Overview
A cartography table is where maps stop being a curiosity and become a tool. It does four things: it zooms a map out one level at a time, up to four levels, each doubling the area covered and halving the detail; it copies a map, so a whole team can share one exploration; it locks a map with a glass pane, freezing its contents so terrain changes and new buildings do not update on it; and it turns a blank map plus a compass into a locator map, which shows your position as a marker. Zooming is the part most players want. A fresh map covers 128 by 128 blocks, which is barely a base; four zoom levels takes it to 2,048 by 2,048, which is a genuine regional map, and a wall of those is how large servers document their world. Extending an existing map preserves what you have already explored, so zoom early rather than after filling a small one. The table is also the cartographer villager's job site block, and a cartographer sells the explorer maps that locate ocean monuments and woodland mansions, which is by far the cheapest way to find either.
Zooming a map out to cover up to 2,048 blocks square, copying maps to share, locking a map so it stops updating, and assigning the cartographer profession for explorer map trades.
Cartography Table is a functional block in Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.4. Cartography Table has a crafting recipe, so it is renewable as long as you can source its ingredients. At a hardness of 2.5 it takes a moment to break but never slows a build down.
Broken correctly, it drops itself. It offers almost no protection from explosions (2.5 blast resistance). A full stack holds 64.
It is crafted from Paper and Oak Planks. Nothing on the crafting grid is made from it.
How to get it
Craft it from 2 paper and 4 wooden planks. Paper comes from sugar cane, which grows on any river or beach, so the table itself costs nothing but a short walk to water.
Tips
- A level 0 map covers 128 by 128 blocks; 4 zoom levels take it to 2,048 by 2,048 at a quarter of the detail.
- Lock a map with a glass pane before building on it if you want a record of what the land looked like.
- Copy a map before exploring with it so a death does not lose the whole survey.
- A cartographer sells woodland and ocean explorer maps for emeralds and a compass, which beats searching by hand.
How long it takes to break
Cartography Table has a hardness of 2.5. By hand that is 3.8 seconds per block; with the correct tool at netherite tier it is 0.45 seconds.
Iron takes 0.65 seconds against diamond's 0.5, so the upgrade worth making for this block is the one to iron.
Nothing here needs a minimum tier: whatever you swing, the block still drops, and the only difference is how long it takes.
Efficiency adds its level squared plus one to the tool speed, so Efficiency V is about 3 times faster than the same tool unenchanted.
| Tool | No enchantment | Efficiency III | Efficiency V |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | 3.8 s | 3.8 s | 3.8 s |
| Wooden | 1.9 s | 0.35 s | 0.15 s |
| Stone | 0.95 s | 0.3 s | 0.15 s |
| Iron | 0.65 s | 0.25 s | 0.15 s |
| Diamond | 0.5 s | 0.25 s | 0.15 s |
| Netherite | 0.45 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s |
| Golden | 0.35 s | 0.2 s | 0.1 s |
Properties
Blast resistance on Cartography Table is 2.5, so any explosion nearby takes it out. It stops light entirely and gives off no light. One inventory slot holds 64, the normal full stack. An axe is the fastest choice here. A tool of the wrong class is no better than your fist — the speed bonus is tied to the block's own tool tag. As furnace fuel it burns for 15 seconds — one and a half smelting operations.
- Transparent
- No
- Required tool
- Any
- Fuel value
- 15 s
Crafting recipe
Crafting Table
Cartography Table
Drops
Mined with any, Cartography Table drops itself.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get Cartography Table in Minecraft?
Cartography Table is crafted from Paper and Oak Planks.
What tool do you need to break Cartography Table?
No specific tool is required — Cartography Table can be broken by hand.
Is Cartography Table blast resistant?
Cartography Table has a blast resistance of 2.5, so an explosion nearby will destroy it.
How many Cartography Table fit in one stack?
64 per stack, so a double chest holds 3,456 Cartography Table.
How long does Cartography Table take to break?
The correct netherite tool clears it in 0.45 seconds. Bare hands take 3.8.
