Sourcing Keyboards Wholesale from China: Complete Guide

China manufactures essentially all the world’s keyboards. From $3 membrane keyboards to $200 enthusiast mechanical boards, the factories are in China — primarily in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and surrounding Guangdong areas.

The keyboard market has two distinct segments: mass-market (office, education, general consumer) and enthusiast/gaming. The strategies for sourcing each are different.

Mass-Market Keyboards

Membrane keyboards ($3–12 factory cost): The dominant global volume segment. Tactile dome-under-key mechanism. Quiet, affordable. Wireless models (Bluetooth + 2.4GHz dongle) at $8–15 factory cost. These go into office supply channels, education, and anyone who needs a functional keyboard at the lowest possible cost. Very competitive on Amazon at $15–30 retail. Thin margins unless volume is high.

Slim/chiclet keyboards ($8–20 factory cost): Low-profile keys with scissor mechanism. Bluetooth. Often tenkeyless (no numpad). Popular for home office setups and MacBook adjacent styling. This tier competes well at $25–50 retail with decent brand positioning.

RGB membrane keyboards ($10–22 factory cost): Added backlighting. Gaming positioning. Multiple lighting modes controlled by firmware. This segment sits between true mechanical and budget, serving buyers who want RGB aesthetics without mechanical price points.

Mechanical Keyboards

Mechanical keyboards have become a significant growth category driven by gaming, programming, and keyboard enthusiast communities.

Budget mechanical ($18–35 factory cost): 60%–tenkeyless layouts. Outemu or Gateron Red/Blue/Brown switches (Chinese alternatives to Cherry MX). Hot-swap socket increasingly common even at this price. ABS keycaps. Software for key remapping. This tier sells at $40–80 retail and represents most of Amazon’s mechanical keyboard volume.

Mid-range mechanical ($35–65 factory cost): Gasket or foam mounting for improved typing feel. South-facing PCB to reduce keycap legend interference with RGB. Better aluminum or polycarbonate case construction. Genuine Gateron Pro or Akko switches. PBT keycaps with dye-sublimation legends that don’t fade. This tier sells at $80–150 retail.

Enthusiast tier ($65–150 factory cost): Brass or aluminum weight inserts, true gasket mount for flexing feel, hot-swap PCB with per-key RGB, premium Gateron or Lubed Milky Yellow switches, doubleshot PBT keycaps, typing angle options. This segment sells at $150–300 retail and has a passionate community that drives word-of-mouth.

The Switch Question

The switch is the single most important differentiator in a mechanical keyboard. Get this wrong and no amount of good case design fixes it.

Clicky switches (Blue-equivalent): Tactile bump + audible click. Satisfying feedback but loud. Requires noise-tolerant buyers. Gateron Blue, Akko Blue-equivalent.

Tactile switches (Brown-equivalent): Tactile bump, no click. The balance between feedback and quiet. Most popular for office/mixed use. Gateron Brown, Akko CS Jelly switches.

Linear switches (Red-equivalent): No tactile bump, smooth keypress. Preferred by many gamers for speed. Gateron Red, Yellow, Milky Yellow.

Chinese switch manufacturers: Outemu, Gateron, Akko, KTT, HMX, and Durock are all China-based and produce quality switches used in respected products. Cherry (German) is the original mechanical switch brand but is no longer the quality leader — Gateron and Akko often outperform Cherry in smoothness and value. Budget Outemu switches are fine for entry products but enthusiasts can tell the difference.

Hot-swap vs. soldered: Hot-swap sockets let users change switches without soldering. This is now expected at any price point above $50 retail. If a factory’s $30+ product doesn’t have hot-swap, it’s behind the market.

Key Specs for Mechanical Keyboards

PCB south vs. north facing. North-facing switches put the RGB LED at the top of the switch, where it shines through to the front of keycaps but causes interference with larger keycap profiles (SA, MT3). South-facing puts the LED at the bottom, giving cleaner RGB on standard keycap profiles. South-facing is preferred by enthusiasts. Confirm with your factory.

Case material. Plastic (ABS/polycarbonate), aluminum, or gasket-mount polycarbonate. Plastic is fine for budget boards. Aluminum cases add premium feel and reduce flex. Gasket mounting is for premium feel — the PCB floats on dampeners to give a softer, bouncier typing feel.

Noise level. Keyboards sold for office use should use linear or tactile non-clicky switches. Buyers working in shared offices don’t want clicks. Ask about foam dampening inserts (between PCB and case) that reduce sound.

Keycap profile and material. OEM and Cherry profiles are most common. ABS keycaps shine/wear faster. PBT keycaps are harder, don’t shine, and legends last longer. Doubleshot PBT is the best consumer option.

Certifications

FCC Part 15B: Required for wireless keyboards (Bluetooth or 2.4GHz). Verify FCC ID at fcc.report. Wired keyboards still technically need FCC 15B compliance documentation as digital devices.

CE + RED: Required for wireless keyboards in EU/UK.

RoHS: Standard requirement.

MOQs

Stock membrane or basic mechanical keyboards with custom packaging: 200–500 units. These designs are mature and factories have large existing inventories.

Custom layout (72%, 65%, 75%, Alice) with your keycap colorway: 500–1,000 units minimum. Layout changes require PCB adjustments.

Custom keycap color sets and legends (grouped buys): 200+ sets per color. This is the standard enthusiast keyboard model — group buys fund production runs.

Full custom keyboard (new case design, new PCB): 2,000+ units with significant tooling ($10,000–25,000 depending on complexity).

The Enthusiast Community Opportunity

The mechanical keyboard community is large, engaged, and willing to pay. Keychron, a Hong Kong brand, built a massive business selling direct-to-consumer through SEO and community channels without much traditional retail. Their keyboards are manufactured in the same Guangdong factories accessible to any importer.

The opportunity is finding a specific niche: compact layouts (40% or 60%) for minimalists, ergonomic splits for programmers, silent mechanical for office environments. These niches have communities on Reddit, YouTube, and Discord. A genuinely good product gets organic traction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between mechanical and membrane keyboards? Membrane keyboards use a rubber dome pressed against a membrane sheet. Mechanical keyboards use individual spring-loaded switches under each key. Mechanical keyboards feel more responsive, last longer (50–100 million keystrokes vs. 5–10 million), and have more distinct tactile feedback. They’re also louder (unless using linear switches) and cost more.

Which Chinese switch brands are actually good? Gateron is widely respected and produces some of the smoothest linear switches (Milky Yellow, Pro Yellow). Akko makes quality linear and tactile switches popular with enthusiasts. KTT produces budget-friendly options well-regarded in the community. Outemu is adequate for entry-level products. Avoid generic “mechanical switch” descriptions without a named manufacturer.

What keyboard size should I source? TKL (tenkeyless, ~87 keys) and 75% layout are the most broadly appealing. Full-size (104 key) remains popular for office and heavy data-entry use. 60% and smaller are enthusiast niches with passionate buyers but smaller volume. If you’re entering the market for the first time, TKL or 75% with hot-swap mechanical switches is the safest starting point.

Do I need a custom PCB to sell a custom keyboard? Not necessarily. Many factories have existing PCB designs in multiple layouts that you can rebrand. Custom PCBs add cost and lead time. For a first product, find a factory whose existing PCB layout matches your target layout and invest your differentiation budget in the case, keycaps, and switches.

What certifications does a wireless keyboard need for the US? FCC Part 15 (both the digital device certification and wireless transmitter authorization for Bluetooth or 2.4GHz). Verify any claimed FCC ID at fcc.report. Without FCC certification, the product cannot legally be marketed in the US.