Free Printable Hexagon Template | PDF Sizes & Uses – A free printable hexagon template is a ready-to-print six-sided shape you can download as a PDF, print at home, and cut out. Teachers use it for geometry lessons. Quilters use it for English paper piecing. Kids use it for crafts, stencils, and honeycomb art. Gamers use hexagon graph paper for maps.
If you came here looking for a free printable hexagon template in inches on U.S. Letter paper, the links below go to current download pages—not placeholder files.
What a hexagon template is (and is not)?
A regular hexagon has six equal sides and six equal interior angles of 120 degrees. It tiles, or tessellates, without gaps. That is why honeycombs, Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts, and many tabletop maps use this shape.
A template is a single hexagon (or a page of them) you trace or cut.
Hexagon graph paper is a full page of connected hexes for drawing, mapping, or chemistry notes.
They solve different jobs. Grab the single-shape PDF for cutting. Grab the grid PDF for planning.
One measurement detail trips people up: sellers and printables do not all measure the same way.
- Side length: one edge, corner to corner. A “1-inch hexagon” in English paper piecing usually means each side is 1 inch.
- Flat-to-flat (width): distance between two parallel sides.
- Point-to-point: distance from one vertex to the opposite vertex. That is twice the side length.
Read the download page before you cut fabric. If a 1-inch hexie is measured by side length, the finished piece is about 2 inches across from point to point.
Best free printable hexagon templates
These five sources are free as of this writing. Print at Actual Size or 100%—do not use “Fit to Page,” or the shape will shrink.
1. Multi-size outline templates (crafts and classroom)
The Pink Craft Box printable hexagon shapes include six regular hexagons on U.S. Letter paper. Sizes run from 1 inch to 6 inches by side length. Smaller sizes pack several shapes on one sheet (35 of the 1-inch hexes, 9 of the 2-inch hexes). The outlines are simple black lines, which makes them easy to trace onto cardstock, felt, or construction paper.
Good for: shape sorting, bulletin-board honeycombs, stencil work, and any project that needs a clean cut-out rather than a grid.
2. Quilting and English paper piecing sizes
Simply Quilting’s free hexagon template PDFs cover seven common patchwork sizes: 1 in, 1½ in, 2 in, 2½ in, 3 in, 3½ in, and 4 in. The files are split into two downloads—one for larger hexes and one for mini hexes.
Print on copy paper if you will baste fabric around the paper and leave the paper in. Print on cardstock if you will trace the shape onto fabric and remove the template. For EPP, most quilters treat the printed hexagon as the finished paper piece and add a seam allowance when they cut the fabric, usually about ¼ inch beyond the paper edge.
3. Hexagon graph paper on U.S. Letter
Need a full page of hexes instead of one cut-out? Printables for Life hexagon graph paper offers five sizes on 8.5 × 11 inch paper: ¼ inch, ½ inch, ¾ inch, 1 inch, and 1 cm, each in light gray or light blue. That mix covers organic-chemistry sketches, quilt layout doodles, and small-scale game maps.
4. Custom hex paper if you need a specific scale
If none of the ready-made sizes match your project, use Incompetech’s hexagonal graph paper generator. Set the page to Letter (8.5 × 11 inches), pick hex size and line color, then download a PDF. Teachers and mapmakers have used this generator for years because you can reprint the same settings later.
5. Classroom shape sheets that include a hexagon
For preschool and early elementary work, First Palette’s basic shapes printables include a hexagon in Set 3 alongside pentagon, heptagon, and octagon sheets. Files print on Letter or A4. They are better for shape recognition and cut-and-glue activities than for precision quilting.
Free Printable Hexagon Template | PDF Sizes & Uses
How to print so the size stays accurate?
- Download the PDF instead of printing from a preview image.
- Open it in a PDF reader (Adobe Reader, Preview, or your browser’s PDF viewer).
- Choose Letter paper, portrait, and Actual Size / 100%.
- Print one test page. Measure one side with a ruler.
- If the side is short, your printer scaled the page. Turn scaling off and reprint.
- For templates you will trace many times, print on cardstock. For EPP papers you will leave inside the fabric, plain copy paper is easier to stitch through.
Home inkjet printers can shift the image a few millimeters. If you need identical hexies for a quilt, print a full sheet from the same file, then cut them all from that run.
Practical ways to use a hexagon template
School. Trace the shape, count sides and vertices, then compare it with a pentagon and an octagon. Older students can find perimeter (6 × side length) and area using
(A = \frac{3\sqrt{3}}{2}s^{2}),
where (s) is the side length. Hexagon graph paper is also useful for coordinate work and tessellation demos.
Quilting. English paper piecing starts with paper hexagons. Baste or glue-baste fabric over each paper, then whipstitch the edges together. Classic U.S. patterns include Grandmother’s Flower Garden (a center hexie ringed by six more).
Kids’ crafts. Print several 2- or 3-inch hexes, color them yellow and black, and glue them into a beehive. Larger hexes make good ornament bases, gift tags, and collage tiles.
Planning and games. Hex grids give every cell six neighbors at the same distance. That is why many wargames and fantasy maps use hex paper instead of squares.
Choosing a size quickly
| Goal | Typical size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mini EPP or jewelry-scale hexies | ¾ in to 1 in side | Fast to stitch; lots of pieces per page |
| Standard hexie quilt | 1 in to 2 in side | Easy to handle; common fabric scraps |
| Classroom cut-outs | 3 in to 6 in side | Big enough for little hands |
| Chemistry or fine diagrams | ¼ in hex grid | Room for labels without crowding |
| Tabletop maps | ½ in to 1 in hex grid | Fits a Letter page without looking sparse |
FAQ
Is a free printable hexagon template accurate enough for quilting?
Yes, if you print at 100% and measure a test hexagon. For a large quilt, many sewists still buy laser-cut paper pieces after they test a layout with printed papers.
Can I use these files commercially?
Not automatically. Most free printables allow personal and classroom use only. Check each site’s terms before selling items made from the template.
What paper should I use?
Copy paper for EPP papers you will stitch through. Cardstock for stencils and classroom cut-outs. Heavier paper holds a cleaner edge when you trace.
Do I need special software?
No. A current browser or free PDF reader is enough.
Why does my printed hexagon look stretched?
The printer scaled the page or used the wrong paper size. Set the driver to Letter and disable “Fit to Page.”
Print one sheet, measure one side, and you will know immediately whether the file matches the size you need.