Cardboard Mats and Tiles for Board Games

‘Cardboard mats’ and ’tiles’ are interchangeable terms – they are both used primarily to build a game board surface. For example, Settlers of Catan uses large hexagon mats and Labyrinth uses 32, 2″ x 2″ tiles. If you’re trying to make a game like Catan, check out our how-to guide. Visit our custom board game calculator to see how adding mats and tiles to your custom board game impacts your final cost, or order a sample pack to see some of our game piece options up close.

What is the difference between tiles and tokens?
Cardboard board game mat

Generally, tiles are larger pieces that represent key parts of the game, unlike tokens which usually represent smaller things like resources. When deciding between mat/tiles or tokens, consider whether you need many little pieces to act as counters or a few large pieces to create a board. If you need a handful of small pieces you should look into our token options.

What are tiles and tokens made of? How are they printed?

We produce our mats and tiles by applying printed paper to high-density paperboard then we cut to size and shape. Based on your printing choice, we can print both sides of the tile with your artwork (two-sided printing) so players can flip the tiles. Or, the cost-effective option, is gluing your design to one-side (one-sided printing) and leaving the cardboard backing exposed. For more cost reduction tips, visit our cost reduction page.

Custom Tile Shapes

Custom tokens and mats

Our default tile shape is square, but we have the machinery and know-how to die cut your tiles into other shapes. If you’d prefer another shape (i.e. hexagon) enter the width and height of the furthest points on your shape and let us know your custom shape request after you are happy with your budgetary calculated quote. If you are looking for other custom pieces, we also offer custom miniatures.

Multiple Variants

Cardboard mats can assemble the playing field for your board game. If your playing field is large, then you may just need one piece of art printed on each tile. If your playing field is an ever-changing universe like Labyrinth the A-maze-ing game, then you’ll need to let us know the number of artwork for each specific tile. The more varieties of artwork you need the more printing plates we may need to create (also based on size and number of tiles). This will ultimately increase your cost. If cost is a concern, check out our cost reduction guide for tips on making the best game for the best price.

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