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Display · Decoration · 1.21

How to Make an Item Frame

Item frames show off any item, label your storage, feed redstone, and tile maps into a wall. One leather and eight sticks make one. Tap the frame below to rotate it.

rotation 0 · comparator 1
4 frames = 1 map wall
Frame any item, right-click to rotate it through 8 notches, or tile maps into a wall.

The recipe

One leather, ringed by eight sticks.

→
Item Frame

What you can do with it

Display & label

Frame any item to show it off or to label chests, barrels and shulker boxes at a glance.

Rotate for redstone

Right-click the item to turn it through 8 fixed angles; a comparator reads the rotation as a signal.

Map walls

A map in a frame shows full size; line up frames and map sections into one giant wall map.

Glow frames

Add a glow ink sac to make a glow item frame: the item glows in the dark and the border vanishes.

The map wall trick

A map placed in an item frame shows the whole map flat on the wall. Put a grid of frames up and fill them with connecting map sections, and the maps line up into one giant wall map of your world.

Item frame vs glow item frame

Item frame

A visible wooden border around the item. The standard choice for labelling and redstone.

Glow item frame

Item frame plus a glow ink sac. The displayed item glows in the dark and the frame border disappears for a clean look.

Quick answers

How do you make an item frame?
Surround one piece of leather with eight sticks in the crafting grid. That gives you one item frame.
How do I rotate the item?
Right-click the item already in the frame. Each click turns it 45 degrees, through eight fixed positions.
How do I make a map wall?
Place item frames in a grid, then put connecting map sections in them. Aligned maps join into one big seamless wall map.
What is a glow item frame?
An item frame crafted with a glow ink sac. The item inside glows in the dark and the frame border is hidden, which looks great for displays.
Can a comparator read an item frame?
Yes. A comparator next to a filled frame outputs a signal based on the item and its rotation, so frames work as redstone inputs.
Where can I put one?
On the side of almost any block, or on walls, floors and ceilings. They are the classic way to label storage.
Pair it →
Make a compass
A framed compass or map makes a handy wall pointer.
Database →
Item & glow frames
Look up the item frame, glow item frame and maps.