Cartography Table — Minecraft block

Cartography Table

Cartography Table clones, expands, and locks maps — the workstation of the cartographer villager profession.

Block ID minecraft:cartography_table
Mod Vanilla
Game versions
1.21

Description

Cartography Table is crafted from two paper above four planks in the standard pattern. The device opens a two-input interface with operations dedicated to map handling. Cloning produces a duplicate of an existing map without exploration progress lost. Expanding zooms a map out one level (up to a maximum of four times), revealing more terrain at the cost of detail. Locking copies a map into a fixed snapshot — useful for room maps that should not update as the world changes outside.

The block also unlocks recipes that were previously cumbersome at the regular crafting grid: combining an empty map with a glass pane to produce a locked map, or placing two adjacent maps to merge their explored areas into one. The block also serves as the workstation of the cartographer villager profession; placing one in an unstaffed village recruits an unemployed villager who then trades empty maps, banner patterns, and most importantly the rare explorer maps that lead to ocean monuments and woodland mansions.

Java Edition Guide

How to use a Cartography Table in Minecraft

  1. 1

    Craft the Cartography Table

    Place 2 paper in the top row and 4 wooden planks of any type in the bottom two rows of the 3x3 crafting grid. The recipe requires no other ingredients.

  2. 2

    Place and open the block

    Put the Cartography Table on the ground and right-click to open its dedicated two-input interface.

  3. 3

    Clone a map

    Place an existing map in the top slot and an empty map in the bottom slot to produce a perfect copy that keeps every explored chunk.

  4. 4

    Expand a map

    Place a filled map in the top slot and add 1 to 4 sheets of paper to zoom out by one level per paper, up to scale level 4 covering 2048x2048 blocks.

  5. 5

    Lock a map

    Place a filled map plus a glass pane to lock the map permanently — the locked copy will no longer update as the world changes around it.

Tip

Placing a Cartography Table in a village without an active cartographer recruits an unemployed villager into the cartographer profession, opening trades for explorer maps.

How to craft this block

Ingredients: Paper Paper x2 Oak Planks Oak Planks x4
Crafting
Paper Paper
Oak Planks Oak Planks
Oak Planks Oak Planks
Cartography Table
1
Cartography Table

Related blocks

Frequently asked questions

How do you craft a Cartography Table?

Combine 2 paper above 4 wooden planks (any wood type) in a 3x3 crafting grid. The recipe yields one Cartography Table per craft.

What is the maximum map zoom on a Cartography Table?

A map can be expanded up to scale level 4, which covers a 2048x2048 block area. Each additional paper increases the zoom by one level.

Does locking a map require a Cartography Table?

Yes. Combining a filled map with a glass pane only works at a Cartography Table. The locked copy stops updating, preserving the world state at the moment of locking.

Can a Cartography Table merge two maps?

Yes. Place two adjacent maps of the same scale into the table to merge their explored areas into a single map covering both regions.

How does a Cartography Table help villagers?

A Cartography Table is the cartographer villager profession workstation. Place one near an unemployed villager to recruit a cartographer, who then trades explorer maps to ocean monuments and woodland mansions.

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