The 70,000-D heat shock protein (HSP70) gene family includes both heat-inducible and constitutively expressed genes. We have mapped five murine HSP70 genes to specific sites on three separate chromosomes. Southern blot analysis of Chinese hamster x mouse somatic cell DNAs was used to assign the gene for the 78,000-D glucose-regulated protein (Grp78) to Chromosome (Chr) 2, the male germ cell-specific Hsp70-2 and Hsc70t genes to Chr 12 and Chr 17, respectively, and the heat-inducible Hsp70-3 gene also to Chr 17. Southern blot analysis of DNA from the progeny of two multilocus crosses confirmed the Grp78 location on Chr 2 and suggested the order: centromere-Vim-Abl-Grp78-Hc. Similar analysis also confirmed the initial Hsp70-2 assignment to Chr 12 with the order: Hsp70-2-Aat-Igh. The Hsp70-3 and Hsc70t genes on Chr 17, along with the heat-inducible Hsp70-1 gene, were further localized by Southern blot analysis of genomic clones to the H-2 histocompatibility region with the order: Hsp70-1-Hsp70-3-Hsc70t-Bat-6 (human G7a, valyl-tRNA synthetase).