Minecraft Enchanting Order Calculator

Pick your item and the enchanted books you have. This works out the cheapest order to combine them on an anvil, so you spend the fewest levels and never see "Too Expensive!".

Your books (one enchantment each)

Best order

  1. 1
    Left slot: Item
    Right slot: Book: Sweeping Edge III
    6 levels
  2. 2
    Left slot: Book: Looting III
    Right slot: Book: Unbreaking III
    3 levels
  3. 3
    Left slot: Item with Sweeping Edge III
    Right slot: Book: Looting III, Unbreaking III
    11 levels
  4. 4
    Left slot: Book: Sharpness V
    Right slot: Book: Mending I
    2 levels
  5. 5
    Left slot: Item with Sweeping Edge III, Looting III, Unbreaking III
    Right slot: Book: Sharpness V, Mending I
    11 levels
Total: 33 levels
Most expensive step: 11 levels

Assumes a fresh item and fresh books that haven't been on an anvil before. Costs are in levels, as the anvil shows them. Java Edition rules.

Why order matters

Every time something goes through an anvil, it gets a "prior work" penalty that doubles each time (1, 3, 7, 15, 31 levels). Combining books in pairs first keeps those penalties low, which is why the right order can save dozens of levels and stop you hitting the 40-level limit.