Minecraft enchantment calculator

Choose the item and the enchanted books you have. The calculator tries every order of combining them in the anvil, shows the one that costs the fewest XP levels, and tells you if any step goes over the 39-level limit (the anvil then says "Too Expensive!"). It also shows what adding the books one at a time would cost.

Java Edition, rules as read on the Minecraft Wiki on 2026-10-04. Bedrock Edition prices anvil work differently and is not covered.

Worked examples

The same calculation for two sets of books, shown here for when the calculator does not load (JavaScript off). Left slot is the item you keep, right slot is the book that is used up.

Boots with seven books (the Minecraft Wiki’s own example)

Adding the seven books one at a time costs 163 levels, and the last step alone costs 65 levels, above the 39-level limit, so the anvil refuses it. The cheapest order costs 66 levels, with no step above 18. The wiki’s better plan also costs 66; this is another order with the same total.

Step	Left slot	Right slot	Levels
1	Boots	Soul Speed III	12
2	Thorns III	Feather Falling IV	4
3	Depth Strider III	Unbreaking III	3
4	Protection IV	Mending	2
5	Boots + Soul Speed III	Thorns III + Feather Falling IV	18
6	Boots + Soul Speed III + Thorns III + Feather Falling IV	Depth Strider III + Unbreaking III	13
7	Boots + Soul Speed III + Thorns III + Feather Falling IV + Depth Strider III + Unbreaking III	Protection IV + Mending	14

Pickaxe with four books

One at a time: 27 levels. Cheapest order: 23 levels.

Step	Left slot	Right slot	Levels
1	Pickaxe	Efficiency V	5
2	Unbreaking III	Mending	2
3	Pickaxe + Efficiency V	Fortune III	7
4	Pickaxe + Efficiency V + Fortune III	Unbreaking III + Mending	9

Enchantment cost per level (books, Java Edition)

An enchanted book in the right slot costs its enchantment’s book multiplier times the enchantment level. The last column is the book at its highest level.

Enchantment	Items in this calculator	Highest level	Book multiplier	Book at highest level
Protection	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots	IV	1	4
Fire Protection	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots	IV	1	4
Feather Falling	Boots	IV	1	4
Blast Protection	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots	IV	2	8
Projectile Protection	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots	IV	1	4
Thorns	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots	III	4	12
Respiration	Helmet	III	2	6
Depth Strider	Boots	III	2	6
Aqua Affinity	Helmet	I	2	2
Sharpness	Sword, Axe	V	1	5
Smite	Sword, Axe	V	1	5
Bane of Arthropods	Sword, Axe	V	1	5
Knockback	Sword	II	1	2
Fire Aspect	Sword	II	2	4
Looting	Sword	III	2	6
Sweeping Edge	Sword	III	2	6
Efficiency	Pickaxe, Shovel, Axe, Hoe	V	1	5
Silk Touch	Pickaxe, Shovel, Axe, Hoe	I	4	4
Fortune	Pickaxe, Shovel, Axe, Hoe	III	2	6
Unbreaking	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots, Sword, Pickaxe, Shovel, Axe, Hoe, Bow, Crossbow, Trident, Fishing rod	III	1	3
Power	Bow	V	1	5
Punch	Bow	II	2	4
Flame	Bow	I	2	2
Infinity	Bow	I	4	4
Luck of the Sea	Fishing rod	III	2	6
Lure	Fishing rod	III	2	6
Frost Walker	Boots	II	2	4
Mending	Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots, Sword, Pickaxe, Shovel, Axe, Hoe, Bow, Crossbow, Trident, Fishing rod	I	2	2
Impaling	Trident	V	2	10
Riptide	Trident	III	2	6
Loyalty	Trident	III	1	3
Channeling	Trident	I	4	4
Multishot	Crossbow	I	2	2
Piercing	Crossbow	IV	1	4
Quick Charge	Crossbow	III	1	3
Soul Speed	Boots	III	4	12
Swift Sneak	Leggings	III	4	12

Prior work penalty

Every anvil operation on an item (not counting renaming) raises its penalty, and the penalty is added to the cost of the next operation. After c uses it is 2^c - 1.

Anvil uses	Penalty (levels)
0	0
1	1
2	3
3	7
4	15
5	31
6	63

How it works

What one anvil step costs

The cost is the value of the item in the right slot, plus the prior work penalty of the left item, plus the prior work penalty of the right item. For an enchanted book the value is the sum, over its enchantments, of the enchantment’s book multiplier times its level (table above).

The 39-level limit

In Survival and Adventure the anvil only does an operation worth 39 levels or less. Above that it refuses, whatever your level, and only Creative mode can finish the job. The calculator counts a step as too expensive from 40 levels.

Why the order matters

Two things change the bill. First, the book you put in the right slot is the one you pay for, so a costly enchantment should be in the right slot as few times as possible. Second, each combination raises the penalty: the result gets the larger of the two penalties, doubled and plus one. Combining items with equal penalties keeps it low, so pairing books first can beat adding them to the item one by one.

How the search works

Up to seven books can be combined with an item in a large but finite number of ways. The calculator checks every one of them, so the answer is the true minimum for the model on this page, not a rule of thumb.

What this model leaves out

It assumes one new item at full durability and books that each carry a single, different, compatible enchantment. It does not model repairing (2 extra levels), renaming (1 extra level), raising an enchantment level by merging two equal ones, or adding an incompatible enchantment (which costs 1 level and is lost). If you need those, check the numbers against the Minecraft Wiki page below. Only the 13 items in the list are covered: no mace, spear, shears, shield, elytra or curses.

XP points and levels

Levels are not the same size. Going up from level L takes 2 x L + 7 points when L is 0 to 15, 5 x L - 38 when L is 16 to 30, and 9 x L - 158 from 31. The total to reach level L is L squared plus 6 x L for levels 0 to 16, then a different formula for 17 to 31 and another for 32 and up (the page below has all three). Anvil costs are paid in levels, so they take fewer points when your level is low.

FAQ

What is the cheapest order to combine enchanted books on an anvil?

There is no single rule: it depends on which books you have. Put the expensive books in the right slot as few times as possible, and combine items with equal prior work penalties. The calculator above tries every order and shows the cheapest.

What does "Too Expensive!" mean on an anvil?

In Survival and Adventure on Java Edition the anvil refuses any single operation above 39 levels, however high your level is. Split the work so that no step is over the limit, or start from an item with fewer anvil uses.

What is the prior work penalty?

Each time an item goes through an anvil (renaming does not count) its penalty grows: 0, 1, 3, 7, 15, 31 after 0 to 5 uses, which is 2 to the power of the number of uses, minus 1. The penalty is added to the cost of its next operation.

Is combining books in pairs cheaper than adding them one by one?

Often, for many books, because the penalty grows more slowly. Not always: pairing makes you pay for some enchantments more than once. The calculator compares both ways and everything in between.

How many XP points is a level?

The total to reach level 30 is 1,395 points and level 39 is 2,727 points, per the Minecraft Wiki. The converter above handles levels up to 1000.

Does this work on Bedrock Edition?

Not exactly. Bedrock Edition uses partly different anvil rules: when an enchantment is raised it charges only the level increase, some multipliers differ (Impaling costs less), Sweeping Edge does not exist, and some enchantments go on different items. This page follows Java Edition only.

Sources

Minecraft Wiki: Anvil mechanics (accessed 2026-10-04)
Minecraft Wiki: Experience (accessed 2026-10-04)

The Minecraft Wiki is a community wiki, so these are secondary sources; we have not read the game’s code or tested every number in game.

Unofficial tool. Not affiliated with, approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang. This page uses no Mojang artwork.