# Cherry MX plate-mount stabilizer cutouts (2u, 3u, 8u)

> What size is the plate cutout for Cherry plate-mount stabilizers?

- Category: Computers & desk › Keyboard switches & stabilizers
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Cherry Keymodule MX catalogue: 'Cutout of frame for keycap sizes' drawings and 'A' table
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/sheet.txt
- License: dimension sheet CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio); files CC BY 4.0 or their publisher's license
- Use in every chat: add https://xemstudio.com/mcp as a connector (https://xemstudio.com/use-with-ai/)

**Exact dimensions.** True size, with no printing tolerance added.

## Notes

- Plate-mount (Cherry-style) stabilizers clip into the switch plate beside the switch instead of screwing to the PCB. Cherry draws the plate opening as one cutout: the 14 mm switch square, a 6.65 × 12.3 mm opening for each stabilizer housing, a 3 mm notch under each housing, a small notch on each outer side, and a joint between each housing and the switch square (a short one for 2u–2.75u, a 4.6 mm channel for 3u and longer keys).
- Coordinates: origin on the switch centre, x along the key, y up as Cherry draws the cutout (the 3 mm notches are at the bottom, the side notches sit mostly above the centre line). Cherry's frame drawing does not mark which way the switch pins face in this view.
- Stabilizer spacing 'A' is Cherry's: 23.8 mm for 2u, 2.25u and 2.75u keys, 38.1 mm for 3u and 133.35 mm for 8u. Cherry draws 1x7, 1x9 and 1x10 with the same cutout but tabulates no 'A' for them, so Xem gives none (no 7u file). The 6.25u spacebar PCB-mount spacing (100 mm) is on the PCB-mount stabilizer page.
- Cherry's tolerances are kept in the table; the files are drawn at the nominal (lower) sizes with sharp corners where Cherry allows R0.3 max. The tile around the cutout is the key's n × 19.05 mm footprint in a 1.5 mm plate.

## Sizes

| parameter | value |
|---|---|
| switch square | 14 ± 0.05 mm |
| plate thickness | 1.5 ± 0.1 mm |
| stabilizer opening | 6.65 +0.1 wide × 12.3 ± 0.05 tall, centred on each stabilizer line |
| opening bottom | 6.77 ± 0.05 below the switch centre line (top 5.53 above) |
| bottom notch | 3 +0.1 wide, centred on the stabilizer line, to 13.5 ± 0.15 below the opening top (7.97 below centre) |
| outer side notch | to 4.2 +0.1 from the stabilizer line, 2.8 +0.2 tall, from 0.5 below the centre line to 2.3 above |
| joint to the switch square, 2u–2.75u | 0.8 +0.1 in from the opening's top and bottom (5.97 below to 4.73 above centre) |
| joint to the switch square, 3u and longer | 4.6 +0.2 tall channel on the centre line (±2.3) |
| corner radii | R0.3 max (drawn sharp) |
| A (stabilizer centre to centre), 1x2, 1x2.25, 1x2.75 | 23.8 ± 0.1 mm (±11.9 from the switch) |
| A (stabilizer centre to centre), 1x3 | 38.1 ± 0.1 mm (±19.05 from the switch) |
| A (stabilizer centre to centre), 1x8 | 133.35 ± 0.1 mm (±66.675 from the switch) |

## Where the files are

- Cherry: [Keymodule MX catalogue pages: cutout of frame for keycap sizes 1x2 ... 1x10, 'A' table, keyswitch assembly (plate 1.5 ± 0.1)](https://github.com/keyboardio/keyswitch_documentation/blob/master/datasheets/Cherry/mx_keymodule.pdf) — web — Maker catalogue (linked, not rehosted)
- Cherry: [Keymodule MX catalogue (same drawings, English edition)](https://github.com/keyboardio/keyswitch_documentation/blob/master/datasheets/Cherry/Keymodule_MX_EN.pdf) — web — Maker catalogue (linked, not rehosted)

## Free STEP/STL (3 parts, CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/index.json

- plate-stab-cutout-2u: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-2u.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-2u.stl) — 38.10 × 19.05 × 1.5 mm plate tile with Cherry's combined switch + stabilizer cutout for 1x2, 1x2.25, 1x2.75 keys (A = 23.8 mm), true size, sharp corners
- plate-stab-cutout-3u: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-3u.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-3u.stl) — 57.15 × 19.05 × 1.5 mm plate tile with Cherry's combined switch + stabilizer cutout for 1x3 keys (A = 38.1 mm), true size, sharp corners
- plate-stab-cutout-8u: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-8u.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-plate-mount-stabilizer-cutouts/plate-stab-cutout-8u.stl) — 152.40 × 19.05 × 1.5 mm plate tile with Cherry's combined switch + stabilizer cutout for 1x8 keys (A = 133.35 mm), true size, sharp corners

## Questions

**How big is a Cherry plate-mount stabilizer cutout?**

6.65 × 12.3 mm per housing, from 6.77 mm below to 5.53 mm above the switch centre line, with a 3 mm notch below and a side notch, joined to the 14 mm switch square.

**How far apart are plate-mount stabilizers on a 2u key?**

23.8 mm centre to centre (±11.9 mm from the switch), the same for 2.25u and 2.75u.

**What about 7u?**

Cherry's drawing covers 1x7 keys but gives no spacing value for them, so none is published here.

## Fits with

- [Cherry MX PCB-mount stabilizer holes (2u, 2.25u, 2.75u, 6.25u)](https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-pcb-mount-stabilizers/)
- [Cherry MX switch: plate cutout and PCB footprint](https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/)