Minecraft Villager Trading Guide: All Trades [1.21]
Complete guide to Minecraft 1.21 villager trading with every profession, all trade tables, price reduction mechanics, trading hall design, and the best trades for early, mid, and late game.
Villager trading in Minecraft 1.21 is one of the most powerful progression systems in the game. A well-organized trading hall provides unlimited access to enchanted diamond gear, rare items, and every enchanted book in the game for the cost of farmable resources. This guide covers every profession, all trade tables, price mechanics, and how to build an efficient trading operation.
How Villager Trading Works
Basic Mechanics
Every villager has a profession determined by their job site block. Each profession offers specific trades that unlock as you trade with the villager. Villagers start at Novice level and progress through Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, and Master by completing trades.
Trading earns the villager experience. Once they gain enough experience, they unlock the next tier of trades. You must trade something from each tier to unlock the next one, but you can choose which trade to complete.
Trade Structure
Each trade offers items for emeralds (buying) or emeralds for items (selling). Trades have a limited number of uses before the villager needs to “restock” at their job site block. Villagers restock up to twice per in-game day when they path to their workstation.
Supply and Demand
Prices increase when you repeatedly use the same trade (demand rises) and decrease over time when you stop using it (demand falls). This mechanic exists per-trade, not per-villager. Heavy use of one trade raises that trade’s price while leaving others unaffected.
All Villager Professions and Their Trades
Librarian (Lectern)
The most important profession for progression. Librarians sell enchanted books at every level.
| Level | Sells | Buys |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | 1 enchanted book (random), bookshelf | 24 paper for 1 emerald |
| Apprentice | 1 enchanted book (random), lantern | 4 books for 1 emerald |
| Journeyman | 1 enchanted book (random), glass | 4 ink sacs for 1 emerald |
| Expert | 1 enchanted book (random), clock | 2 book and quills for 1 emerald |
| Master | Name tag | - |
Key insight: The Novice-level enchanted book is randomly chosen when the villager first gets its profession. If you do not like the book offered, break the lectern before trading with the villager. Place the lectern again, and the villager re-rolls its trades. Repeat until you get the enchantment you want (Mending, Protection IV, Sharpness V, etc.).
This is the primary method for obtaining Mending books. Since Mending cannot appear on the enchanting table, villager trading is the most reliable source. See our enchantment ranking guide for which books to prioritize.
Armorer (Blast Furnace)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Iron helmet, iron boots (sells); coal (buys) |
| Apprentice | Iron chestplate, iron leggings, bell |
| Journeyman | Shield, chainmail armor pieces |
| Expert | Diamond boots, diamond leggings |
| Master | Diamond chestplate, enchanted diamond armor |
Armorers at Master level sell enchanted diamond armor. Combined with Mending books from Librarians, this provides a full enchanted diamond set without ever mining diamonds for armor.
Weaponsmith (Grindstone)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Iron axe, iron sword; coal (buys) |
| Apprentice | Bell, enchanted iron sword |
| Journeyman | - |
| Expert | Diamond axe, diamond sword |
| Master | Enchanted diamond sword, enchanted diamond axe |
Master Weaponsmiths sell enchanted diamond swords and axes. These can have Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Knockback, Fire Aspect, or Looting.
Toolsmith (Smithing Table)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Stone tools; coal (buys) |
| Apprentice | Bell, iron tools |
| Journeyman | Enchanted iron tools |
| Expert | Diamond tools |
| Master | Enchanted diamond pickaxe, enchanted diamond shovel |
Master Toolsmiths sell enchanted diamond pickaxes, which can come with Efficiency V, Fortune III, or Silk Touch. This is an alternative to enchanting your own pickaxe.
Farmer (Composter)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Bread; wheat, potatoes, carrots, beetroot (buys) |
| Apprentice | Pumpkin pie, apple |
| Journeyman | Cookie, golden carrot |
| Expert | Cake, suspicious stew |
| Master | Glistering melon slice |
Farmers are the easiest emerald source. Grow wheat, carrots, or potatoes in bulk and sell to Farmers. A single large crop farm can sustain dozens of emerald trades per day. Golden carrots (Journeyman level) are the best food in the game and can be purchased here.
Fisherman (Barrel)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Cooked cod/salmon, bucket of cod; string, coal (buys) |
| Apprentice | Campfire |
| Journeyman | Enchanted fishing rod |
| Expert | Cooked fish items |
| Master | - |
Fishermen buy string and coal, both of which are easily farmed. Not the most exciting profession but a solid emerald income.
