If you've shopped for a hexagon cake dummy and found two different suppliers listing what looks like the "same" size with different actual dimensions, you're not imagining it. This is one of the most common points of confusion in the entire cake decorating supply industry, and it comes down to one thing: how the size is measured.
Point-to-Point vs. Flat-to-Flat: What's the Difference?
A regular hexagon has two different "widths" depending on where you measure across it:
- Point-to-point measures across two opposite corners (vertices) of the hexagon — this is the longer distance.
- Flat-to-flat measures across two opposite flat sides — this is the shorter distance.
For any given hexagon, the point-to-point measurement is always larger than the flat-to-flat measurement (by a factor of about 1.15x). So a hexagon labeled "8 inches" by one supplier and "8 inches" by another supplier are not necessarily the same physical size unless you know which measurement convention each one uses.
Why This Matters When Ordering
If you're planning a tiered design and expect a hexagon tier to sit flush against a round or square tier of the same labeled size, using the wrong measurement convention can throw off your entire proportion — sometimes by an inch or more per tier, which is very noticeable once tiers are stacked.
How Foam Cake Dummy Measures Hexagon Sizes
Our hexagon foam cake dummies are measured point-to-point. A practical way to think about it: an 8" hexagon dummy (point-to-point) will fit neatly inside an 8" round dummy of the same diameter when the two are placed on top of each other. This makes it easy to swap a hexagon tier into a design originally planned around round tiers without recalculating proportions.
Quick Reference
- Point-to-point measurement = the number listed on our product pages
- An 8" hexagon (point-to-point) ≈ fits inside an 8" round tier
- Flat-to-flat will always measure smaller than the point-to-point number for the same physical piece
If you're ever unsure which convention a supplier uses, ask directly before ordering — it's a completely reasonable question, and any manufacturer worth ordering from should be able to answer it in one sentence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is point-to-point or flat-to-flat the "correct" way to measure a hexagon?
Neither is universally correct — both are used across the industry. What matters is knowing which convention a specific supplier uses before you order.
Will an 8" hexagon dummy fit proportionally with an 8" round tier?
Yes, when the hexagon is measured point-to-point, it's sized to fit within the same diameter as an equivalent round tier.
Does the measurement convention affect price?
No, price is based on the actual foam volume of the piece, not which measurement convention is used to label it.
Browse our Hexagon Foam Cake Dummies, measured point-to-point and manufactured in-house, or use our Cake Tower Studio to design a full hexagon tower with live sizing and pricing.
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