Idyllic

Keyboard Enthusiast Based in Brisbane, Australia.

© 2025 | Tommy T

Tai-Hao Keycaps

Designing a Custom Keycap Set

Introduction

Summary:

  • Tai-Hao Keycaps
    • OEM profile & ABS material
  • Custom beige colourway, 108 keys
    • Beige matched to GMK L9 and U9
  • 300 MOQ shipped from Taiwan
  • 16USD wholesale price
  • 22USD cost price
  • Designer fee of 2USD per set
    • I will cover new tooling cost with this fee
    • Included in cost price
  • 33USD suggested retail pricing / TBD
  • Aiming for 8 Vendors and 40 sets each (8x40=300 MOQ)
    • 1 Carton contains 40 sets

Cost Pricing Calculation

16USD - Wholesale price @ 300 MOQ

30% payment before starting production

2USD - Designer fee (per set)

4USD - Designer fee (per set)

22USD - Cost price (16 + 2 + 4= 22USD)

This works out to be approximately 0.20USD per keycap.

Markup Retail (USD) Profit Per Set Investment: 40Sets Gross Profit: 40Sets Net Return: 40Sets
0 22.0 0 880 0 0
10% 24.20 2.20 880 88 968
20% 26.40 4.40 880 176 1056
30% 28.60 6.60 880 264 1144
40% 30.80 8.80 880 352 1232
50% 33.00 11.00 880 440 1320
60% 35.20 13.20 880 528 1408
70% 37.40 15.40 880 616 1496
80% 39.60 17.60 880 704 1585
90% 41.80 19.80 880 792 1672
100% 44.00 22.00 880 880 1760

Table 1. Possible Profits based on Markup Percentage

Retail Pricing

Currently undecided and to be agreed upon. I believe a mark up of 30% is standard in retail but it might not be enough margins in this instance. I would like to hear your feedback and personally think that maybe 50% markup would be a good middle-ground.

In my mind, if this set is priced too high, it might lose its appeal and negatively influence the value proposition compared to other options since this kit has no numpad and fewer keycaps than other kits.

Some customers might have the perception that Tai-Hao should be sold for cheap based on their experiences with older Tai-Hao kits, but this assumption doesn’t represent this new custom set which is more complicated - i.e. custom tooling, custom colours, designer fee, inflation, ect.

New Tooling Costs

  • 3800USD for new tooling - 2.25u and 2.75u short bars
    • 1,900USD (50%) will be paid by Tai-Hao
    • 1,900USD (50%) will be paid by myself

To lower the amount of investment required, I will be paying for the new short bar tooling. This new tooling price is therefore not added into the kitting cost, however, I will instead ask for a designer fee of 2USD per base kit. At the end of the project I will receive 600 USD ($2 x 300MOQ). This amount is not enough to cover the tooling cost of 1,900 USD but if all goes well and there is demand, I would like to re-run more sets again to recoup more costs.

My goal is not to own or profit from the tooling rights; I just see this as the ideal strategy to reduce the capital investment and risk for all vendors involved. I am open to letting someone else take over and handle the project and payment for OEM short spacebar tooling.

To reiterate, I will not own the tooling even though I am paying for it and anyone can use the short bar tooling after it has been paid for and the 2USD fee is only for sets run by me.

If I were to instead include this new tooling price for 300 sets and share the costs, it would increase the wholesale price by 6.33USD (1,900/300), making a kit cost 22.33USD (16+6.33), not including shipping.

In this example, as the tooling costs have been paid for by everyone, 6.33USD won’t be considered for any future orders with Tai-Hao. However, in my opinion, adding 6.33USD makes the base kit too expensive for just 2x spacebar keys, hence I am instead proposing the 2USD Designer Fee option.

Additionally, for future reference if you would like to work more with Tai-Hao, new tooling for a 1u sized keycap is 300USD.

Shipping and Freight Costs

Tai-hao is located in Taiwan which may be different to what you are used to. I’ve been told it does not save costs to send parcels from Taiwan to shipping forwarders in China. They prefer to use FedEx by Air for deliveries but Sea Freight to Port is an option and appears to be more economical for larger orders of 300 sets.

  • Carton: 40x sets (1 set = 108x keycaps)
  • Dimensions: 42x30x34cm
  • Gross weight: 11 kgs

Air Freight Shipping Quote:

At this point in time, I have only asked for shipping quotes from Taiwan to America and Australia. As of March 2025, FedEx from Tai-hao in Taiwan to:

  • West Virginia, USA is 117USD to (2.93USD per set)
  • Sydney, Australia is 132USD (3.3USD per set)

I’ve used 4USD in the Cost Pricing Calculation as a conservative estimate for the Shipping costs but the quotes seem to show the price is closer to 3USD (not including tax).

