GEAR · DESK GUIDE
Mechanical keyboards
Full-size, TKL, or 60% — footprint first
Keyboard size is really a mouse-space decision. Dropping from a full-size board to tenkeyless (no numpad) frees ~10 cm to the right — enough to bring the mouse back under your shoulder instead of out at arm’s reach.
Layouts by width
Full-size ~44 cm, TKL ~36 cm, 75% ~32 cm, 60% ~29 cm. Low-profile boards are thinner top-to-bottom, which lowers wrist angle. DeskForge’s default keyboard is a low-profile slab you can scale to match your layout on the grid.
Leave room for the mouse
Plan ~25–30 cm of clear desk to the right of the board for comfortable mouse travel. If a full-size keyboard pushes your mouse to the desk edge, the fit-check will flag the crowding — a smaller layout usually fixes it.
Angle & wrist comfort
Flatter is generally kinder to wrists than steeply tented feet. A thin low-profile board plus a light negative tilt keeps hands neutral. Mock the board and mouse together to confirm they share the front row without overlap.
FAQ
How much desk does a keyboard need?
A full-size board is ~44 cm wide and a TKL ~36 cm; leave another ~25–30 cm to the right for the mouse.
Does a smaller keyboard help a small desk?
Yes — a TKL or 60% frees width for the mouse and lets a monitor sit centred. Mock both on DeskForge to compare.
Draft it before you buy
DeskForge draws every piece to a true-to-scale blueprint grid, runs a live fit-check, and plots a shareable spec-sheet card of your battlestation. Free — no account.
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