Denote by ℬn the set of the hexagonal chains with n hexagons. For any Bn∈ℬn, let mk(Bn) and ik(Bn) be the numbers of k-matchings and k-independent sets of Bn, respectively. In the paper, we show that for any hexagonal chain Bn∈ℬn and for any k≥0, mk(Ln)≤mk(Bn)≤mk(Zn) and ik(Ln)≥ik(Bn)≥ik(Zn), with left equalities holding for all k only if Bn=Ln, and the right equalities holding for all k only if Bn=Zn, where Ln and Zn are the linear chain and the zig-zag chain, respectively. These generalize some related results known before.