PAPER
2 trades involving this item across 2 traders.
View on Items Database →- Last checked
- 11 August 2026
- Java Edition
- 26.2, 2 of 2 rows found
- Bedrock Edition
- 1.26.30.5, 2 of 2 matching
- Edition differences
- none, both editions match
Paper in villager trading
Paper is a raw-material trade: villagers pay emeralds for it, which makes it a candidate for an automated emerald farm rather than something you purchase back.
A crafting grid makes 3 at a time from 3 × sugar cane. It also sits in 4 of the game's chest loot tables.
Villagers that buy Paper(you give Paper, get emeralds)
| Profession | Level | You Give | You Get | Villager XP |  Java 26.2 |  Bedrock 1.26.30.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographer | Novice | Paper |  | 2same in Bedrock | verified | verified |
| Librarian | Novice | Paper | | 2same in Bedrock | verified | verified |
All 2 trades on this item were read out of the trade files Minecraft Java 26.2 ships in its own data, checked on against the item, both amounts and the use limit. Bedrock 1.26.30.5 is read as well, and where it disagrees the row says how. Which files, and what is not checked.
Your odds of finding Paper
A villager only shows part of its trade table, so knowing who trades paper is not the same as getting it. The friendliest roll here is the librarian (novice): 67% of them carry it, so it takes about 1.5 of them on average before one does.
| Villager | Tier | Villagers with this offer | Rolls to see it | Most from one villager | After a cure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographer | Novice | 100% (2 in 2)same in Bedrock | none, it is always there | 24 emeralds a day2 restocks a day | 18 paperwas 24, 6 off |
| Librarian | Novice | 67% (2 in 3)Bedrock 100% (1 in 1) | about 1.5 | 32 emeralds a day2 restocks a day | 18 paperwas 24, 6 off |
The chance is the draw size over the pool size in the game's own trade set file for that tier. The Bedrock line under it is the same sum on Bedrock's own table, which splits a tier into groups and draws out of each one separately, so the two editions often disagree. The day figure is the trade's use limit times the 2 restocks a villager is allowed per in-game day (Villager.allowedToRestock), so it is a ceiling and not an average: it assumes you are there for every restock. The cure column is 125 reputation times the trade's own multiplier, floored, and never takes a cost below one. Counted from the game's own draw sizes. How that check works.
Who trades Paper, and at what price
To sell Paper for emeralds, bring it to a Cartographer at the Novice tier (24 units per 1 emerald) and a Librarian at the Novice tier (24 units per 1 emerald).
Is trading Paper worth it?
The best rate any villager offers is an emerald per 24 paper, from the Cartographer, and nothing else on that list asks for more. No villager sells paper back, so it is emeralds out and nothing in.
 | CompassJourneyman | 1 | |
| Glass PaneApprentice | 11 | ||
| PaperNovice | 24 |
Paper against the other 70 ways to earn an emerald
One slot at the Cartographer takes 24 paper a trade, 12 trades, 12 emeralds. 8 of the 72 villagers that pay emeralds, emptied out:
| A full slot of | To | Emeralds | Worth in Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 acacia boats | master Fisherman | 12 | 288 paper |
| 24 book and quills | expert Librarian | 12 | 288 paper |
| 48 scutes | expert Cleric | 12 | 288 paper |
| 112 raw mutton | journeyman Butcher | 16 | 384 paper |
| 120 sweet berries | master Butcher | 12 | 288 paper |
| 240 beetroot | novice Farmer | 16 | 384 paper |
| 256 granite | journeyman Mason | 16 | 384 paper |
| 264 nether wart | master Cleric | 12 | 288 paper |
12 acacia boats against 264 nether wart for the same 12 emeralds, 22 times the carrying, and the shortest wait is the Butcher at 7.5 real minutes of shelf, gathering not counted. Paper itself pays 24 an emerald, so 62 of the 72 ask less and 6 ask more.
How Paper trading works
The restock limits are not the same across these offers. the Librarian slot lock after 16 uses; the Cartographer slot lock after 12 uses. A villager restocks up to twice per Minecraft day, so that works out to 32 and 24 of those trades a day respectively, per villager.
The earliest paper shows up is the Cartographer's Novice tier, which a villager has the moment it claims the workstation.
How long Paper takes in real time
288 paper empty one slot at the Cartographer, 2400 ticks (Villager.allowedToRestock) at 20 a second (TickRateManager) refill it 2 real minutes later, and the 24000-tick villager day (Timelines) holds 2 of those fills in 20 real minutes.
So one cartographer moves 576 paper against 24 emeralds a Minecraft day, 24 paper every 50 real seconds, 1.2 emeralds a real minute. 64 paper fit inside one of those slots, refill untouched.
Tips for trading Paper
- One villager, one restock: the Cartographer pays an emerald per 24 paper and that slot runs 12 trades, so 288 paper (4.5 stacks) is all one will take before it locks, for 12 emeralds in total.
- Where they go back: that Cartographer also sells empty maps at 7 emeralds each, its cheapest offer.
- Also on the Cartographer's list: glass pane, village explorer map, compass, swamp explorer map, jungle explorer map, ocean explorer map.
Paper trading FAQ
How many paper make an emerald?
Which villager sells Paper?
Same trader, other items
The Cartographer works at a cartography table and also trades:
Empty MapThe Librarian works at a lectern and also trades:
Bookshelf
Lantern
Ink Sac
Book and Quill
Clock