Hexagonal Graph Paper
Hexagonal graph paper, or hex paper, is a sheet tiled with regular hexagons like a honeycomb. Set the side length in millimetres or inches, choose flat or pointy tops, the line weight and color, and the paper size, and the sheet is drawn to fit.
Your sheet
Printing: choose Actual size or 100%, not “Fit to page”, so 1 cm prints as 1 cm. How to check.
How is the hex grid drawn?
For a regular hexagon with side a: width across the points = 2a; width across the flats = a√3 ≈ 1.732a. Flat-top hexagons step 1.5a sideways and a√3 down, with every other column offset by half a hexagon.
Worked example. A 6 mm side: 12 mm across the points and 10.39 mm across the flats. On A4 with an 8 mm margin, flat tops give columns 9 mm apart, so about 21 columns, holding 27 and 26 hexagons in turn, 557 hexagons on the page.
Hex paper for chemistry
Benzene and most ring systems are drawn as regular hexagons, so hex paper lets you draw fused rings (naphthalene, steroids) with every bond the same length and every angle 120°. Use pointy tops and a 7 mm side, and draw bonds along the printed edges.
Hex paper for games
Hex maps avoid the diagonal problem of square grids: every neighbour is the same distance away. Number the hexes along columns or rows (the convention differs by game), and use a faint line so your terrain colours stay clear.
Hex paper in maths and craft
Hexagons are one of the three regular shapes that tile a plane on their own, with squares and triangles. Classes use hex paper for tessellations, symmetry and area by counting. Quilters use it for English paper piecing, where each printed hexagon is a template.
Questions about hex paper
What is hexagonal graph paper used for?
Organic chemistry (drawing ring structures), board and role-playing game maps, quilting and knitting patterns, tessellation work in maths, and any design built on a honeycomb.
What does the side length mean?
The length of one edge of each hexagon. A hexagon is twice the side across its points and side × √3 across its flats, so a 6 mm side gives 12 mm point to point and 10.39 mm flat to flat.
Flat tops or pointy tops?
Flat tops put the hexagons in vertical columns; pointy tops put them in horizontal rows. Chemistry drawings usually use pointy tops (the classic benzene ring). Game maps use either; pick the one your rulebook uses so coordinates match.
What size suits chemistry?
A 6 to 8 mm side, so there is room to write an atom symbol at each corner. For large reaction schemes, 10 mm.
What size suits a game map?
Standard counters are about 16 mm (5/8 inch) or 19 mm (3/4 inch) across, so a side of 9 to 11 mm fits them. For 25 mm (1 inch) miniatures bases, a 14.5 mm side gives 25 mm flat to flat.