A honeycomb grid for chemistry, maps, and games.
Free Printable Hexagon Graph Paper
A honeycomb grid for hex maps, chemistry and pattern work. Set the hexagon size and download.
This is the PrintNook page, not the printable sheet.
To print the sheet at its true size, go back and use the Print or Download PDF button, then print at 100 percent scale, not Fit to page.
Print at 100 percent scale, not Fit to page. That is what keeps the measurements true.
Preview: A4, portrait, hexagon paper, 8 mm grid, 12 mm page margin.
Free for personal and commercial use. No attribution required, no watermark. See terms.
Want larger or smaller hexagons? Open it in the paper generator.
Hexagon graph paper replaces the square grid with a honeycomb of interlocking six sided cells. That shape has a few quiet superpowers. In organic chemistry the hexagons match the shape of benzene rings and carbon skeletons, so structures snap into place. In tabletop gaming the equal distance between neighbouring cells makes movement fair in every direction, which is why so many war games and role playing maps use hex grids. PrintNook draws the honeycomb in true millimetres and lets you set the hexagon size, so you can print roomy cells for sketching molecules or tighter cells for detailed maps. Download a clean PDF and print at true scale.
What hexagon graph paper is good for
Organic chemistry
Draw benzene rings, fused ring systems, and carbon chains that keep correct bond angles without freehand guesswork. The ready made hexagons do the geometry for you.
Tabletop and strategy maps
Lay out terrain, regions, and movement for hex based board games and role playing sessions where equal step distance keeps play balanced.
Pattern and tile design
Plan mosaics, quilts, and repeating tile patterns on a grid that already has the honeycomb rhythm built in.
Sizing hexagons for chemistry versus for maps
The control sets the side length, and the two main uses want opposite ends of it. For organic chemistry, go large, around 10 to 12 mm a side: you need room to write element symbols at the vertices and draw double bonds inside the ring, and a page of benzene rings is rarely more than a dozen structures. For tabletop maps, go small, around 5 to 7 mm, because the value of a hex map is how much terrain fits on one sheet and you are marking cells rather than writing in them. Remember that a hexagon is wider than its side length: at 8 mm a side the flat-to-flat width is about 13.9 mm, so the cells eat a page faster than a square grid at the same number.
Specifications
Counted from the generator itself at its default settings, not estimated. Change a setting and these numbers change with it. How we measure explains where they come from.
| Measure | A4 | US Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet size (portrait) | 210 x 297 mm (8.27 in x 11.69 in) | 215.9 x 279.4 mm (8.50 in x 11.00 in) |
| Page margin | 12 mm | 12 mm |
| Hexagon side length | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Flat-to-flat width | 13.86 mm | 13.86 mm |
| Point-to-point height | 16 mm | 16 mm |
| Rows per page | 23 | 22 |
| Whole hexagons per row | 13 | 13 |
| Line weight | 0.2 mm | 0.2 mm |
Print at 100 percent. Turn off Fit to page in your print dialog so the layout keeps its true measurements. See our print settings guide for the full checklist, or A4 versus Letter if you are unsure which size to pick.
Frequently asked questions
What is hexagon graph paper used for?
It is most often used for drawing chemical structures and for hex based tabletop game maps, since the six sided cells give correct bond angles and equal movement distance in every direction.
Can I change the size of the hexagons?
Yes. The grid spacing control sets the length of each hexagon side, so you can print large cells for chemistry sketches or small cells for dense maps.
Are the hexagons pointy top or flat top?
Pointy top: a vertex at the top and bottom, flat sides left and right. That is the orientation used for chemical structures and for most hex based board games.
How wide is a hexagon compared to its side?
Flat to flat it is the side length times the square root of three, so a 5 mm side is 8.66 mm wide. Point to point it is exactly twice the side length.
Do half hexagons hang over the margin?
No. Every edge is clipped to the margin box, so the grid ends on a clean cut line rather than spilling into the area your printer cannot print.
Can I use it in a published game or paper?
Yes, for anything. The PDFs are free for personal, classroom and commercial use, with no attribution required and no watermark anywhere on the page.
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