Carpentry in Project Zomboid (Build 42)

How to level Carpentry

Carpentry XP comes from crafting and building recipes. From level 0 to 1, sawing logs into planks and barricading windows; after that, building wooden floors and whatever else you need.

Since Build 42, dismantling no longer gives Carpentry XP.

Adapted from PZwiki, Carpentry (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0); shared under the same licence.

XP needed for each level

What you actually earn is scaled first. Starting with no levels in Carpentry cuts every gain to ×0.25; a starting +1 is ×1, +2 ×1.33 and +3 or more ×1.66. Fast Learner adds ×1.3, Slow Learner ×0.7. How the multipliers work.

Carpentry skill books

Reading a volume multiplies the Carpentry XP you earn while your level is inside its range: every tenth of the book read adds a tenth of the multiplier. The game lets you open a volume from one level below its range, and not once you are past it (ISReadABook.lua).

• 

  Carpentry I: "A Guide to Nailing"

  Levels

  1–2

  Pages

  220

  XP up to

  ×3

  Where it spawns →/additem "Base.BookCarpentry1"
• 

  Carpentry II: "Carpentry, Woodcraft Style"

  Levels

  3–4

  Pages

  260

  XP up to

  ×5

  Where it spawns →/additem "Base.BookCarpentry2"
• 

  Carpentry III: "Hand Crafted Shelving and Storage"

  Levels

  5–6

  Pages

  300

  XP up to

  ×8

  Where it spawns →/additem "Base.BookCarpentry3"
• 

  Carpentry IV: "Making Your Own Cabin From Scratch"

  Levels

  7–8

  Pages

  340

  XP up to

  ×12

  Where it spawns →/additem "Base.BookCarpentry4"
• 

  Carpentry V: "Site Joinery and Architectural Carpentry"

  Levels

  9–10

  Pages

  380

  XP up to

  ×16

  Where it spawns →/additem "Base.BookCarpentry5"

Multipliers from the game's skill-book table (lua/server/XpSystem/XPSystem_SkillBook.lua); “where it spawns” opens the map's item finder on the loot tables.

Start with Carpentry

Levels a new character gets in Carpentry — and, through them, a faster XP rate (see above):

• Carpenteroccupation · +4
• Construction Workeroccupation · +1
• DIY Expertoccupation · +1
• Engineeroccupation · +1
• Handytrait · +1

Carpentry from TV and VHS

8 Life and Living shows give 2,650 XP in Carpentry. 10 VHS tapes give 2,500 XP. Both stop counting once the skill reaches level 3 in the default sandbox settings, and before the multipliers above. Shows and tapes, by name.

Recipes you learn by levelling Carpentry

Reaching the level teaches the recipe — no magazine needed.

• Lv 3Can-Reinforce Short Weapon
• Lv 4Can-Reinforce Long Weapon
• Lv 4Can-Reinforce Weapon
• Lv 5Make Plank with Saw
• Lv 5Make Railspike Baseball Bat
• Lv 6Make Stag Head Trophy
• Lv 7Make Advanced Framepack Frame
• Lv 7Make Brake Disc Weapon
• Lv 7Make Railspike Cudgel
• Lv 7Make Sawblade Large Handle
• Lv 7Make Sawblade Plank
• Lv 7Make Sawblade Wooden Bat
• Lv 7Sheet Metal-Reinforce Weapon
• Lv 8Make Garden Fork Head Weapon
• Lv 8Make Rake-Head-Spiked Weapon
• Lv 8Make Sawblade Cudgel
• Lv 8Make Sawblade Table Leg
• Lv 9Make Advanced Large Framepack Frame
• Lv 9Make Spade Head Cudgel

What Carpentry unlocks (114)

Crafting and building recipes that need a Carpentry level. “Must be learned” recipes also need a magazine, a TV show or an occupation that teaches them.

