Minecraft Anvil Calculator

Merge books in pairs first, put the expensive books (high level × high multiplier) where they are paid for only once, and apply the combined books to the item last so the item collects as few anvil uses as possible. The exact best order depends on your books — the calculator tries every possible merge tree and shows the cheapest one.

In Survival the anvil refuses any single operation that would cost 40 levels or more. The cost grows with every anvil use because of the prior work penalty (1, 3, 7, 15, 31 extra levels), so an item that has been worked on five times is almost unusable. Combining books first keeps the penalty low.

Cost = for each enchantment on the right-hand input, its level × its multiplier (the book multiplier when the right input is a book) + the prior work penalty of both inputs (2^uses − 1 each) + any rename or repair cost. Each anvil use then raises the result's prior work count by one.

A hidden counter on every item and book that goes up by one each time it passes through an anvil. Its cost is 0, 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63 levels — it doubles plus one every use — and it is added to every later anvil operation. Grindstones reset it by removing the enchantments.

The prior work penalty and the 40-level Too Expensive limit work the same way, so the combining order this tool finds is a good order in both. Bedrock values a few enchantments differently and charges only for the level increase when upgrading an enchantment the item already has, so Bedrock totals can differ by a few levels.

The item goes on the left and the book on the right — you pay for what is on the right side, and books are cheaper to pay for than items (lower multipliers). When merging two books, put the more expensive book on the left.

Going from level 30 to 0 drains 1,395 experience points; a 39-level step drains 2,727. The tool shows the minimum XP points your plan needs, assuming you start each step with exactly enough levels.