Cardboard Mod
by BeaverTrail
Cardboard Mod adds a crafting path that turns sugarcane paper into cardboard, then into cardboard tools, weapons, armor and enchanted gear for Fabric players.
What it does
The path starts with sugarcane, which is crafted into paper, then soaked with a water bucket and dried in a drier block that runs for 100 server ticks. Dried paper is shaped with string on an anvil to produce a single cardboard. From there, cardboard swords, tools and armor can be crafted, and the mod describes them as semi-overpowered compared with early vanilla gear.
The later stages use a netherite upgrader built on a smithing table. It needs a netherite upgrade template, a netherite scrap, a diamond, a gold ingot and an iron ingot arranged around cardboard, and it produces a processed cardboard used for further recipes. A golden stick, made from gold nuggets around a stick, is also part of the chain and replaces a regular stick in certain recipes.
The mod runs on the client and the server, so both need it. It is built for Fabric only and has a single file, version 1.1, for Minecraft 1.21.8, released on the beta channel. The mod is published under All rights reserved and is not open source. The author is developing a wiki that carries the full recipe list.
Key features
Cardboard tools and weapons
Swords, tools and other items made from cardboard, with a recipe path that starts at sugarcane.
Cardboard armor and enchants
Armor pieces made from cardboard, plus enchantments, described by the author as semi-overpowered.
Drier block
A block that dries wet paper over 100 server ticks, which is a required step before cardboard can be shaped.
Netherite upgrader
A smithing-table recipe that combines netherite scrap, a template and other materials into processed cardboard.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Logs2Paper is server-side only and is published under All rights reserved for 1.21.11, so players do not need it installed. Paper Tools is client and server, under the MIT License, and covers 1.21.8 – 1.21.10. Way Harder Netherite also runs on client and server under the MIT License, but targets 1.21.11 only. Harder Armours covers 1.21.1 – 1.21.11, is open source and runs on client and server.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardboard Mod | Fabric | 1.21.8 | Client and server | 2026-03-21 |
| Logs2Paper | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Server-side only | 2026-03-08 |
| Paper Tools | Fabric | 1.21.8 – 1.21.10 | Client and server | 2025-11-06 |
| Way Harder Netherite | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-03-10 |
| Harder Armours | Fabric | 1.21.1 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-06-01 |
Questions
Does Cardboard Mod need to be installed on the server?
Which loader does Cardboard Mod use?
How is cardboard made in the mod?
In the catalog
Cardboard Mod is one of 8,499 Technology mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,201 Technology mods for Fabric. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.
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What the author says
I'm working on a wiki right now, please be patient:) Side note: This is my biggest project yet, and has taken so much effort, time, physical PC resources, and more. If you want to support the project, following it (The heart emoji) both hugely supports me and tells you when there's an update - which I highly…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/cardboardmod
- Owner
- BeaverTrail
- Published
- 2026-03-20
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-03-21
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15