Chevron, Herringbone, Flame Stitch: What’s the Difference?

Chevron, herringbone, flame stitch — they all zig and zag, but which is which? Here you’ll find out how to easily spot the differences among these three popular patterns.

Chevron

This is a zigzag pattern that comes to a sharp point; imagine the letter “V” on repeat. A chevron pattern may be worked into knitwear, printed on fabric or painted on surfaces, such as the tile backsplash shown here.

For chevron floors the wood pieces are cut at an angle and fitted together to form a true point, as seen here. This angle is what identifies chevron floors — herringbone floors, as you will see in a moment, are not cut at an angle.

Herringbone

A pattern often confused with chevron, herringbone is created by placing rectangles in a staggered zigzag pattern, as shown here. It is commonly found in tilework and parquet floors. In textiles herringbone most often appears in tweed.

Read more: Chevron, Herringbone, Flame Stitch: What’s the Difference?

Chevron, Herringbone, Flame Stitch: What’s the Difference?