Minecraft Anvil Calculator
Pick the enchantments you want and we'll work out the cheapest order to combine them on an anvil — the exact XP cost, step by step — and warn you before you hit "Too Expensive!".
Pick some enchantments to see the cheapest way to combine them.
Always combine book + book first, then apply the finished book to your item last — it keeps the prior-work penalty low. Figures are for Minecraft: Java Edition.
Best enchantments by item
How anvil combining works
Why does the order I combine enchantments matter?
Every time you use an anvil on an item, its “prior work penalty” doubles — the second use costs 1 extra level, the third 3, the fourth 7, and so on (2ⁿ−1). If you add books one at a time to your tool, that penalty balloons and you quickly hit “Too Expensive!”. Combining books together first, in a balanced order, keeps every step cheap.
What does “Too Expensive!” mean?
In Survival mode the anvil refuses any single operation that costs 40 levels or more, showing “Too Expensive!”. It's not about your total XP — it's a per-combine cap. The fix is to reduce the prior work penalty by combining in a smarter order, which this calculator works out for you.
Should I combine books first or add them to the item?
Books first. Combine book + book to make bigger books, then apply the finished book to your tool as the very last step. Because your tool never picks up a prior work penalty until the end, the whole job stays far cheaper than adding each book directly.
Does this work for Bedrock Edition too?
The strategy (combine books first, balance the order) applies to both, but the exact level costs shown here are for Java Edition. Bedrock's anvil maths differs slightly, so treat Bedrock numbers as a close guide rather than exact.
Building a server too? Try the Minecraft server RAM calculator.