How to use it
- Choose the item and your edition.
- Set a level for each enchantment you want. Each one is one book.
- Follow the numbered list. Each line says which two items to put on the anvil and what it costs.
- If the tool says Too Expensive, remove one enchantment or split the job over two items.
How the anvil adds up the cost
Every anvil step has two sides. The left slot holds the item you keep, the right slot the item you sacrifice, which is usually a book. The cost is the sum of three things: the prior work penalty of the left item, the prior work penalty of the right item, and the enchantment cost. The enchantment cost is the level of each enchantment times its multiplier. Items and books have different multipliers, and the book one is usually half.
The penalty is what makes the order important. A fresh item has 0. After one step it has 1, after two 3, then 7, 15, 31. If you put six books one after another on the item, the item goes through six steps and the last one pays a penalty of 31 before it adds any enchantment cost. If you combine the books in pairs first, no single item goes through more than three steps.
Worked example: a pickaxe with four books
Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Fortune III and Mending on a diamond pickaxe, with the books added one by one in that order, cost 27 levels in total and the most expensive step is 9. The cheapest order costs 23 levels with a top step of 8: Fortune III on the pickaxe (6), Unbreaking III and Mending on each other (2), that book on the pickaxe (7) and Efficiency V last (8). Four enchantments are easy, but the gap grows fast. Try your own set above to see both totals (Java rules).
Tips for lower cost
- Pair books first. Two books each carrying one enchantment make one book carrying two, with a low penalty.
- Put expensive enchantments in early. A high multiplier is cheaper when the penalties are still small.
- Use the same level twice. Two level IV books give a level V, which is how you get Sharpness V without finding one.
- Keep the item fresh. Enchant a new item instead of one that has been repaired many times.
- Leave repair for last. It adds 2 levels and a penalty step on the item.
Java and Bedrock differences
For each enchantment on the right slot, Java adds the final level times the multiplier. Bedrock adds the level gained times the multiplier, so merging a book that adds nothing is free. Java lets two conflicting enchantments meet, drops the one from the book and adds 1 level. Bedrock refuses. The calculator does not allow conflicting enchantments on the same item, because both editions end up without one of them.
Related tools
Know how many levels you need? The XP calculator turns levels into experience points. The command generator makes a /give command with the finished enchantments for a test world, and the enchanting table translator reads the language on the table.
Sources and notes
Penalties, multipliers, the 39 level limit and the Java and Bedrock differences are from the Minecraft Wiki page on anvil mechanics, checked on 27 October 2026. The wiki does not state a separate Bedrock limit, so the tool applies 39 to both. Repair, rename and enchantments of the same type that the left item already has at a higher level are not modelled. BlockShapes is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best order to enchant on an anvil?
Combine the books with each other first, in pairs, and put the result on the item last. That keeps the number of times the item itself goes through the anvil low, because every use doubles the penalty. The calculator tests every order and shows the cheapest.
What does Too Expensive mean?
In survival the anvil refuses any single step that costs more than 39 levels. The cost of a step is the enchantment cost plus the prior work penalty of both items. Only creative mode can go above 39.
What is the prior work penalty?
Every time an item or book goes through the anvil its penalty grows: 0, 1, 3, 7, 15, 31 and so on, which is 2 to the power of uses, minus 1. The result keeps the higher penalty of the two inputs, and you pay both penalties on every step.
Why are books cheaper than items?
Enchantments from a book use a book multiplier, which is usually half the item multiplier. Putting Silk Touch on from a book costs 4 per level, from another item 8.
Does it matter if I use Java or Bedrock?
Yes, a little. Java charges the final level times the multiplier. Bedrock charges the level gained times the multiplier, and refuses conflicting enchantments, where Java lets them through with a penalty. Impaling also has a lower multiplier in Bedrock.
Does this include repair and rename costs?
No. Repairing adds 2 levels and renaming adds 1. Do them in a separate step, or at the end if you have room under 39.
Can I get a cheaper result with fewer enchantments?
Often. Mending and Unbreaking give the most value for the cost. A last step with a high-multiplier enchantment, such as Silk Touch or Thorns, is expensive, so be sure you need it.