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Introduction

Tai-Hao are an established keycap company in Taiwan that has been producing double-shot keycaps since 1962. They were the producer of many now vintage keyboard keycaps for both ALPS and MX keyboards.

Currently, they produce ABS keycaps in OEM, Cubic and Low profile. I am interested in their ABS OEM because I like the legends and it has a thickness of 1.0mm which is very similar to SP DCS. I am currently using their OEM ABS Olivetti keyset and I’m really enjoying it with Cherry Browns. The font appears to be Helvetica which looks different to both Gorton and Cherry.

I’ve noticed beige keysets sell out quickly and there is always demand so it’s very rare to have an instock beige ABS keycap set. I want to try stocking and bringing more thin ABS to the market.

Additional details about Tai-Hao keycaps:

• Affordable and fast lead times – 2 months lead time and a price similar to their current range of keycap on the mainstream market.
• Recessed stem – This is the same as GMK and KKB keycaps and helps bring the bottom row of your keycaps more in-line with the top of your keyboard chassis.
• OEM Profile - R0 Bottom row – OEM R0 Bottom row is tall like the popular R5/R0 Cherry profiles. Though slightly different to Cherry, OEM is still similar enough to easily adjust to.

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TLDR Summary:

• Tai-Hao Keycaps
  • OEM profile & ABS material
  • 1.0mm Thickness
• Custom beige colourway, 106 keys
  • Beige matched to GMK L9 and U9
• 300 MOQ shipped from Taiwan
• 16USD wholesale price
• 20USD cost price
• 33USD suggested retail pricing / TBD
• Aiming for 8 Vendors and 40 sets each (8x40=300 MOQ)
  • 1 Carton contains 40 sets
• Production Time - 5 weeks

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Cost Pricing Calculation

• Wholesale price @ 300 MOQ - 16USD
• 30% payment before starting production
• Shipping Cost - ~4USD per set with FedEX
• Cost price - 20USD (16 + 4 = 20USD)
• Not including any possible customs and tax charges

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.

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 custom set which is more complicated - i.e. custom colours, low MOQ, inflation

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Markup and Profit Calculation

Assuming there are 8 vendors and each vendor buys 40 base kits, the following table can be use to visualise the profit margin of the project.

I currently don’t know what markup vendors like for their keycaps so would appreciate advice and feedback.

Margin	Retail (USD)	Profit Per Set (USD)	Investment (USD): 40 Sets	Gross Profit (USD): 40 Sets	Net Return (USD): 40 Sets
0%	20	0	800	0	800
10%	22	2	800	80	880
20%	24	4	800	160	960
30%	26	6	800	240	1040
40%	28	8	800	320	1120
50%	30	10	800	400	1200
60%	32	12	800	480	1280
70%	34	14	800	560	1360
80%	36	16	800	640	1440
90%	38	18	800	720	1520
100%	40	20	800	800	1600

Table 1. Possible Profits based on Markup Percentage

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New Tooling Costs - Optional

• 300USD per 1u keycap
• 3800USD for new tooling - 2.25u and 2.75u short bars
  • 1,900USD (50%) will be paid by Tai-Hao

It is possible to get short bar tooling made and Tai-Hao is willing to pay for half the costs. Tooling for both convex 2.75u and 2.25u spacebars are 3800USD.

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 (1,900USD/300kits), making a kit cost 22.33USD (16USD+6.33USD), not including shipping.

In this example, if the tooling costs have been paid for by multiple vendors, 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.

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

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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).

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Keycap Kitting:

I would only like to run the base kit as a start because I am unsure how much interest the community will show. This is a very minimal kitting similar to how GB DCS keycaps are sold.

I was also thinking of having a numpad kit add-on but I have not asked Tai-Hao for new quotes or the MOQ.

Tai-Hao Basic Beige - 106x Key Base Kit

This is the draft of my base kit. I don’t think it is perfect so I am willing to change it based off feedback. For example, I want to include R3 1.75u Control.

For now this kitting is just a reference to get a rough idea on wholesale pricing from Tai-Hao.

Layout Support:

• 60% - Standard, TSANGAN, HHKB
• 65% - Standard
• TKL - Standard, TSANGAN, F13

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.

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Additional Comments:

My contact with Tai-Hao is through Email with Byron. He has been very helpful and given me multiple quotes. Byron’s Email: byronchi@tai-hao.com.tw

Adding a numpad into the kitting will approximately increase the price by 7USD. Volumetrically, the size and weight will also increase which adds costs.

• Base Kit without Numpad - 16USD @ Wholesale
• Base Kit with Numpad - 21USD @ Wholesale

A 150 keycap kit from Tai-Hao has a wholesale price of 23USD @ 300 units.

Tai-Hao is willing to produce sets at a lower MOQ. I have not asked them for exact quotes but sets with 100 or 200 kits can cost about 30% to 50% more per unit. I think this sounds interesting and would love to try a low MOQ run in another colour but I don’t have a design or experience gathering interest.

Unlike Signature Plastics, Tai-hao keycaps come in a nice, presentable box. The inside has stacked foam and cardboard layers.

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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.

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