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.

How to use the Enchanting Order Calculator

  1. Pick the item you are enchanting.
  2. Tick the enchanted books you have, one enchantment per book. Enchantments that cannot go together are marked.
  3. Follow the order shown. Each step tells you what goes in the left slot of the anvil and what goes in the right.

Common questions

Why does the order matter?

Everything that goes through an anvil picks up a penalty that roughly doubles each time. Combining books in pairs first keeps the penalties low, and the right order can save dozens of levels.

What does Too Expensive! mean?

In survival, the anvil refuses any step that would cost 40 levels or more. The order here avoids that. If no order can, the tool says so and you will need fewer books.

Does it work if my item is already enchanted?

The calculation assumes a fresh item and fresh books that have not been through an anvil before. An item that has already been worked on will cost more than shown.

Is this for Java or Bedrock?

Java Edition. Bedrock works out anvil costs differently, so the cheapest order there may not be the same.

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