Source note: Part 2 of the HOI4 reference. Combat width values, template compositions, and doctrine descriptions are verified against the HOI4 wiki and cross-checked against the Vezachs Steam Community guide (updated June 2026), EIP Gaming, and Guild Order. Part 1 covered ideologies & government; Part 3 covers the DLC roadmap & how to choose.
Division templates are the load-bearing decision of HOI4. A nation with the wrong template loses the war it should have won; a nation with the right template wins the war it should have lost. Since the No Step Back DLC (Nov 2021), combat width is terrain-based, not a fixed 80 — so there is no single “perfect” template. Instead, there are several effective widths that divide cleanly across the terrain table.
What it covers: Combat width by terrain, optimal template widths, infantry/tank/air designs, support companies, doctrines. Why it matters: Since No Step Back made width terrain-based, there is no single perfect template. Who should pick this: HOI4 players building divisions for a specific terrain and doctrine.
Combat Width by Terrain
Combat width determines how many divisions can fight in a battle simultaneously. Going over the maximum width incurs a stacking penalty to soft attack and breakthrough/defense.
| Terrain | Base width | Per flank direction |
|---|---|---|
| Urban | 80 | +40 |
| Plains, Desert, Hills | 70 | +35 |
| Forest, Jungle | 60 | +30 |
| Mountain, Marsh | 50 | +25 |
Each additional attack direction (flank) adds half the base width as a flanking bonus. A plains battle flanked from one side resolves at 70 + 35 = 105; flanked from two sides at 70 + 35 + 35 = 140. There is no global “120-width flanked battle” anymore — the number scales with the terrain underneath.
Optimal Division Widths
The post-NSB meta has converged on four template widths that divide cleanly across the terrain table without leaving large stack penalties:
| Width | Terrain fit | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Fits 70 (plains) cleanly at ~4 deep; fits 60 (forest) at ~3 deep with minor overstack | Small defensive/holding; jungle/forest fighting |
| 27 | Fits 80 (urban) at ~3 deep; fits 70 (plains) at ~2 deep; fits 50 (mountain) close to 2 deep | Flexible mid-size; meta-friendly |
| 35 | Fits 70 (plains) at ~2 deep; good for Russia/North Africa | Medium-large combined arms |
| 40–45 | Fits 80 (urban) at ~2 deep; absorbs flanking width on plains/urban | Large anchor divisions; concentration of force |
The pre-NSB “20W and 40W” framing is outdated. The “no 27W” rule from older community documents is a pre-NSB artifact — 27W now sits inside the meta band. Picking a width is now a question of which terrain you expect to fight on and how much organization you can carry per division.
General principles
- Smaller templates (18W): higher organization per combat width, more divisions in battle, more micro required, more generals needed, take more losses due to coordination mechanic (smaller divisions get focused down first).
- Larger templates (40-45W): lower organization per combat width, fewer generals needed, support companies are relatively cheaper, take fewer losses, fewer divisions to manage.
- Neither is universally right. The answer depends on terrain, doctrine, and how fast you can replace losses.
Infantry Templates
Infantry will be the largest part of most armies. They are excellent for plugging gaps and holding lines but have limited offensive capability.
The infantry-to-artillery ratio
For infantry divisions, the ideal ratio is approximately 22% artillery, 78% infantry — but support companies lower your organization, so the ratio should be even lower in practice. A good rule of thumb: for every 6 infantry battalions, include 1 artillery battalion.
Common infantry templates
| Template | Width | Composition | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18W Infantry | 18 | 6× Infantry, 2× Artillery + supports | Cheap defensive line; jungle/forest fighting |
| 27W Infantry | 27 | 9× Infantry, 3× Artillery + supports | Flexible mid-size workhorse |
| 35W Infantry | 35 | ~11× Infantry, 3× Artillery + supports | Large defensive division |
| 40W Infantry | 40 | 14× Infantry, 4× Artillery + supports | Elite line-holder; plains/urban |
| 10W Filler | 10 | 5× Infantry + support artillery | Cheap garrison; port defense; emergency holding |
Standard support layout for infantry
- Engineers — terrain bonuses, river crossing, entrenchment
- Support Artillery — very cheap, good soft attack, does not use combat width
- Anti-Air — reduces incoming CAS damage by up to 66%
- Recon Company — movement speed bonuses, tactic countering
- (Optional) Logistics Company — reduces supply usage
Tank Templates
Tanks are the most powerful offensive force on the battlefield — devastating breakthrough power but expensive. Since the No Step Back DLC introduced the tank designer, tanks can be designed however you wish: speed, gun power, armor, or production cost.
