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GUIDE / 02

What is Choc spacing?

18×17mm vs 19.05mm. Why keycaps can "fit but look gappy."

A classic low-profile gotcha: the caps mount fine, yet the gaps between keys look too wide or too tight. The culprit is key spacing (pitch).

18mm Choc 18×17 19.05mm MX 19.05 Same cap, different pitch → different gaps

Standard MX pitch is 19.05mm (0.75"). Kailh Choc v1's native pitch is a tighter 18×17mm, and its caps are designed for that. Even when the stem matches, a pitch mismatch throws off the spacing between neighboring caps.

Example: Choc-pitch (18×17) caps on a 19.05mm PCB leave visibly wider gaps. Conversely, MX-pitch caps packed onto a tighter layout can foul each other.

How to choose

Check which pitch your kit's PCB uses first, then match caps to it. Choc v1 is typically 18×17; v2, Gateron low-profile and MX low-profile are typically 19.05mm. Each family page lists its spacing.