Every Villager Workstation And How It Works In Minecraft

Workstations play an important role in Minecraft. For villagers, these blocks determine their profession and each one will need a workstation of their own. When a villager interacts with their workstation, they will also restock their inventories with more trade items.

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For players, certain workstations are also vital as they allow you to perform different tasks, including crafting, brewing, and smelting. Here’s how each workstation block functions both for players and villagers.

Updated October 28, 2024 by Jacqueline Zalace: There are a lot of villager workstations in Minecraft, with many of them being quiet stylized. As such, we’ve added a bit more information to this list, including some decorative uses, as well as the best trade with the associated villager style.

13

Barrel – Used By Fishermen

Minecraft Barrel next to an image of its storage capacity

Best Villager Trades: Nothing from this villager is too good, but you can make quick emeralds by trading stuff like coal and string

Fisherman Trades

Player Use

Bucket of Cod

Stackable Storage

Cooked Cod and Salmon

Campfire

Enchanted Fishing Rod

The barrel is a versatile storage system, given that it doesn’t need an empty space above it to be opened. It doesn’t have any other use than that. It’s simply an extra storage space that corresponds to the size and space of a single chest but can be stacked side by side.

Considering how compact the barrel is, it has quickly become a favorite among many players as a primary way to store their items efficiently. It’s also fairly cheap to make, costing six planks and two slabs.

Decoration?

Barrels make a great decoration! They are more visually pleasing than chests, so you can substitute these in. Additionally, the metal siding makes for a great decoration when used along walls or floors.

12

Blast Furnace – Used By Armorer

Minecraft Blast furnace and user interface

Best Villager Trades: Exchange emeralds for enchanted diamond armor!

Armorer Trades

Player Use

Iron Armor

Smelts Ore Quickly

Bell

Chainmail Armor

Shield

Diamond Armor

The blast furnace’s function is to quickly smelt ore. This is basically a variant of the classic furnace, but you can only put in ores that can be smelted. This includes iron, gold, or ancient debris.

The rate at which this furnace smelts ores is significantly faster than a regular furnace, so it’s a staple for any household. The blast furnace speeds up a tedious process for those that truly enjoy mining their resources.

Decoration?

While you can use this for decoration, it’s hard to work the furnace pattern completely into a build. It’s not impossible though, especially if you are going for a Steampunk vibe!

11

Brewing Stand – Used By Clerics

Minecraft brewing stand and user interface

Best Villager Trades: Nothing from this villager is too good, but you can make quick emeralds by trading stuff like coal and string.

Villager Trades

Player Use

Redstone Dust

Brews Potions

Lapis

Glowstone

Ender Pearls

Bottle O’ Enchanting

Brewing stands can be found in some villages with a cobblestone tower or in the basement of igloos. End Ships will also have a brewing stand, and you can break them with any pickaxe to retrieve them. They are a staple for anyone who wants to use potions.

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In order to make potions, you’ll need Blaze Powder, as well as Nether Wart, both of which can be found inside Nether Fortresses.

Decoration?

Due to their shape, brewing stands can’t really be disguised as anything else, but they make for great detail in kitchen or alchemy builds.

10

Cartography Table – Used By Cartographers

Minecraft cartography table and its user interface

Best Villager Trades: Exchange emeralds for Explorer Maps, as well as exchange glass/paper for even more emeralds.

Villager Trades

Player Use

Empty Maps

Copy a Map

Ocean, Trial, and Woodland Explorer Maps

Expand a Map

Item Frames

Lock a Map

Blank Banners

Change a Map View

Limited Banner Patterns

If you’re looking to map out your Minecraft world, a cartography table is an easy way to help you out in the process once you’ve crafted a map. This table can alter maps in several different ways by either zooming them out, expanding them, copying them, or locking them.

To expand a map, you need to combine a drawn map and a piece of paper. To copy a map, combine a drawn map and an empty map together. To lock a map and make sure it can’t be expanded any further, combine a drawn map with a glass pane.

