ABS Keycaps

ABS keycaps: double-shot, UV print and what to know

ABS is, alongside PBT, the standard material for keycaps. For us it stands for strong colours, deep black and a crisp, bright sound. All ABS sets are double-shot or UV print.

Double-shot and UV print

With double-shot keycaps the cap and the legend are two separately moulded plastic parts, so the legend cannot wear off. ABS shrinks little during injection moulding, which makes it well suited for this. With UV print the legend is printed on, for example on PBTFans G3 and MK White on Black. This allows a lot of detail but is less resistant to wear.

Pros and cons of ABS

• Colours: often more brilliant than PBT dye-sub, plus a deeper black.
• Scratch resistance: ABS is rather scratch-resistant, PBT more sensitive.
• Shine: keys you use a lot become smooth and glossy over time. This is normal wear, and how fast it shows is individual. High-quality ABS sets cannot be compared with the worn keys of prebuilt keyboards.
• Sound: ABS sounds warmer, crisper and brighter. Case, switches and dampening affect the sound at least as much.

You will find the detailed comparison in the guide PBT vs ABS, and the alternative in PBT keycaps.

Special ABS sets

Transparent ABS is used for MK Clear, PBTFans X-Ray R3 and G3. On X-Ray and Thermal the cap base is opaque, so they are not suited for per-key RGB. KKB Nichirin contains metal powder, which creates flow lines. This is a material property, not a defect.

Care and availability

Acetone and other solvents attack ABS. The sets come from PBTFans, KKB, SWG, MW and MK in various profiles and layouts, some as preorders. We ship sets in stock from Germany within one working day.