How to Make Paper in Minecraft From Sugar Cane
Three sugar cane in a row make 3 paper. How to make paper in Minecraft, where sugar cane grows, a simple farm, and what paper makes: books and maps.
Place 3 sugar cane side by side in any row of a crafting table to make 3 paper. One cane, one sheet. It has to be a horizontal row, which is why the 2x2 inventory grid can’t do it.
Looking for the fan-made Scratch game called “Paper Minecraft” instead? That’s a different thing; see what Paper Minecraft is.
Finding sugar cane
Sugar cane is the pale green reed that grows on the edges of rivers, lakes, swamps and beaches. It only grows on dirt, grass, sand, red sand or similar blocks that sit right next to water. Break it with anything; breaking the bottom piece drops the whole stalk.
Always leave the bottom block in the ground. It regrows up to 3 tall without you replanting.
A farm worth building early
Paper demand starts small and then spikes once you start enchanting and trading. A basic farm takes five minutes:
- Dig a straight 1-block-wide water channel.
- Plant sugar cane along both banks.
- Come back every so often and cut the top two blocks of each stalk.
A 20-block channel with cane on both sides gives 40 plants. In Java, bone meal does nothing to sugar cane, so the farm’s size is what sets your output. In Bedrock, bone meal makes it grow instantly. Once you have redstone, an observer and piston over each plant turns it fully automatic.
What paper is used for
| Item | Paper | Other ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Book | 3 | 1 leather |
| Empty map | 8 (Java) / 9 (Bedrock) | Java adds a compass |
| Firework rocket | 1 | 1 to 3 gunpowder |
| Cartography table | 2 | 4 planks |
| Banner patterns | 1 | A specific item such as a creeper head |
Books lead on to bookshelves (3 books each), lecterns and enchanted books, which is where most of your paper goes. Maps are covered in our map guide.
Selling paper for emeralds
A novice librarian buys paper for emeralds (24 per emerald in Java). With a decent sugar cane farm, that’s one of the steadiest early emerald sources, and leveling a librarian is the first step toward Mending books. The villager jobs list shows how to get a librarian: put a lectern next to an unemployed villager.
Other crafting recipes are in the guides hub.
Common questions
Can you make paper without a crafting table?
No. The recipe needs three slots in a row, which the 2x2 inventory grid doesn't have.
Does bone meal work on sugar cane?
In Bedrock, yes. In Java, bone meal has no effect on sugar cane, so you have to wait for it to grow.
How much paper do I need for a full enchanting setup?
15 bookshelves need 45 books, which is 135 paper, so about 135 sugar cane plus 45 leather.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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