# Cherry MX switch: plate cutout and PCB footprint

> What size is the Cherry MX plate cutout and where are the PCB holes?

- Category: Electronics › Keyboard switches & stabilizers
- Kind: Standard part
- Basis: Cherry MX datasheet (plate, PCB, spacing; via ai03 wiki) and the KiCad SW_Cherry_MX_1.00u_PCB footprint (hole positions)
- Page: https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/ · JSON: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint · Plain text: https://xemstudio.com/objects/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/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/)

## Overall (mm)

| length | width |
|---|---|
| 19.05 | 19.05 |

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

## Notes

- The Cherry MX interface that MX-style switches share (Cherry, Gateron, Kailh BOX/Pro, Akko and other MX clones): the switch clips into a 14 × 14 mm square hole in a 1.5 mm plate and its pins go through the PCB 5 mm below the plate top.
- Hole coordinates are seen from the keycap side with the origin on the stem axis, x to the right and y towards the two contact pins (the LED window is on the opposite side). The centre post and the two fixing pegs line up on y = 0; the pegs exist only on PCB-mount (5-pin) switches, so a 3-pin plate-mount switch needs only the Ø4.0 and the two Ø1.5 holes.
- Switches sit on a 19.05 mm (0.75 in) grid: a key n units wide puts its switch at the centre of an n × 19.05 mm space, so the switch centres of a row are 19.05 mm apart; key widths are in the table (n × 19.05).
- The clips are made for the 1.5 ± 0.1 mm plate: for a thicker 3D-printed plate keep 1.5 mm at the cutout (a ledge) and thicken around it. Cutout and holes are drawn at true size: add your printer's hole allowance.

## Sizes

| parameter | value |
|---|---|
| plate cutout | 14 × 14 mm |
| plate thickness | 1.5 ± 0.1 mm |
| PCB thickness | 1.6 mm |
| plate top to PCB top | 5.0 mm |
| key pitch (1u) | 19.05 mm (0.75 in) |
| centre post (x, y) | Ø4 at (+0.00, +0.00) mm |
| fixing peg (PCB-mount switches) (x, y) | Ø1.7 at (-5.08, +0.00) mm |
| fixing peg (PCB-mount switches) (x, y) | Ø1.7 at (+5.08, +0.00) mm |
| contact pin 1 (x, y) | Ø1.5 at (+2.54, +5.08) mm |
| contact pin 2 (x, y) | Ø1.5 at (-3.81, +2.54) mm |
| key width 1.25u | 23.81 mm |
| key width 1.5u | 28.58 mm |
| key width 1.75u | 33.34 mm |
| key width 2u | 38.10 mm |
| key width 2.25u | 42.86 mm |
| key width 2.75u | 52.39 mm |
| key width 6.25u | 119.06 mm |
| key width 7u | 133.35 mm |

## Where the files are

- ai03 keyboard design wiki: [Switch dimensions and physical specifications (Cherry MX datasheet values)](https://wiki.ai03.com/books/case-and-plate-design/page/switch-dimensions-and-physical-specifications) — web — Publisher's page; dimensions are facts
- KiCad: [kicad-footprints: Button_Switch_Keyboard.pretty (SW_Cherry_MX_1.00u/2.00u/2.25u/2.75u/6.25u_PCB), citing Cherry's MX catalogue](https://github.com/KiCad/kicad-footprints/tree/master/Button_Switch_Keyboard.pretty) — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 with KiCad exception (footprints)

## Free STEP/STL (2 parts, CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio)

Index: https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/index.json

- mx-plate-1u: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/mx-plate-1u.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/mx-plate-1u.stl) — 1u plate square 19.05 × 19.05 × 1.5 with the 14 × 14 mm switch cutout, true size (square corners as drawn by Cherry)
- mx-pcb-footprint-1u: [STEP](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/mx-pcb-footprint-1u.step) · [STL](https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/cherry-mx-switch-plate-cutout-and-pcb-footprint/mx-pcb-footprint-1u.stl) — 1u PCB hole pattern as a 1.6 mm drill jig: Ø4.0 centre post, 2 × Ø1.7 fixing pegs, 2 × Ø1.5 contact pins at true positions

## Questions

**What size hole does a Cherry MX switch need?**

A 14.0 × 14.0 mm square in a 1.5 mm (± 0.1) plate; the switch clips latch under the plate.

**How far apart are keyboard switches?**

19.05 mm (0.75 in) centre to centre for 1u keys; wider keys keep their switch at the centre of n × 19.05 mm.

**What PCB holes does a 5-pin MX switch need?**

Ø4.0 centre, two Ø1.7 pegs at ±5.08 mm on the centre line, and two Ø1.5 contact pins at (+2.54, +5.08) and (−3.81, +2.54) mm, seen from the keycap side.

## Fits with

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