Fletcher (Fletching Table)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | 16 arrows, flint; 32 sticks for 1 emerald (buys) |
| Apprentice | 1 bow, 16 arrows; flint (buys) |
| Journeyman | Crossbow; string (buys) |
| Expert | Enchanted bow, tipped arrows |
| Master | Enchanted crossbow, tipped arrows |
The stick trade is broken. Fletchers buy 32 sticks for 1 emerald at Novice level. Sticks are crafted from wood, which is unlimited. This is arguably the easiest emerald farm in the game. A tree farm generates infinite sticks, which convert to infinite emeralds.
Expert Fletchers also sell tipped arrows, which are useful for applying potion effects at range.
Cleric (Brewing Stand)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Redstone dust; rotten flesh (buys) |
| Apprentice | Lapis lazuli, glowstone |
| Journeyman | Ender pearl |
| Expert | Bottle o’ enchanting |
| Master | - |
Clerics buy rotten flesh, which accumulates naturally from zombie farms. They sell ender pearls (Journeyman) and bottles of enchanting (Expert), both extremely useful. Ender pearls from Clerics remove the need to hunt Endermen for End portal preparation.
Butcher (Smoker)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Rabbit stew, cooked meat; raw meat (buys) |
| Apprentice | Cooked chicken, cooked pork |
| Journeyman | Cooked mutton |
| Expert | Cooked rabbit |
| Master | - |
Butchers buy raw chicken, pork, rabbit, and mutton. Automatic chicken farms produce raw chicken passively, making Butchers a hands-off emerald source.
Leatherworker (Cauldron)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Leather armor (various); leather (buys) |
| Apprentice | Dyed leather armor |
| Journeyman | Dyed leather armor |
| Expert | Leather horse armor |
| Master | Saddle |
Leatherworkers are notable for selling saddles at Master level, which are otherwise unobtainable through crafting. They buy leather, obtainable from cow farms.
Cartographer (Cartography Table)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Map; paper (buys) |
| Apprentice | Ocean explorer map, empty map |
| Journeyman | Woodland explorer map |
| Expert | Banner patterns |
| Master | Globe banner pattern |
Cartographers sell explorer maps that lead to ocean monuments and woodland mansions. These maps are the easiest way to locate these structures. They buy paper (sugar cane farm) and glass panes.
Shepherd (Loom)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Colored wool; white wool (buys) |
| Apprentice | Carpets, colored wool |
| Journeyman | Beds |
| Expert | Banners |
| Master | Paintings |
Shepherds buy white wool and dyes. An automatic wool farm with sheared sheep provides unlimited trading material.
Mason/Stonemason (Stonecutter)
| Level | Notable Trades |
|---|---|
| Novice | Brick, polished stone variants; clay balls (buys) |
| Apprentice | Polished blocks |
| Journeyman | Dripstone, polished blocks |
| Expert | Glazed terracotta |
| Master | Quartz blocks |
Masons buy clay balls, stone, and various stone types. They sell decorative blocks useful for building. The clay ball trade is notable since clay is renewable from villager gift mechanics and mud conversion.
Getting the Best Prices
Zombie Villager Curing
Cure a zombie villager by throwing a Splash Potion of Weakness (see our brewing guide) on it and feeding it a golden apple. The cured villager permanently offers discounted prices. On Java Edition, all villagers in the village also temporarily reduce prices after a cure.
Stacking cures (Java Edition): Curing the same villager multiple times stacks discounts. After 5 cures, most trades cost just 1 emerald. This is the most powerful price reduction method in the game.
On Bedrock Edition, the discount from curing applies to the cured villager only and does not stack. Still valuable, but less game-breaking.
Hero of the Village
After completing a raid (defeating all waves of illagers), you receive the Hero of the Village effect for 40 minutes. This reduces all villager prices by approximately 30-55% depending on effect level. The effect level matches the raid difficulty.
This discount stacks with zombie villager curing discounts.
Reputation System (Java Edition)
On Java Edition, your actions affect village-wide reputation:
| Action | Reputation Change |
|---|---|
| Curing a zombie villager | +20 (major positive) |
| Trading with a villager | +1 (minor positive) |
| Attacking a villager | -1 (minor negative) |
| Killing a villager | -25 (major negative) |
| Attacking a baby villager | -5 (negative) |
Higher reputation lowers prices. Lower reputation raises them and can eventually cause iron golems to attack you.
Trading Hall Design
A trading hall keeps villagers organized and accessible. Here is a basic but effective design:
Simple Hall Layout
Build a long corridor with individual 1x1 cells on each side. Each cell contains:
- One villager
- Their job site block (lectern, blast furnace, etc.)
- A bed (required for restocking in some configurations)
- A trapdoor at the front for access (villagers cannot open trapdoors)
Dimensions per cell: 1 block wide, 2 blocks deep, 2 blocks tall. Place the job site block at the back and the villager between the block and the front trapdoor.
