  We study the properties of metrics aimed at the characterization of grid-like
ordering in complex networks. These metrics are based on the global and local
behavior of cycles of order four, which are the minimal structures able to
identify rectangular clustering. The analysis of data from real networks
reveals the ubiquitous presence of a high level of grid-like ordering that is
non-trivially correlated with the local degree properties. These observations
provide new insights on the hierarchical structure of complex networks.
