What is the difference between chevron and herringbone flooring?

Chevron boards are mitre-cut at an angle so each row meets in a continuous straight point, like arrows. Herringbone uses rectangular boards laid at right angles to each other in a broken zigzag. Chevron reads as clean lines, herringbone as woven texture.

Which is more expensive, chevron or herringbone?

Chevron usually costs more. The boards are pre-mitred (pricier per m²), and both patterns waste 15% to 20% at the walls. Herringbone boards are plain rectangles, so the material is cheaper and more forgiving to buy.

Is chevron or herringbone easier to lay?

Both are hard, for the same reason: the first rows define everything. Herringbone is slightly more forgiving because the boards are rectangular; chevron's mitred joints must close perfectly along every seam line.

Chevron vs herringbone flooring: differences, cuts and cost

10 July 2026

Chevron boards are cut at an angle; herringbone boards are not. That single manufacturing difference produces two different floors: chevron rows meet in continuous straight points, arrows running up the room, while herringbone overlaps rectangular boards into a broken zigzag. Everything else (cost, difficulty, board buying) follows from it.

Side by side

	Chevron (point de Hongrie)	Herringbone
Board shape	parallelogram, ends mitred at the point angle	plain rectangle
The line it draws	continuous straight points	broken zigzag
Reads as	arrows, direction, movement	weave, texture, calm
Point angle	chosen at manufacture, 30 to 60° (classic 45°)	always 90° between boards
Boards	dedicated pre-mitred chevron boards	dedicated but rectangular boards
Waste	15% to 20%	15% to 20%
Difficulty	hard, seams must close perfectly	hard, spine must not drift
Typical price	higher (mitred boards)	lower

How to tell them apart in one glance

Look along a row: if the boards form a straight, unbroken line of points, like a column of arrows, it's chevron. If the point line is stepped, with each board's end overlapping the neighbour's side, it's herringbone.

Choosing between them

Choose chevron when the room is large enough to read the long seam lines, you want directional drama (hallways, galleries, rooms with a strong axis), and the budget covers pre-mitred boards. The point angle is a real decision: 45° is classic; steeper angles narrow the arrows and increase wall waste.

Choose herringbone when you want the classic parquet texture, more board-buying flexibility (single, double or triple legs), or a slightly lower material price for the same visual family.

Both patterns:

waste 15% to 20% at the walls, so budget with the herringbone calculator, which covers both;
need the layout planned from a centreline, not a wall, and the method in the herringbone layout guide applies to chevron identically;
are the wrong choice for small, complicated rooms, where the pattern fights the walls and the waste climbs to the top of the range.

The buying difference matters more than it looks

Herringbone boards are rectangles, so a miscount is recoverable: more rectangles exist. Chevron boards are mitred at a specific angle for that range; if you run short and the range is discontinued, no other board closes the pattern. Order chevron with the full waste allowance in one batch, and know your exact count first, because this is precisely the situation where running out mid-job has no good ending.

For how the two compare against every other pattern (running bond, blocks, random stagger), see wood flooring patterns compared.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between chevron and herringbone flooring?: Chevron boards are mitre-cut at an angle so each row meets in a continuous straight point, like arrows. Herringbone uses rectangular boards laid at right angles to each other in a broken zigzag. Chevron reads as clean lines, herringbone as woven texture.
Which is more expensive, chevron or herringbone?: Chevron usually costs more. The boards are pre-mitred (pricier per m²), and both patterns waste 15% to 20% at the walls. Herringbone boards are plain rectangles, so the material is cheaper and more forgiving to buy.
Is chevron or herringbone easier to lay?: Both are hard, for the same reason: the first rows define everything. Herringbone is slightly more forgiving because the boards are rectangular; chevron's mitred joints must close perfectly along every seam line.