Switch Actuation Force Census 2026

Most switches ask for a medium-light press

Across 198 switches with a published figure, actuation force clusters between 45g and 55g: the two middle bands alone cover 96 switches (48%). The heavy end has thinned to 9 switches at 65g or more, and true featherweights under 45g are a minority at 43. The market has settled on a press that is light enough for speed but not so light that resting fingers trigger keys.

Range 35g to 80g across 198 switches with a published force.

Feel has a force signature

Type predicts weight. Linears, built for smooth speed, sit at a 45g median. Tactiles run heavier at 55g because the bump itself takes force to clear, and clickies are the heaviest of the mainstream types at 60g. If you want a light press, the data says start with a linear.

Median actuation force per type, switches with a published figure only. The five types are compared in the linear vs. tactile vs. clicky guide.

Bottoming out costs 10g more

Among the 69 switches that publish both forces, the median gap between actuation and bottom-out is 10g: 19 switches gap less, 17 sit exactly at 10g, and 33 gap more. (The group medians are 45g to actuate and 60g to bottom out; the median gap is not simply the difference of the two, because light and heavy switches pair their forces differently.) That gap is your cushion: it is what lets you type without slamming every keystroke home. A wide gap feels progressive and forgiving; a narrow one feels direct.

Compare forces side by side on any two entries in the switch database.

Methodology and citation

Every figure is computed live from the KeebScout switch database (227 switches as of August 2026; 198 publish an actuation force and 69 publish both actuation and bottom-out force). Specs are normalized to one schema and units, and unpublished fields are excluded rather than guessed, with the sample size noted wherever a spec is missing. Prices are the listed US retail price where available. Nothing here is weighted by sales, sponsorship, or affiliate payouts, because the database is not; the full method is on the about page. As the database grows, these numbers update on their own.