Decoration?

The cartography table can be rather plain-looking, but you can use the stuff on top as a centerpiece for a desk or messy floor.

9

Cauldron – Used By Leatherworker

Minecraft cauldron and filling up a water bottle

Best Villager Trades: Nothing here is really too exceptional, but you can trade leather and flint for some quick emeralds.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Leather Armor

Holds Water

Enchanted Leather Tunic and Cap

Collects and Holds Lava

Saddle

Collects and Holds Powdered Snow

Leather Horse Armor

Cauldrons are another older block in the game that has been around for some time. They can also be found in villages, igloo basements, and witch’s huts in swamp biomes. Their sole purpose is to hold water, lava, or powdered snow.

While cauldrons are great for holding water for brewing potions, the water source actually depletes when bottles are filled, making them less useful than you’d think. However, they are excellent at collecting powdered snow or dripping lava, since they fill up over time, and you can then retrieve the contents with a bucket.

Decoration?

The metal legs of the cauldron make for interesting accents! You can also use this as a brazier or base of a hedge (by placing leaves on top).

8

Composter – Used By Farmers

Two minecraft compopsters side by side, one being filled and one empty

Best Villager Trades: This villager is ideal for trading crops of any kind in order to get emeralds.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Bread and Apples

Creates Bone Meal

Suspicious Stew

Pumpkin Pie

Cookies and Cake

Golden Carrots

Glistening Melon Slices

Farmers will know how important bone meal is for growing crops fast. However, finding bones by either finding bone blocks in the Nether or killing skeletons isn’t always an option. Luckily, the composter changes things drastically. Placing any plant, seed, or food in the composter will gradually fill it up.

When the composter is full, it will have white particles at the top, which can be harvested for bone meal. It’s great for getting rid of useless items like lily pads, extra seeds, flowers, or ferns. Add a couple of chests and hoppers, and you can simply throw your unwanted vegetation in one chest and claim the bonemeal from the other.

Decoration?

The humble composter is overshadowed by the sheer amount of wood-based blocks in the game, but you can add it into a wooden build for some variation.

7

Fletching Table – Used By Fletchers

Minecraft Fletching Table

Best Villager Trades: Nothing here is really too exceptional, but you can trade sticks and string for some quick emeralds. If you like ranged weapons, you can also get enchanted crossbows and bows.

Villager Trades

Player Use

Flint

None

Arrows and Tipped Arrows

Bows and Crossbows

Enchanted Bows and Crossbows

The only workstation block that has no use at all for players is the fletching table. It’s a bit of a shame that there’s no functionality for it, as it could be a way for you to make special arrows or alter bows and crossbows.

For now, however, it’s more of a decoration block and utility block for villagers to pick their profession.

Decoration?

While the fletching table may be pretty much useless, its side panels can be added into a room to make it look like the tools are hanging on the wall. Additionally, the top is reminiscent of a cutting board or work station.

6

Grindstone – Used By Weaponsmith

Minecraft grindstone and its user interface

Best Villager Trades: Enchanted diamond axes and swords!

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Iron Axe

Removes Enchantments

Enchanted Iron Sword

Repairs Armor (at the same time)

Bell

Enchanted Diamond Axe and Sword

Gone are the days when you would have to roll the dice with enchantments and then simply deal with the fact that you hated what you received from the enchantment table. Thanks to the grindstone, enchantments can now be removed and some of the experience points will actually be returned.

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Moreover, the grindstone also repairs gear for free at the same time, although any enchantments will be removed in the process, and some experience points will be returned. It’s a nice budget version to the anvil and makes repairing gear early on a bit more doable.

Decoration?

This is one of the best blocks to decorate with! By putting two back-to-back, you can create some unique fences/walls, as well as mechanical greebles. One grindstone can also be used atop a chain extending upwards like a point-of-origin.