Search recipesCrafting and buildingCrafting onlyBuilding only114 of 114

Level	Recipe	Also needs
1	Can-Reinforce Short Weaponmust be learned	—
1	Chopping Blockbuild	—
1	Feeding Troughbuild	—
1	Large Plant Drying Rackbuild	—
1	Leather Drying Rack (Small)build	—
1	Make Box Trapmust be learned	Trapping 2
1	Make Large Bellows	—
1	Make Nail-Spiked Small Weapon	—
1	Make Nail-Spiked Weapon	—
1	Make Wooden Shingle Mold	—
1	Make Wooden Tile Mold	—
1	Make Wooden Toolbox	—
1	Rugged Stoolbuild	—
1	Rugged Tablebuild	—
1	Small Plant Drying Rackbuild	—
1	Wood Chair Lvl 1build	—
1	Wood Table Lvl 1build	—
1	Wood Table Small Lvl 1build	—
1	Wooden Floorbuild	—
1	Wooden Lamp Pillarbuild	—
1	Wooden Signbuild	—
2	Can-Reinforce Long Weaponmust be learned	—
2	Can-Reinforce Weaponmust be learned	—
2	Fix With Wood Glue	—
2	Make Oil Press	—
2	Make Wooden Bar Cast Mold	—
2	Make Wooden Blacksmith Anvil Mold	—
2	Make Wooden Bucket	—
2	Make Wooden Crude Bench Vise Parts Mold	—
2	Make Wooden Ingot Cast Mold	—
2	Scutching Boardbuild	—
2	Wood Shelves Double Lvl 1build	—
2	Wood Shelves Lvl 1build	—
2	Wood Table Drawer Lvl 1build	—
2	Wooden Door Framebuild	—
2	Wooden Floorbuild	—
2	Wooden Polebuild	—
2	Wooden Wall Framebuild	—
2	Wooden Wall Lvl 1build	—
2	Wooden Window Framebuild	—
3	Butcher Hookbuild	—
3	Chicken Hutchbuild	—
3	Chicken Hutch 2build	—
3	Composter Shoddybuild	—
3	Feeding Trough (Double)build	—
3	Heckle Combbuild	—
3	Log Stairsbuild	—
3	Make Plank with Sawmust be learned	—
3	Make Sawblade Plankmust be learned	—
3	Rain Collectorbuild	—
3	Rain Collector Tarpbuild	—
3	Ripple Combbuild	—
3	Simple Loombuild	—
3	Wood Bar Element Corner Lvl 1build	—
3	Wood Bar Element Lvl 1build	—
3	Wood Bookcase Lvl 1build	—
3	Wood Bookcase Small Lvl 1build	—
3	Wood Chair Lvl 2build	—
3	Wood Crate Lvl 1build	—
3	Wood Table Lvl 2build	—
3	Wood Table Small Lvl 2build	—
3	Wooden Doorbuild	—
3	Wooden Fencebuild	—
3	Wooden Fence Gatebuild	—
4	Double Tall Wooden Gatebuild	—
4	Make Advanced Framepack Framemust be learned	—
4	Make Railspike Baseball Batmust be learned	—
4	Make Rake-Head-Spiked Weaponmust be learned	—
4	Make Stag Head Trophymust be learned	Tailoring 4
4	Sheet Metal-Reinforce Weaponmust be learned	—
4	Wood Table Drawer Lvl 2build	—
4	Wooden Bedbuild	—
4	Wooden Coffinbuild	—
4	Wooden Door Framebuild	—
4	Wooden Floorbuild	—
4	Wooden Wall Lvl 2build	—
4	Wooden Window Framebuild	—
5	Barbed Wire Fencebuild	—
5	Make Brake Disc Weaponmust be learned	—
5	Make Sawblade Large Handlemust be learned	—
5	Make Sawblade Table Legmust be learned	—
5	Make Sawblade Wooden Batmust be learned	—
5	Pottery Benchbuild	—
5	Rain Collector Roundbuild	—
5	Rain Collector Round Tarpbuild	—
5	Spinning Wheelbuild	—
5	Wood Bar Element Corner Lvl 2build	—
5	Wood Bar Element Lvl 2build	—
5	Wood Bookcase Lvl 2build	—
5	Wood Bookcase Small Lvl 2build	—
5	Wood Shelves Lvl 2build	—
5	Wood Table Lvl 3build	—
5	Wood Table Small Lvl 3build	—
5	Wooden Doorbuild	—
5	Wooden Fencebuild	—
5	Wooden Windowsbuild	—
6	Composter (Craftsman)build	—
6	Make Advanced Large Framepack Framemust be learned	—
6	Make Garden Fork Head Weaponmust be learned	—
6	Make Railspike Cudgelmust be learned	—
6	Make Sawblade Cudgelmust be learned	—
6	Make Spade Head Cudgelmust be learned	—
6	Plaster Wallbuild	—
6	Wood Chair Lvl 3build	—
6	Wood Table Drawer Lvl 3build	—
6	Wooden Door Framebuild	—
6	Wooden Stairsbuild	—
6	Wooden Wall Lvl 3build	—
6	Wooden Window Framebuild	—
7	Wood Bar Element Corner Lvl 3build	—
7	Wood Bar Element Lvl 3build	—
7	Wood Crate Lvl 2build	—
7	Wooden Doorbuild	—
7	Wooden Fencebuild	—

Recipes that train Carpentry

142 recipes award Carpentry XP when made; the most per craft (base XP):

• Wood Bar Element Corner Lvl 3 · 70 XP
• Wood Bar Element Lvl 3 · 70 XP
• Wood Crate Lvl 2 · 70 XP
• Wooden Door · 70 XP
• Wooden Fence · 70 XP
• Composter (Craftsman) · 60 XP
• Make Advanced Large Framepack Frame · 60 XP
• Make Garden Fork Head Weapon · 60 XP
• Make Railspike Cudgel · 60 XP
• Make Sawblade Cudgel · 60 XP
• Make Spade Head Cudgel · 60 XP
• Plaster Wall · 60 XP
• Wood Chair Lvl 3 · 60 XP
• Wood Table Drawer Lvl 3 · 60 XP
• Wooden Door Frame · 60 XP
• Wooden Stairs · 60 XP