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Minecraft Villager Trades

Every villager profession, the workstation that creates it, and the trades actually worth your emeralds — Mending books, enchanted diamond gear, saddles and more. Plus how leveling, restocking and the big price discounts work. Verified vs the Minecraft Wiki for current Java Edition.

Verified vs. the Minecraft Wiki · Java Edition 1.21.x · June 2026
The short version
Place a workstation by an unemployed villager → it takes that job → trade to level it up.
Lectern = Librarian, Grindstone = Weaponsmith, etc. The headline trade is Mending books from Librarians. All professions ↓
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How Villager Trading Works

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Every Profession & Its Best Trades

Workstation in the heading; the trades most people actually want, by level. Enchanted gear/book prices are ranges (random enchant roll). "1 em →" = it sells that for emeralds; "→ 1 em" = it buys that for an emerald.

📚 Librarian — Lectern

Enchanted BookThe headline trade. Any level can offer one — including Mending. 5–64 emeralds + a book. Reroll the lectern to fish for the enchant you want.
Bookshelf / Lantern / GlassCheap building blocks (9 em bookshelf; 1 em lantern; 1 em → 4 glass).
Compass · Clock · Name TagCompass (4 em) + Clock (5 em) at Expert; Name Tag (20 em) at Master.

⛏️ Toolsmith — Smithing Table

Enchanted Diamond PickaxeMaster tier — the go-to. ~18–32 em, often with Efficiency / Fortune / Unbreaking.
Enchanted Iron ToolsAxe / shovel / pickaxe at Journeyman; cheap early enchanted tools.
Bell36 emeralds (Apprentice).

⚔️ Weaponsmith — Grindstone

Enchanted Diamond SwordMaster tier. ~13–27 em — the standard way to get an enchanted diamond sword without an enchanting table.
Enchanted Diamond AxeExpert tier, ~17–31 em.
Bell36 emeralds (Apprentice).

🛡️ Armorer — Blast Furnace

Enchanted Diamond ArmorExpert + Master. Full enchanted diamond set over time — no diamonds needed by default. Leggings/boots at Expert, helmet/chestplate at Master.
Iron ArmorCheap iron set at Novice (4–9 em a piece).
Bell36 emeralds (Apprentice).

⛪ Cleric — Brewing Stand

Ender Pearl5 em each (Expert) — renewable pearls with no Enderman farming.
Bottle o' Enchanting3 em (Master) — renewable XP in a bottle.
Redstone · Lapis · GlowstoneCheap redstone/lapis early; glowstone at Journeyman. Buys rotten flesh for emeralds (a great mob-farm sink).

🏹 Fletcher — Fletching Table

Sticks → emeralds32 sticks → 1 emerald (Novice) — the most renewable early-game emerald farm (one tree = a lot of sticks).
Enchanted Bow · Tipped ArrowsEnchanted Bow at Expert; Tipped Arrows (effect varies) at Master.
Bow · Crossbow · ArrowsCheap arrows (1 em → 16), Bow (2 em), Crossbow (3 em).

🎣 Fisherman — Barrel

Enchanted Fishing RodJourneyman, ~8–22 em — Lure / Luck of the Sea without grinding fishing.
Cooked Fish · Campfire · BoatBuys raw fish + cooks it cheap; Campfire (2 em); Boat at Master.

🧵 Leatherworker — Cauldron

Saddle6 em (Master) — one of the few renewable sources of a saddle (you can't craft it).
Leather Horse ArmorAlso non-craftable; available at Expert. Plus dyed leather armor pieces.

🗺️ Cartographer — Cartography Table

Woodland Explorer Map14 em + compass (Master) — points to a Woodland Mansion.
Ocean Explorer Map13 em + compass (Journeyman) — points to an Ocean Monument.
Banners · Item FramesPlus the Globe Banner Pattern at Master.

🧱 Mason — Stonecutter

Quartz · TerracottaRenewable Quartz (no Nether mining) + all 16 glazed terracotta colors at Expert.
Bricks · Polished StoneBulk building blocks cheap (1 em → 4 polished stone variants / chiseled stone bricks).

Farmer 🌾 · Shepherd 🐑 · Butcher 🍖 — Composter · Loom · Smoker

FarmerBuys crops for emeralds; sells bread, golden carrots, glistering melon (for golden apples), cake. The basic emerald farm if you've got a crop field.
ShepherdShears for 2 em (Novice), plus cheap dyed wool, carpet, beds, banners, paintings.
ButcherBuys raw meat for emeralds; sells cheap cooked meat, rabbit stew, dried kelp blocks.
The Wandering Trader (random spawn with two llamas) isn't a profession — it offers a rotating set, best for hard-to-get décor: Packed/Blue Ice, Podzol, nautilus shells, and the occasional Potion of Invisibility. It despawns after ~40 minutes.
Version note: these are the default Java trades (1.21.x / "26.1"). The experimental Villager Trade Rebalance (off by default) changes a lot — biome-locked enchanted books (e.g. Mending from swamp Librarians) and diamond armor that costs emeralds plus diamonds. If your trades don't match, check whether that experiment is on.

Minecraft Villager Trading FAQ

How do you give a villager a job?
Place a workstation (job-site block) next to an unemployed adult — Lectern → Librarian, Grindstone → Weaponsmith, etc. Break/replace it to reroll, as long as you haven't traded yet.
How do you get Mending in Minecraft?
From a Librarian — enchanted-book trades can be Mending at any level. Reroll a Novice Librarian's lectern until it offers Mending, then lock it in by trading.
How do you make villager trades cheaper?
Cure a zombie villager (Splash Weakness + Golden Apple) for a permanent discount, and/or get Hero of the Village by winning a raid (~30% off). Stacked, trades often hit 1 emerald.
What's the fastest way to get emeralds?
Sell to a profession that buys what you produce — Fletcher buys sticks (32 → 1 em), Farmer buys crops, Cleric buys rotten flesh. Sticks are the classic renewable emerald farm.

More Minecraft

Emeralds sorted — here's the rest.