Minecraft anvil calculator

How the minecraft anvil calculator works

Choose the item, then tick the enchanted books you have, one book for each enchantment, and pick each level. The tool tries every order in which the books can be combined and shows the cheapest one that never goes over 39 levels, with the cost of each step and the total.

Costs go up because every anvil use adds a prior work penalty to the item: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31 levels and so on. Combining the books with each other first, so the item itself goes through the anvil fewer times, is usually much cheaper than adding the books one by one. Enchantments that cannot share an item, such as Sharpness and Smite, switch each other off.

Worked example

For a diamond pickaxe with Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Fortune III and Mending, tick the four books and read the table. It tells you which item goes in the left slot and which in the right for every step, and the total in levels and in experience points.

Java Edition and Bedrock Edition

The rules in the tool are the Java Edition rules. Bedrock uses similar costs, but its totals can differ slightly. In Survival, any single step of 40 levels or more shows Too Expensive on both editions.

Frequently asked questions

What does Too Expensive mean?

In Survival the anvil refuses any step that costs 40 levels or more. Creative mode players can still do it. Use fewer books, or combine them in a cheaper order, to stay under the limit.

Why does the order of books matter?

Each time an item goes through an anvil, its prior work penalty doubles and adds one. Combining books with each other first keeps the penalty on the main item low.

Where does the item go in the anvil?

Put the item you want to keep in the left slot and the book you are adding in the right slot. The tool labels left and right for every step.

Does a grindstone reset the penalty?

Yes. Disenchanting at a grindstone resets the prior work penalty, but it also removes the enchantments, apart from curses. See our grindstone guide before you try it on a good item.