5

Lectern – Used By Librarian

Minecraft lectern and using a book on it

Best Villager Trades: Nothing beats the trade of Enchanted Books here. This is one of the only places to get books like Mending and Swift Sneak easily.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Bookshelf

Holds a Book

Enchanted Books Levels 1-4

Compass

Clock

Glass

Name Tag

Lecterns are another block that doesn’t really have an interesting function. They’re more useful for decoration and immersion. The only purpose they have is to hold a book and quill, which other players can interact with by reading and editing it.

The book can also be taken or placed back down on the pedestal. In adventure mode maps, lecterns might play a better role since they serve as a way to hold books that might explain some lore.

Decoration?

In addition to adding some sophistication to a build, lecterns can also be makeshift low walls. If you have an outdoor balcony, try lining it with lecterns!

4

Loom – Used By Shepherd

Minecraft making a banner on the loom block

Best Villager Trades: While not too important, you can get banners here. Additionally, if you have a lot of flowers, you can turn them into dye and then trade the dye for emeralds.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Shears

Creating Patterned Banners

Coloured Wool and Carpet

Bed

Banner

Painting

Banners are a great way to set up markers on maps and decorate areas or buildings. The loom block was introduced in order to make the process much easier, complete with a brand-new interface. The interface allows you to choose specific patterns and preview the banner before crafting it.

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Put in a banner of any color, plus a dye of your choice, and the interface will showcase all available options. It’s fantastic for making flags as well.

Decoration?

The design of the loom is unique, so it can make for some interesting wall or floor textures.

Minecraft using the smithing table to upgrade a sword

Best Villager Trades: Enchanted diamond pickaxes, shovels, and axes!

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Stone Tools

Creating Netherite Armor and Tools

Bell

Trimming Armor Using Templates

Iron Tools

Diamond Tools

Smithing tables have essentially become a staple for anyone looking to make Netherite armor. Since Netherite armor isn’t crafted like diamond gear but rather used as a coating, you’ll need to already have a piece of diamond gear to upgrade it to Netherite.

You can add trims to your armor with an item called a Smithing Template. This lets you combine the colors of certain materials over top of your favorite armor and weapons. This is also how you upgrade Diamond Armor into Netherite. This expanded sense of fashion and late-game functionality make it one of the more desirable tables.

Decoration?

This block is great for adding miscellaneous bits of decoration to a wall, especially since it has tools built right into the side. The top of the block also has a nice, clean appearance; you can combine it with deepslate or blackstone to make interesting gradients.

2

Smoker – Used By Butchers

Minecraft smoker and its user interface

Best Villager Trades: Exchange raw meats for emeralds if you have a lot of farm animals at your base.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Rabbit Stew

Cooks Raw Meat Quickly

Cooked Meats

The classic furnace is a great item in the sense that it can both smelt ores and cook food. However, it does take quite a while to wait for the furnace to finish. This is why every good home should also have a smoker in order to cook food items faster.

The smoker is a dedicated furnace for food only, but its fast cooking rate makes it worth using. Any food item that can be consumed after cooking can be cooked within a smoker.

Decoration?

This is another specific design that doesn’t always work in a build, but it can make a great oven base in a kitchen build since the top looks like it could be a range.

1

Stonecutter – Used By Mason

Minecraft stonecutter block and UI

Best Villager Trades: This is a great place to get colored (and glazed) terracotta, as well as quartz. If you have a lot of stone, you can also trade it for emeralds.

Villager Trades

Player Uses

Bricks

Creates Block Variants

Chiseled Stone Bricks

Polished Stone

Plain and Coloured Terracotta

Quartz Blocks and Pillars

Builders were frustrated for a long time by how each variant of a block needed to be separately crafted on the crafting table, but the introduction of the stonecutter changed building and landscaping.

This tool is fantastic for any builder who wants to create a more precise amount of different block variants. It works for every stone block, from cobble to sandstone, and is an easy way to make cracked stone bricks and other rare variants.

Decoration?

If you’re going to a lumberjack build (or something that’s just dangerous-looking), the stonecutter makes a unique decoration. Nothing in the game is shaped quite like it!

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