A herringbone pattern is an arrangement of rectangles used for floor tilings, road pavement, and other applications such as wallpaper, mosaics, seating, cloth and clothing, shoe tread, security printing, jewelry, sculpture, and more. The pattern is named after the bones of a fish such as a herring, which it resembles. The blocks can be rectangles or parallelograms, and the block edge length ratios are usually 2:1, and sometimes 3:1, but need not be even ratios. 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).

In parquetry, herringbone patterns can be accomplished in wood, brick, and tile. Subtle alternating colors may be used to create a distinctive floor pattern, or the materials used may be the same, causing the floor to look uniform from a distance. 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 that is not perfectly flat. Small mistakes in a herringbone floor can be rather glaring because of the way the pattern lines up, so care must be taken.

In textiles, herringbone is a specific weave with a distinctive V-shaped pattern, also known as a broken twill weave. It is not a type of fabric, but rather a specific weave that distinguishes it from a standard twill or a chevron. While traditionally made of wool, it can be woven out of linen, cotton, or nearly any yarn imaginable. The dense weave of herringbone provides a refined texture and depth, and the impact of the pattern is easily dialed up or down with slight changes in scale.

In summary, a herringbone pattern is a distinctive arrangement of rectangles that can be used in a variety of applications, including flooring, textiles, and more. It is named after the bones of a fish such as a herring, which it resembles, and is characterized by a V-shaped pattern.