Glossy hard mouse pads are too loud for shared spaces.

Yes, the coating matters a lot. A glossy hard pad makes every mouse movement sound like a tiny fingernail scraping a dry erase board. A matte coating dulls that noise noticeably.

The physics is simple: glossy surfaces have less friction but more contact noise—higher pitch, more “scratch.” Matte coatings break up the sound, lower the frequency, and make it less piercing. In a quiet shared office or library, a glossy hard pad will drive everyone around you insane within an hour.

If you have to use a hard pad (for speed or preference), go matte. Or better yet, switch to a cloth pad if silence matters. They’re cheap and nearly silent.

Your coworkers will thank you.