Drop Planck Mechanical Keyboard

The Drop Planck is an ortholinear keyboard with a 40% layout, using a uniform 4-row by 12-column grid of 47 or 48 keys rather than the staggered key arrangement found on conventional keyboards. This compact grid means nearly every key serves multiple functions through layers, requiring users to learn a fundamentally different typing approach.

The hot-swappable design lets you change mechanical switches on the Planck without soldering, simply by pulling one switch out with a switch puller and pressing in a replacement. This allows users to experiment with different Cherry MX-compatible switches—such as Gateron, Kailh, or ZealPC variants—without buying a new board or using tools beyond a puller.

The Planck was originally designed by Jack Humbert under his OLKB (Ortholinear Keyboards) brand before being produced in collaboration with Drop, formerly known as Massdrop. It became one of the most popular entry points into the ortholinear keyboard community and helped establish the custom mechanical keyboard hobby market.

Yes, the Drop Planck supports QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard), the open-source firmware standard for custom keyboards that allows users to remap every key, create custom layers, and program macros. This means the small 40% grid can be configured with layers that give access to a full set of letters, numbers, symbols, and function keys through key combinations.