How to Make Paper in Minecraft: 3 Sugar Cane Recipe

To make paper in Minecraft, place three sugar cane in a horizontal row anywhere in a crafting table’s 3×3 grid. One craft produces three sheets of paper. The recipe works in Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and paper is a basic ingredient for maps, books and several other useful items.

Paper recipe at a glance

Requirement	What you need to know
Ingredients	3 sugar cane
Crafting station	Crafting table (3×3 crafting grid)
Placement	3 sugar cane side by side in any one row
Output	3 paper
Editions	Java and Bedrock

How to craft paper step by step

Collect sugar cane. Look beside water in suitable biomes, especially along rivers and shorelines. Break the stalk and pick up the dropped sugar cane.
Open a crafting table. Unlike a two-slot inventory crafting grid, a crafting table provides the 3×3 layout needed for this recipe.
Place three sugar cane side by side. Use the top, middle or bottom row; each cane must occupy its own adjacent slot.
Move the three paper into your inventory. Repeat the recipe whenever you need more.

If you cannot see the recipe in the recipe book, place the ingredients manually as described above. The placement—not the direction your player faces—is what matters. Minecraft’s official crafting guide explains how the crafting grid and recipe book work.

Where to find sugar cane

Search for green vertical stalks growing next to water. Sugar cane commonly appears near rivers, lakes and beaches; its exact availability varies with terrain and biome. It grows on suitable dirt, grass, sand and related blocks as long as a neighboring block contains water. You do not need a specialized tool to harvest it.

Fast gathering tip: Once you find a patch, take a few stalks back to your base rather than spending time searching every time you need paper. A small renewable farm can provide enough for maps, bookshelves and trading without repeated exploration.

How to grow sugar cane for unlimited paper

Make a short water trench beside a row of plantable blocks.
Plant one sugar cane on each eligible block directly next to the water.
Leave open space above the plants so they can grow taller.
When a stalk grows, break its upper segments and leave the bottom segment in place. It will continue growing.
Use three harvested sugar cane per craft to turn your harvest into paper.

Sugar cane grows over time; it is not accelerated by bone meal in the same way across every edition, so do not rely on a Java-only or Bedrock-only shortcut without checking your edition. A farm does not require redstone to be useful. Start manually and automate later if you need large quantities.

What can you make with paper?

Item	Why you might want it	What else you need
Book	Bookshelves, enchanting setups and other recipes	Leather plus paper
Map	Record explored terrain	Recipe varies by edition and map type; a compass may be required
Firework rocket	Celebrations and Elytra travel	Gunpowder; optional firework stars for visual effects
Cartography table	Work with maps and map scaling	Wooden planks

Paper is especially important before extensive exploration: it supports mapmaking and the books used for enchanting. Keep a spare stack near your crafting area so a shortage of sugar cane does not interrupt another project. If you are planning a Nether trip, also see our guide to building and linking a Nether portal; a reliable overworld base and supply chest make longer expeditions easier.

Paper recipe not working? Check these mistakes

Using the wrong ingredient: Bamboo, kelp and ordinary green blocks cannot replace sugar cane.
Stacking cane vertically: The three ingredients must be in a single horizontal row.
Using the inventory grid: Open the full crafting table if the smaller grid will not accommodate the row.
Trying to make paper from wood: Minecraft paper is not crafted from logs or planks.
Confusing paper with a map: Paper is an ingredient; a usable map is a separate crafted item with edition-specific options.

Frequently asked questions

How many sugar cane make one paper?

The recipe consumes three sugar cane and produces three paper. You cannot craft a single sheet with just one sugar cane using the standard recipe.

Can you craft paper without a crafting table?

The recipe uses a three-item row, so use a crafting table’s 3×3 grid rather than relying on the smaller inventory grid.

Is the paper recipe different in Java and Bedrock?

No. The three-sugar-cane horizontal recipe is shared by both editions. Some items made from paper, such as certain kinds of maps, have edition-specific crafting differences.

Can villagers give you paper?

Villagers are generally a market for paper rather than the best way to manufacture it: librarian and cartographer trading options can use paper, depending on available trades and game settings. For a predictable source of paper, grow sugar cane.

Does sugar cane need sunlight?

Sugar cane farming is based chiefly on planting conditions and the game’s growth rules; indoor farms can work when built correctly. Make sure each planting block is next to water and the stalk has room to grow.

Sources and image credit

Crafting interface: Minecraft official crafting guide. Featured photo: Creatief met Minecraft, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Image shows Minecraft gameplay, not a step-by-step screenshot of the recipe.