Tank division composition
The tank-to-motorized/mechanized ratio is typically around 50/50 to maintain organization above 30. With Mobile Warfare doctrine, you can push toward 60/40 tanks.
| Template | Width | Composition | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30W Tank | 30 | 8× Medium Tanks, 8× Mechanized, 1× TD + supports | Standard armored division |
| 35W Tank | 35 | 8× Medium Tanks, 8× Mechanized, 1× TD + supports | Optimal for Russia/North Africa |
| 42W Tank | 42 | 8× Medium Tanks, 8× Mechanized, 1× TD + supports | Large concentration of force |
Standard support layout for tanks
- Assault Engineer Company — various attack bonuses on terrain
- Medium Flame Tank — attack bonus on many terrain types
- Anti-Air — reduces CAS damage taken by 66%
- Logistics Company — reduces supply usage (critical for tank divisions)
- Armored Recon Company — movement speed bonuses for encirclements
Tank design principles
- Aim for 30+ organization when designing tank divisions.
- Medium tanks offer the best of both worlds — good armor, good speed, reasonable cost.
- Heavy tanks are much more expensive than mediums, suffer harsh terrain penalties, and have low speed. Use sparingly.
- Breakthrough only needs to be as high as enemy soft attack (per combat width). Excess breakthrough is wasted.
- Maintenance company adds +10% equipment reliability (1939 upgrade) — ensure tanks have at least 80% reliability, preferably 90%.
- One Tank Destroyer battalion per division provides piercing to counter enemy armored divisions.
Aircraft Designs
Air power is essential to win wars. CAS (Close Air Support) deals direct damage to enemy divisions and grants up to +25% bonus to your divisions’ attack and defense.
Fighter design
Fighters have three purposes: granting Air Superiority, disrupting enemy support planes, and killing enemy planes efficiently.
- 1936 Fighter: 4× Light Machine Gun, 1× Engine II, drop tanks, self-sealing fuel tanks
- 1940 Fighter: 4× Heavy Machine Gun, 1× Engine III, drop tanks, self-sealing fuel tanks — much stronger than 1936 designs
- Balance: air attack, air defense, agility, and range. Range of 600+ km needed for Europe; 900+ km outside Europe.
CAS design
CAS is the most cost-effective way to deal damage to enemy divisions.
- 1940 CAS: 3× Bomb Locks, 1× Engine III, dive brakes, drop tanks — small airframe is more cost-effective than medium
- CAS is always being shot down by divisional AA, so cheap planes are superior to expensive ones
- A single Anti-Air support company reduces incoming CAS damage by up to 66%
Other aircraft
- Naval Bombers: Bomb and kill enemy ships — much more cost-effective than building your own ships. Put half on Naval Patrol, half on Naval Strike.
- Tactical Bombers: Can be outfitted for any role but best used as CAS.
- Strategic Bombers: Destroy enemy buildings. Need ~1000 for an effective bombing campaign to out-damage auto-repair.
- Transport Planes: Deploy paratroopers and drop supplies. 2 factories should suffice.
How many fighters do I need?
As a rule of thumb, you need at least 1.5× as many fighters as the enemy to fully disrupt their support planes. If you start with fewer fighters, a good fighter design will gain you air superiority in the long run.
The Four Army Doctrines
Doctrine choice shapes your military’s identity. Pick one and commit — switching is expensive.
| Doctrine | Focus | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Battleplan | Planning bonus, organization, soft attack | General-purpose; strong initial attack bonus from planning |
| Mobile Warfare | Speed, breakthrough, encirclements | Tank-heavy offensive play; “Blitzkrieg” style |
| Superior Firepower | Soft attack, artillery emphasis | Infantry + artillery; attrition warfare |
| Mass Assault | Manpower, reinforcement rate | High-manpower nations (USSU, China); human-wave tactics |
Doctrine sub-branches
Each doctrine has multiple sub-branches that further specialize:
| Doctrine | Sub-branches |
|---|---|
| Grand Battleplan | Large Unit Tactics, Field Engineering, Self-Propelled Support, Streamlined Deployment, Grand Assault |
| Mobile Warfare | Motorized, Mechanized, Armor, Integrated Support |
| Superior Firepower | Integrated Support, Dispersed Support, Shock & Awe, Air-Land Battle |
| Mass Assault | Mass Mobilization, People’s Army, Deep Battle, Large Front |
Support Companies
Each division has 5 support company slots. Choosing wisely is the templates’ force multiplier.
