BattleTech Hex Mats: Sizing, Compatibility and What to Check Before You Buy

If you play BattleTech on anything other than the paper mapsheets from the box, hex size is the first thing you need to get right — and it's the thing most mat listings don't tell you. This page covers the actual numbers, what they mean for a printed mat, and where a hex mat helps or doesn't.

The standard mapsheet, by the numbers

A standard BattleTech mapsheet is 22 inches by 18 inches, laid out as 15 columns (01XX through 15XX) by nominally 17 rows (XX01 through XX17). Worth knowing: several rulebooks state 22 x 17, but the printed sheet is 22 x 18.

The hexes themselves are printed at roughly 1.29 inches across the flats and 1.50 inches across the points — about 33mm by 38mm. Each hex represents 30 metres of ground, roughly 100 feet.

That flat-to-flat figure is the one that matters. It's what determines whether your mat lines up with a paper mapsheet laid beside it, and whether a mech on a 1.25" hex base sits inside a hex rather than straddling two.

A few related notes:

• Other games in the setting — BattleForce, Solaris VII — print to the same physical hex size even though each hex represents a different ground distance, so mats are interchangeable across them.
• Double-size mapsheets exist at 34 x 22 inches, twice the width in hexes.
• Some fleece and felt hex mats on the market use 38mm (1.5") across the flats instead. That's slightly oversized against the paper standard. It's a deliberate choice by those makers — the extra 5mm per hex gives more room for 3D terrain and larger models — but it means those mats will not tile with a paper mapsheet.

Our hexes

FeltPro hex mats are printed to the standard mapsheet grid rather than sized up for larger miniatures, so the layout reads the way the paper maps do.

Hex dimensions on our mats are fixed. We don't offer custom hex sizing.

[Kevin — add the exact flat-to-flat figure here once measured. Until then this section stays general.]

Hex numbering and level values

Players ask for these constantly, and most printed mats don't have them.

Our hex mats carry hex numbers in the standard column-row addressing scheme and printed level values, the same information you'd read off a paper mapsheet. That means you can call a target hex out loud by number, resolve elevation from the map instead of from memory, and record positions between sessions the way the game expects.

A mat without numbers looks cleaner. A mat with numbers plays like BattleTech.

An honest note on hills

Most of what we make is designed to drape. Put foam, books or anything else underneath a FeltPro mat and the fabric settles over it into a genuine slope, which is the whole point of the system for skirmish and historical games.

We don't recommend doing that with a hex mat, and it's worth explaining why rather than selling you on it.

BattleTech resolves elevation in discrete printed levels. A hex is level 1 or level 2, and line of sight is calculated from those numbers. Physical terrain underneath the mat produces a continuous slope that will not align with those discrete values, and any inaccuracy in how the foam is cut shifts the fabric relative to the printed grid. You end up with a hill that looks right and disagrees with the map.

If you want three-dimensional BattleTech, the right approach is terrain placed on top of the mat in whole hexes, not underneath it. Everything else we make drapes. This one lies flat, on purpose.

Sizes and how they map

Our hex mats come on the standard FeltPro size ladder. What matters for BattleTech is how many mapsheet-equivalents each one covers:

• 30 x 40 — comfortably more play area than a single mapsheet. Good for a lance-on-lance game or a duel.
• 50 x 60 and 60 x 80 — larger tables, coming as those designs are finished.

All sizes are in inches. Mats ship free within the US and are printed to order, typically arriving in 5 to 12 business days.

For comparison: the standard licensed neoprene mats are 34" x 22" — the "two-map" size — and the largest one, at roughly 4' x 6', carries a $10 oversized shipping surcharge. Our 60 x 80 is larger than that and ships free.

Browse the range: BattleTech Hex Battle Mats

Cloth vs neoprene vs vinyl for hex play

Neoprene is heavy and rubber-backed. It grips well and lies flat, which suits hex play. It usually ships folded, and those creases tend to be permanent — a crease running through a hex row is more annoying on a numbered grid than on open ground.

Vinyl rolls small and costs less, but holds curl from the roll and tends to be glossy enough to throw glare, which makes reading hex numbers harder under a bright light.

Cloth and fleece are the lightest option, fold flat without permanent creasing, and can go in the washing machine. The honest tradeoff is that fleece has no rubber backing, so it behaves like fabric rather than a mat that holds position on its own. On a hex mat this matters more than usual, because the grid needs to stay put — most players find the weight of mechs and terrain settles it, and a strip of tape at the corners handles a slick table.

Alpha Strike

Alpha Strike plays on open ground with inches rather than hexes, so a hex grid isn't required. Many players use one anyway for consistent movement measurement and because most groups run both games on the same table. If you play mostly Alpha Strike, one of our unmarked terrain mats may suit you better.

Common questions

Will your hexes line up with my paper mapsheets? They're printed to the standard mapsheet grid rather than an oversized one. Message us if you want the exact figure before ordering.

Do the mats have hex numbers? Yes, in the standard column-row scheme, along with printed level values.

Can I use a hex mat with 3D terrain? Yes, placed on top and aligned to whole hexes. What we'd avoid is putting risers underneath a hex mat — see the section above.

What size do I need for a four-map game? A two-by-two mapsheet layout is about 36" x 44", so you want a 50 x 60 or larger.

Can I get a custom hex size? No. Hex dimensions on our mats are fixed at the mapsheet standard.

Does this work for other hex-based games? The grid is a grid. Any game using roughly 1.25–1.3" hexes will work on these, and several hex wargames outside the BattleTech family use grids in that range.