The herringbone pattern is an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings and road pavement, so named for a fancied resemblance to the bones of a fish such as a herring.
The herringbone pattern has a symmetry of wallpaper group pgg, as long as the blocks are not of different color (i.e., considering the borders alone).
As a geometric tessellation, the herringbone pattern is topologically identical to the regular hexagonal tiling.
In parquetry, more casually known as flooring, herringbone patterns can be accomplished in wood, brick, and tile.
Laying a herringbone floor is very challenging, since the multitude of small rows must be made to line up smoothly, which can be difficult in a room which is not perfectly flat.