Make an anvil, check the output and avoid wasting a valuable enchanted book.
An anvil can repair gear and apply compatible enchanted books. Put the item you want to keep on the left, add the material, book or compatible second item on the right, and inspect the output and level cost before taking it. The right-hand input can be consumed.
Make an anvil
An anvil requires three iron blocks and four iron ingots. Each block contains nine ingots, so the total is 31 ingots. If you're short on iron, keep your book safe until you can afford one.
Diagram: dark squares are iron blocks; light bars are iron ingots. Use the 3 × 3 crafting grid.
At a crafting table, place three iron blocks across the top row, one iron ingot in the middle slot, and three iron ingots across the bottom row. Leave the two side slots of the middle row empty.
Choose the right operation
| Goal | Left slot | Right slot | Check before confirming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair durability | Damaged gear | Its repair material | Durability gained and material used |
| Apply a book | Compatible gear | Enchanted book | Desired enchantment appears |
| Combine items | Item to keep | Compatible same-type item | Result, durability and cost |
Two equal-level compatible enchantments can combine into the next level, subject to that enchantment's maximum. Mutually exclusive enchantments such as Fortune and Silk Touch cannot both be added through ordinary survival anvil use. For compatible inputs where swapping is possible, compare both previews: order can change cost or output.
Why does it say “Too Expensive”?
Prior anvil work increases later costs. In ordinary Survival and Adventure, operations costing 40 levels or more are generally refused, even if you have more levels; renaming alone has edition-specific handling. Stop before wasting inputs and consider a lower-history item or fewer operations. Mending can maintain durability but does not erase an item's anvil history. A grindstone removes non-curse enchantments, so don't use it expecting to keep them all.
Minecraft's official anvil article supports the recipe and book use. Cost and compatibility details come from the community Wiki; this guide does not promise an optimal combination order and has not been playtested.
Sources
- Minecraft: Taking Inventory: Anvil — Anvil recipe and applying enchanted books
- Minecraft Wiki: Anvil mechanics — Combining, prior work penalty and level limit
- Minecraft Wiki: Anvil — Anvil crafting arrangement
Revision history
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