What does the anvil calculator show?

Each step is one anvil use: the current target, the sacrificed book, the XP cost for that use, and whether survival would print Too Expensive. The final line is the item you would take out of the anvil.

Do sacrificed tools cost the same as books?

No. This planner uses the enchantment's book multiplier for a book sacrifice, and half of that (rounded up, minimum 1) when the sacrifice is another tool. Thorns III is 24 XP from a book and 12 XP from sacrificed armor. Pairing books first is still usually cheaper overall because it keeps prior-work off the item, not because the book multiplier is smaller.

Can I combine two enchanted pickaxes?

Yes in Java Edition, if the enchantments do not conflict. This page's live tool models books onto an item. For a conflict such as Silk Touch plus Fortune, the planner fails before any combine, same as the anvil.

Which edition is modeled?

Java Edition anvil planning with current spear and mace enchantment data. Check the final combine in-game for Bedrock, mods, datapacks, or snapshots.

CALCULATOR · ANVIL

Minecraft Anvil Calculator

Put the item in slot one and the books in slot two, on the page, before you do it in survival. Each printed step is one anvil use with its XP cost and the item you would take out.

Anvil calculator

Optimal order · XP cost · Too-Expensive guard

Item to enchantCurrent prior-work cost

0 = brand new. Every anvil use raises this by 1.

Pick the gear you want to enchant. Books you add below will be merged onto it in the cheapest order we can find.

Books / sacrifices (3)

Optimize for

Least XP levelsCheapest total costLeast prior-workBest for future repairs / further enchanting

Worked example: pickaxe combine

Inputs: Fresh pickaxe (prior-work 0); Efficiency V book; Unbreaking III book; Silk Touch book. First anvil use is the Efficiency V book onto a fresh pickaxe: base cost 5, prior-work penalty 0, total 5 XP. Result: Pickaxe (Efficiency V), prior-work 1.

The full plan then folds Unbreaking III and Silk Touch into that pickaxe. Total for the tree: 23 XP, still under the survival cap.

Combine Pickaxe with Book (Efficiency V) 5 XP
Combine Pickaxe (Efficiency V), prior-work 1 with Book (Unbreaking III) 7 XP
Combine Pickaxe (Efficiency V, Unbreaking III), prior-work 2 with Book (Silk Touch I) 11 XP

Failure case: Silk Touch and Fortune

Inputs: fresh pickaxe, Efficiency V, Fortune III, Silk Touch. The planner returns Fortune conflicts with Silk Touch. Those two enchantments cannot share a pickaxe, so no anvil order exists.

If the combine is legal but still refused in survival, switch to the XP cost calculator and check the 40-level cap. For merge-tree order, use the enchantment order calculator.

FAQ

What does the anvil calculator show?: Each step is one anvil use: the current target, the sacrificed book, the XP cost for that use, and whether survival would print Too Expensive. The final line is the item you would take out of the anvil.
Do sacrificed tools cost the same as books?: No. This planner uses the enchantment's book multiplier for a book sacrifice, and half of that (rounded up, minimum 1) when the sacrifice is another tool. Thorns III is 24 XP from a book and 12 XP from sacrificed armor. Pairing books first is still usually cheaper overall because it keeps prior-work off the item, not because the book multiplier is smaller.
Can I combine two enchanted pickaxes?: Yes in Java Edition, if the enchantments do not conflict. This page's live tool models books onto an item. For a conflict such as Silk Touch plus Fortune, the planner fails before any combine, same as the anvil.
Which edition is modeled?: Java Edition anvil planning with current spear and mace enchantment data. Check the final combine in-game for Bedrock, mods, datapacks, or snapshots.

Worked example: pickaxe combine

Failure case: Silk Touch and Fortune

FAQ

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