In reference to possible import taxes, assuming Tai-Hao will use the wholesale price of 16USD on the invoice, the total for 1x carton (40x sets) will be valued at 640USD. For Australia, coincidentally, this is very close to the de minimis, no duties threshold (1,000AUD).

Keycap Kitting:

I would like to run only a base kit at the start because I am unsure how much interest the community will show if the cost is too high. If this project is successful I will run a numpad add-on kit because I personally plan on selling a numpad design and will need an individual keycap kit. I will ask Tai-Hao for a quotes and the MOQ at a later date but imagine it will be very affordable and have a lower MOQ.

Currently, the plan is to see how well a cheap and simple beige basekit will sell in the current market.

Tai-Hao Basic Beige - 108x Key Base Kit

Image 1. Suggested Kitting for Tai-Hao Basic Beige

Layout Support:

  • 60% - Standard, TSANGAN, HHKB
  • 65% - Standard
  • TKL - Standard, TSANGAN, F13
  • Alice & Split Layouts

Notable Keycaps:

  • Blank R0 2x 1u
  • Blank R1 1x 1u
  • 1.25U Windows 7 Logo and Menu Icon
  • Convex Spacebars:
    • 2.25u, 2.75u, 6.25u and 7u

Reason For Blank Keycaps in the Base Kit:

Blank R0 2x 1u:

A R0 1u Windows Logo/WIN/Sup/Code Keycap does not exist. There is a WIN key avaliable, however, the text size is inconsistent and doesn’t match the other modifier keys.

The suggested 1u blank keycaps can be repurposed to support other layouts since they do not have any text on them.

Blank R1 1x 1u:

There is a FN key avaliable, however, the text size is inconsistent and doesn’t match the other modifier keys.

The “End” keycap can be used instead if customer want a keycap with text.

Additional Comments:

Adding a numpad into the kitting will ultimately increase the price to about 7USD and will exceed the de minimis threshold increasing the upfront cost overall. Volumetrically, the size and weight will also increase which adds costs.

A 150 keycap kit from Tai-Hao has a wholesale price of 23USD.

Project SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Reputable Manufacturer:

Tai-Hao has been producing products since 1962 and are a proven company with a very respectable portfolio and track record. They are experienced and have been producing keycaps and peripherals for much longer than most companies.

Read More: Taiwan Tai-Hao Enterprise

Affordable and Timely Delivery:

For a kit of 108x double-shot, OEM keycaps the wholesale price is 16USD with a lead time of 5 weeks. This is much faster and cost-effective when compared to Signature Plastics who makes a similarly thin style of keycaps - DCS profile.

Reliable Product:

Unlike SP products, the Sprue marks are subtle and hidden at the back of the keycap which will reduce the number of customer tickets and inquiries about quality. The double-shot legends are crisp and the stems of Tai-Hao keycaps are also recessed to meet the expectation of many enthusiasts.

Weaknesses

Unfamiliar with the Enthusiast Market:

Though they produce keycaps for custom keyboards, they’re relatively outdated and lack tooling for specific keys because there hasn’t been any large demand. This means investment may be required if someone wishes to improve kitting compatibility in the future. Most notably, there is no Windows/Sup/Code or Fn keycap.

Limited Experience with Custom Colours:

Tai-Hao is relatively less advanced than GMK and SP as they do not have the tools to inspect colour chips, nor do they have an array of colour samples to choose from. Pantones or RAL must be provided after payment in order to produce samples of custom colours.

High MOQ:

Although basekits are much cheaper than other companies, the minimum order amount is 300x units which is a relatively high barrier. Additionally, there are no price breaks till 1,000x units where each basekit gets a discount of around 3USD.

Opportunity

Manufacturer Diversification:

Partnering with a Taiwanese company is a good way to diversify and build relations outside of China. This project allows vendors to introduce themselves to Tai-Hao, opening the door for future collaborations to produce more budget oriented keycaps or run custom projects with less capital required – relative to other keycap manufacturers.

Customers may be more willing to purchase this set since it’s cheap and less investment than other keycaps. Being a safe and known colourway (U9 and L9) also helps increase the appeal to buyers while reducing risk for vendors. Customers in urgent need for a beige set will see this as an in-stock option to buy and use as a placeholder.

Threats

Lack of Customer Recognition:

As this project is unprecedented and novel, there are some unfortunate risks. Customers may not be interested in trying something new, regardless of price. Though they are a long-time producer of keycaps, Tao-hao is not a hyped company and some may be prejudiced towards their products and the cheaper, OEM profile.

Additionally, there are few sound-tests available and fewer influencers promoting thinner keycaps, so mainstream customers who are purely chasing sound and “thock” may prefer a different product; something more conventional like traditional PBT.

Coming Soon

Interest Check - Tai-Hao Basic Beige