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Minecraft Enchantment Calculator
Stop seeing “Too Expensive!”. Plan a lower-cost anvil order before spending levels in survival. Java 1.21.11 anvil planning for the 24 enchantable item types and 43 enchantments, including Spear + Lunge and the Mace additions.
Anvil Calculator
Up to 8 books · Level cost · Survival capPick the gear you want to enchant. Books you add below will be merged onto it in the cheapest order we can find.
Open a calculator for a specific job
The homepage planner is the full anvil tool. Use a task page when you already know you need a cheaper book order, a single combine preview, or an XP / Too Expensive check.
Start with these enchantment checks
Bow and mining enchantments are common places to waste levels. Use these pages to check max level, conflicts, compatible items, and a pre-filled anvil setup before combining books.
How anvil order cost works
The book combinations modeled here cost experience levels based on a simple
formula: a base enchantment cost (the enchantment's per-level book
multiplier times the resulting level) plus a prior-work penalty of
2^n - 1 for each input. Hit 40 total
levels and survival mode refuses the combine - the dreaded
Too Expensive! message.
A lower-cost order is rarely obvious. Combining Sharpness V, Looting III, Unbreaking III and Mending onto a sword requires comparing both book costs and prior-work penalties. Use the worked order comparison for a reproducible example with fresh inputs. Each step shows levels spent, which are not the same as raw experience points.
Need to repair a tool while preserving room for future enchantments?
Switch the mode to Least prior-work to prefer the plan
whose final item keeps the lowest 2^n
penalty for later combines.
Use the buttons above to plan combos for popular weapons - Sword, Pickaxe, Bow, Axe, Trident, Mace, Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots, Elytra, Shield - or jump to a specific enchantment such as Sharpness, Protection, Efficiency, Fortune, Unbreaking, Mending, Looting, Power, Infinity, Feather Falling, Smite, Silk Touch .
Calculator coverage
Java Edition model. The planner follows the Java Edition anvil-cost approach used by this tool.
1.21 mace data. Density, Breach, and Wind Burst are included with supported conflict checks. See the official 1.21 notes.
Verify edge cases. Mods, datapacks, snapshots, and Bedrock worlds can differ; confirm a valuable combine in game.
Headline enchantments
FAQ
- What is the Minecraft Enchantment Calculator?
- A free planner for the anvil. Tell it which item you want to enchant and which single-enchantment books you have, and it suggests a lower-cost order while showing 'Too Expensive!' risk.
- Why does Minecraft say 'Too Expensive!' on my anvil?
- Survival anvils refuse any combine whose total cost reaches 40 levels. Cost includes the per-level enchantment cost plus a prior-work penalty of 2^n - 1, where n is each input’s prior-work count. Re-order combines or use a fresh item to stay under 40.
- Does the calculator support 1.21 Mace enchantments?
- Yes. Density, Breach, and Wind Burst are included. Density and Breach cannot be combined with each other, Smite, or Bane of Arthropods, so the planner blocks those conflicting mace setups.
- Which edition does the calculator model?
- MinecraftCalc models Java Edition anvil planning with data pinned to Java 1.21.11. It does not claim to simulate Bedrock-specific math, mods, datapacks, or snapshot changes. Check the final combine in your own world before using rare books.
- How does the calculator pick an anvil order?
- It searches ordered merge trees for up to eight single-enchantment book rows, including both book-slot orientations. It uses every supplied row and maximizes duplicate levels before choosing a survival-feasible plan. More than eight rows are rejected instead of silently using an approximation. For 'Least prior-work' mode it picks the plan whose final item has the lowest 2^n penalty for future repairs.
- What about Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing?
- Both can be applied to compatible items through books. A grindstone does not remove curses, so check the consequence before applying one. The planner preserves them in subsequent combinations.
- Can I share a plan with a friend?
- Yes - after you press Calculate, hit 'Copy share link'. Your item, books, prior-work values, and planning mode are encoded into the URL hash, so the recipient sees the same setup when they open it.
- Why don't I see the icon I expect on a book?
- We use a fan-made pixel icon set; we do not extract textures from Minecraft's official resource pack. Names match the in-game labels but icons are stylized.
- Is this affiliated with Mojang?
- No. MinecraftCalc is a fan project and is not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft. See the footer disclaimer on every page.
- Is everything free?
- Yes. The calculator is 100% client-side; no account, no payment, no API call. Advertising is kept after the core calculator and explanatory content so it does not block the planning task.
Explore related pages
Continue your anvil plan
Use a practical guide when you need an explanation after calculating your own item and books.