Getting Villagers In
Transport villagers using:
- Boats - Push a villager into a boat, then push/pilot the boat to the hall
- Minecarts - Place a rail leading to the cell, push the villager into a minecart
- Water streams - Channel water to push villagers along a corridor into cells
- Nether portal - For long distances, push villagers through a portal, transport in the Nether (shorter distances), and exit near the hall
Labeling
Place item frames with the relevant item on each cell door. A diamond pickaxe item frame marks the Toolsmith. An enchanted book marks the Librarian. This prevents confusion when you have 20+ villagers.
Best Trades by Game Phase
Early Game (First Few Days)
Priority trades to establish:
- Farmer (buy with wheat/carrots/potatoes) - Easiest first emeralds
- Fletcher (buy with sticks) - Infinite emeralds from trees
- Librarian (roll for Mending) - Start the enchanting pipeline
Early game, your main goal is to establish emerald income. Farmers and Fletchers accept items you can mass-produce immediately. One Fletcher buying 32 sticks for 1 emerald funds all your other purchases.
Mid Game (Iron Gear, Nether Access)
Priority trades:
- Librarian - Roll for Mending, Unbreaking III, Protection IV, Sharpness V
- Cleric - Sell rotten flesh, buy ender pearls for End portal
- Armorer - Work toward enchanted diamond armor at Expert/Master
- Toolsmith - Work toward enchanted diamond pickaxe
At this stage, focus on getting key enchanted books from Librarians. Each Librarian you set up with a useful Novice-level book provides that book indefinitely. You want at minimum: Mending, Unbreaking III, Protection IV, Sharpness V, Efficiency V.
Having a Cleric buying rotten flesh turns every night of zombie killing into emeralds. The ender pearl trade at Journeyman level lets you prepare for the End without Enderman hunting.
Late Game (Diamond/Netherite Gear)
Priority trades:
- Armorer (Master) - Enchanted diamond chestplate, leggings, boots
- Weaponsmith (Master) - Enchanted diamond swords and axes
- Toolsmith (Master) - Enchanted diamond pickaxes and shovels
- Librarian - Any remaining enchanted books (Swift Sneak, Soul Speed)
- Cartographer - Explorer maps for finding structures
At Master level, Armorers, Weaponsmiths, and Toolsmiths sell pre-enchanted diamond gear. Combined with Mending from Librarians, you can build a full enchanted diamond set entirely from trading. This can be faster than mining diamonds and enchanting manually, especially if your trading hall is well-established.
Breeding Villagers
To expand your trading hall, breed new villagers:
- Place extra beds (more beds than current villagers)
- Give villagers food (bread is most efficient - 3 bread per villager)
- Villagers with full inventories share food and enter “willing” mode
- Two willing villagers near each other produce a baby villager
- Baby villagers grow to adults in 20 minutes
Baby villagers do not have professions. Once they grow up, place the desired job site block near them to assign their profession. Break and replace the block to re-roll their Novice trade until you get what you want.
Important: Only trade-lock a villager after confirming their Novice trade is what you want. Once you complete any trade, that villager’s profession and trades become permanent.
Villager Zombification Method (Java Edition)
The most efficient way to get maximum discounts on Java Edition:
- Build your trading hall in a confined space
- Let a zombie convert a villager to a zombie villager (trap a zombie nearby, use a trapdoor to allow access)
- Cure the zombie villager with Weakness splash potion + golden apple
- Repeat 5 times per villager for minimum prices
- The cured villager also provides temporary discounts to all nearby villagers
After 5 cures, most trades drop to 1 emerald. This includes expensive trades like enchanted diamond gear that normally costs 20+ emeralds.
Setup requirements:
- Zombie spawner or trapped zombie (nametag it so it does not despawn)
- Supply of golden apples (gold farm + apple trees)
- Supply of Weakness splash potions
- Patience (each cure takes about 3-5 minutes)
On Hard difficulty, zombies always convert villagers to zombie villagers. On Normal difficulty, there is a 50% chance the villager dies instead. Always use Hard difficulty for this method.
Common Mistakes
Breaking Job Site Blocks After Trading
Once you trade with a villager, their profession is permanently locked. Breaking their job site block makes them unemployed but does not reset their trades. They will reclaim the same block or a matching one nearby. Only unemployed villagers who have never been traded with can have their trades re-rolled.
Not Enough Beds
Villagers need beds to restock their trades. If a villager cannot path to a bed, they may stop restocking. Ensure every villager in your hall has an assigned bed, even if you block them from actually sleeping in it.
Villager Pathfinding Issues
Villagers must be able to pathfind to their job site block to restock. If the block is placed where the villager cannot “see” it (behind a solid wall with no line of sight at their eye level), restocking may fail. Place the block adjacent to the villager with a clear path.
Ignoring the Demand System
Repeatedly buying the same item in bulk raises its price significantly. Spread your purchasing across multiple in-game days or cure villagers to offset the increased cost. The demand penalty decays over time.