| Company | Effect | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Engineers | Terrain bonuses, river crossing, entrenchment | Always — defensive and offensive |
| Support Artillery | Very cheap soft attack; no combat width | Always in any division |
| Anti-Air | Reduces CAS damage by up to 66%; grants piercing | When enemy has air power |
| Recon (Cavalry/Motorized/Armored) | Movement speed, tactic countering | When you need speed for encirclements |
| Logistics | Reduces supply and fuel usage | Offensive divisions; low-supply areas |
| Field Hospital | Reduces casualty cost; preserves veterancy | Long defensive battles; manpower-poor nations |
| Maintenance | Increases reliability by +5% to +10% | Tank divisions; high-attrition environments |
| Anti-Tank | Adds piercing to counter armor | When enemy has tank divisions |
| Signal | Increases initiative, coordination, reinforcement rate | When you need faster reinforcement |
| Military Police | +20% suppression | Garrison divisions only |
Combat Stats Explained
| Stat | What it means |
|---|---|
| Organization | The “health” of your division in combat. When it runs out, the unit retreats. Infantry has high org; tanks have low org. |
| HP | Durability — what percentage of equipment and manpower your division has left. For every 1 ORG lost in combat, 0.5 HP is lost. |
| Soft Attack | Damage dealt to enemy divisions (most units have low hardness, so soft attack is more important than hard attack). |
| Hard Attack | Damage dealt to armored divisions (heavily armored divisions have up to 65% hardness). |
| Breakthrough | When attacking, reduces damage you take up to enemy attack by a factor of 4. Only tanks have high breakthrough. |
| Defense | When defending, reduces damage you take up to enemy attack by a factor of 4. Infantry has high defense. |
| Armor | When your armor > enemy’s piercing, you deal +50% organization damage and take −50% organization damage. |
| Piercing | When your piercing > enemy’s armor, you negate their armor bonus. |
| Hardness | Ratio of damage taken from soft vs hard attacks. 0% = pure soft target; 100% = pure hard target. |
| Combat Width | How many units can fight at once. Exceeding the terrain width incurs penalties. |
The damage formula
Net attack = (1 − hardness) × soft attack + hardness × hard attack
Net attack determines how much damage you deal. Your goal in template design is to maximize net attack per combat width while maintaining enough organization to stay in the fight.
Factionfaction. An in-game group or nation players can align with or fight against, with its own goals and reputation system.-Specific Template Reality
Templates must match your faction’s industrial base and manpower pool.
Germany
- High industry, moderate manpower
- Templates: 14-4 infantry (40W), 6-2 medium tank (40-45W), 2-2 motorized
- Why: Industry supports tank production; manpower must be conserved through tech
- Common mistakes: Over-investing in heavy tanks early; tank divisions without motorized infantry
Soviet Union
- High manpower, moderate industry
- Templates: 6-2 infantry (18W) for spam, 14-4 (40W) for elite, late-war heavy tanks
- Why: Human-wave doctrine; manpower replaces equipment shortfall
- Common mistakes: Trying to match German tank quality; expensive cavalry templates
United States
- High industry, high manpower (after intervention)
- Templates: 14-4 (40W) infantry, 6-2 medium tank (40-45W), 2-2 motorized
- Why: Full industrial backing; manpower readily available
- Common mistakes: Building too many heavy tanks; insufficient air force
United Kingdom
- Moderate industry, moderate manpower
- Templates: 9-3 (27W) or 14-4 (40W) infantry, mid-tier tanks, marine specialists
- Why: Balanced; rely on naval supremacy + small expert ground force
- Common mistakes: Over-investing in battleships; too few divisions
Japan
- Moderate industry, moderate manpower
- Templates: 6-2 (18W) infantry for jungle terrain, marine specialists, navy-heavy
- Why: Pacific-naval focus; ground force secondary. Forest/jungle width 60 means smaller divisions stack better than European 40W bricks.
- Common mistakes: Building European-style 40W divisions in jungle terrain
What’s next
Part 3 covers the DLC roadmap (2016–2026) and a cross-system “How to Choose” synthesis — pairing ideology × doctrine × template × focus tree into archetype builds for every playstyle.
→ Continue to Part 3: DLC Roadmap & How to Choose
← Back to Part 1: Ideologies, Government & Politics
SOURCES
- Guild Order — HOI4 Division Template Economy: https://guildorder.com/games/hoi4/guides/division-template-economy — faction-specific template reality, width math, the fundamental trade-off.
- EIP Gaming — Best Division Templates for HOI4: https://eip.gg/hoi4/guides/division-templates/ — combat width by terrain, optimal widths, infantry and tank templates.
- Steam Community — Ultimate Guide to Division Templates (Vezachs): https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2714213712 — the most comprehensive community template guide; updated June 2026; covers all stats, support companies, tank/aircraft designs.
- ValoSettings — HOI4 Best Division Templates: https://www.valosettings.com/news/hearts-of-iron-4-best-division-templates/ — terrain-specific templates, mountaineer/marine templates.
All combat width values, template compositions, and doctrine descriptions are drawn from the HOI4 wiki and cross-checked against the Vezachs Steam Community guide (updated June 2026). Faction-specific template advice is from the Guild Order guide.
Template math stays settled until Paradox touches combat width again — the No Step Back rework in November 2021 is the only structural reshuffle on record so far. Watch the patch cadence after Thunder at Our Gates (June 2026) for any width or doctrine changes, because a single value shift re-sorts the entire optimal-width table above.
Next read
- For the expansion layer, see Part 3: DLC Roadmap & How to Choose.
- For the politics layer above these templates, see Part 1: Ideologies, Government & Politics.
- Every Hearts of Iron IV breakdown lives on the coverage hub.