Explorer Pottery Sherd
Sand-buried fragment with a wandering figure, perfect motif for travel-themed decorated pots.
Description
Four sherds and bricks combine in a plus pattern around an empty centre slot to make a Decorated Pot. Each side of the pot displays whatever was placed in that direction; copying the same motif on all four faces produces a uniform exterior, while mixing designs lets builders write a small visual story per block.
The item is mostly used for decoration in museums, libraries, treasure rooms and adventure maps, but the resulting pot is also a container with one inventory slot and accepts hopper input/output, so it can be used in compact item-routing setups where the visible face matters as much as the function.
How to get
How to Obtain Explorer Pottery Sherd and Craft a Decorated Pot
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1
Craft a Brush
Open a crafting table and place a feather in the top slot, a copper ingot in the middle slot, and a stick in the bottom slot to craft a Brush.
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2
Find Ocean Ruins
Explore any ocean biome to locate ocean ruins — submerged stone structures that generate in all ocean biome variants in Java Edition 1.13 and Bedrock Edition 1.4 and later.
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3
Brush Suspicious Sand
Use the Brush on suspicious sand blocks inside the ocean ruins. Hold the right mouse button (or use action button) until the block reveals its loot. Explorer Pottery Sherd is one of the possible archaeology rewards from this suspicious sand.
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4
Collect the Explorer Pottery Sherd
Pick up the Explorer Pottery Sherd when it drops. The sherd occupies 1 inventory slot and can be stacked. Explorer Pottery Sherd cannot be obtained from loot chests, trading, or crafting — archaeology excavation is the only source.
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5
Craft a Decorated Pot
Place 4 pottery sherds or bricks in a plus pattern on a crafting table — one in each cardinal slot with the center empty. Each face of the Decorated Pot displays the motif of the sherd placed in the corresponding slot. The finished Decorated Pot has 1 inventory slot and works with hoppers for item transport.
Suspicious sand in ocean ruins has roughly a 50% cumulative chance to yield any archaeology item across all possible drops. Brushing multiple suspicious sand blocks in a single ruin structure increases the odds of finding an Explorer Pottery Sherd.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Explorer Pottery Sherd in Minecraft?
Explorer Pottery Sherd is obtained by using a Brush on suspicious sand blocks found inside ocean ruins. Ocean ruins generate in all ocean biomes in Java Edition 1.13 and Bedrock Edition 1.4 and later.
Can you craft Explorer Pottery Sherd?
No. Explorer Pottery Sherd cannot be crafted, purchased from villagers, or found in loot chests. Brushing suspicious sand in ocean ruins is the only way to obtain Explorer Pottery Sherd.
What does the Explorer Pottery Sherd motif look like?
Explorer Pottery Sherd displays a lone walking figure with a pack on their back — a traveller setting out from settled territory. The motif represents exploration and long-distance journeys.
Which Minecraft version added Explorer Pottery Sherd?
Explorer Pottery Sherd was added in Java Edition 1.20 and Bedrock Edition 1.20.0, both released in June 2023 as part of the Trails & Tales update.
What can you make with Explorer Pottery Sherd?
Explorer Pottery Sherd is used to craft a Decorated Pot. Place 4 pottery sherds or bricks in a plus pattern on a crafting table — one in each cardinal slot with the center empty — to create a Decorated Pot whose faces display the motifs of the chosen sherds.
Can a Decorated Pot store items?
Yes. A Decorated Pot has 1 inventory slot that can hold a single stack of items. Hoppers placed above the pot insert items into it, and hoppers placed below extract items from it, making Decorated Pots useful for item sorting and decoration.
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