and modifiers, but drops the function row, arrow keys and navigation cluster (Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Delete) entirely, again usually pushed onto a held layer^[1]. It's the most common “small” size and the one with the widest choice of custom cases and plates, because so many of them share the same GH60 mounting footprint. The Wooting 60HE+ is a 60% aimed at gaming: in a shooter you rarely reach for the arrow keys anyway.

A 65% adds dedicated arrow keys back, plus usually a small cluster of Delete, Home and End or Page Up and Page Down, in a case barely wider than a 60%^[1]. It's a popular middle ground for people who miss arrow keys on a 60% but don't want a function row taking up space. Ducky One 3 SF and Leopold FC660M PD are both 65%-class boards, though their exact key counts and cluster layouts differ, which is normal for this size: there's no single agreed 65% layout the way there is for 60%.

A 75% keeps the function row and arrow keys but pushes every cluster close together, with little or no gap between them, so it's narrower than a TKL for a similar key count^[1]. It has become one of the most popular custom sizes, since it keeps almost everything a TKL has in a smaller case. Keychron Q1 Max Barebone is a well-known 75% base to build from.

Tenkeyless (TKL) removes the numpad from a full-size board but keeps a proper function row, arrow keys and navigation cluster with visible gaps between them, closer to a scaled-down full-size layout^[1]. It's the classic choice for people who want the numpad's desk space back without giving up anything else, particularly for mouse-heavy gaming. Keychron C3 Pro 8K is a straightforward, affordable TKL.

96% and 1800-compact layouts both keep the numpad but squeeze the gaps between the main cluster, arrow keys and numpad down to almost nothing, so you get a full set of keys in a case not much wider than a TKL^[1]. The names get used loosely. On most 96% boards the arrow keys sit right against the numpad with no gap, while a true 1800 layout drops the arrow cluster a little below the main rows; either way, a few navigation keys move to new spots or onto a layer. The NuPhy Air96 V2 (now discontinued) is an example of a 96% board with a numpad in a compact width^[5].

Full-size keeps everything: function row, arrow keys, navigation cluster and numpad, all with proper gaps between them, which is why it's the widest common size on a desk. It's worth it if you use the numpad regularly for data entry or spreadsheets; if you don't, a TKL or 96% gives you back real desk space for no loss you'll notice day to day. Keychron Q6 Max is a full-size board built like an enthusiast kit, right down to a gasket-mounted plate, rather than a plain office keyboard^[2].

Alice and split layouts aren't sizes in the same sense: they change the shape of the board rather than how many keys it has. An Alice layout angles the two halves of the keyboard slightly apart and usually splits the spacebar, so your wrists sit a little straighter without buying two separate halves; Keychron Q10 Max is an Alice-layout board built in a single case^[3]. A split keyboard goes further and separates the two halves completely, so you can place them at shoulder width or angle them independently; ZSA Voyager is a compact split board that also swaps the usual row stagger for a column-staggered layout^[4]. Both need keycaps chosen for them: an Alice needs a set with its split spacebar and angled keys, and many split boards use unusual key sizes or low-profile switches.

If you're not sure, start from what you'd miss most: wanting arrow keys points you towards at least a 65%, using a numpad regularly points towards a 96% or full-size, and gaming with a mouse close to the keyboard usually points smaller. You can filter the keyboards list by size, and the builder flags any part that doesn't fit the size you started with. See also ANSI vs ISO in the UK for how layout, rather than size, affects which keycap sets fit.