How many bookshelves do you need for a full enchantment?

This page is part of IGN's Minecraft Wiki guide and details everything you need to know about Enchantments in Minecraft, including why you should enchant items, how you can enchant items, as well as every enchantment you can unlock in Minecraft.

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A Guide to Minecraft Enchantments
Items Needed to Make an Enchanting Table
How to Make an Enchanting Table in Minecraft
How to Enchant Items in Minecraft
How Much Does it Cost to Enchant Items
All Minecraft Enchantments
Fishing Rods
Up Next: Beginner's Guide - Basics and Features
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In This Wiki Guide
How many bookshelves do you need for a level 50 enchantment?
How many bookshelves do I need for level 30 enchants?
How much leather do I need for 15 bookshelves?
Do you need 30 levels to enchant?

For even more details on enchanting, don't forget to check out our guides on how to use the Enchanting Book, as well as the Enchantment Table in Minecraft.

A Guide to Minecraft Enchantments

Players in Minecraft can receive unique enchantments by using an enchanting table to add special bonuses to tools, weapons, or armor.

Looking for something in particular about enchanting? Click the links below to jump to...

Items Needed to Make an Enchanting Table
How to Make an Enchanting Table in Minecraft
How to Enchant Items in Minecraft
How Much Does it Cost to Enchant Items
All Minecraft Enchantments

Items Needed to Make an Enchanting Table

Here are the items you'll need to make an enchanting table:

2 Diamonds
4 Obsidian
1 Book

You'll also need lapis lazuli to power the table.

How to Make an Enchanting Table in Minecraft

To make an enchanting table, open the crafting menu and arrange (1) book, (2) diamonds, and (4) obsidian ores in the following order:

One book in the second column of the first row.
A diamond, obsidian ore, and then another diamond (in that order) in the columns of the second row.
Obsidian ore in all three columns of the third row.

If the items are arranged correctly, an enchanting table will appear in the box on the right, and you can then place it into your inventory.

How to Enchant Items in Minecraft

Place the enchanting table down and interact with it. This will pull up a window with your inventory with two open slots above that. The first slot is for the item you wish to enchant and the second is for lapis lazuli.

To enchant items, you must use the experience orbs leveling system. This means you must be at least level 1.

Once you've put the item and the lapis lazuli in the slots, choose an option. If no options come up, keep taking the item out and putting it back until you get one. Keep in mind, you might not be able to enchant all things at level 1.

How Much Does it Cost to Enchant Items

The cost to enchant items is the experience you gain by killing mobs, breeding livestock, mining resources, or using your furnace. For example, if you're level five and do a level 3 enchantment, you would go back to level 2. The better the enchantment, the more levels it takes.

Enchantments reach a maximum of level 30 and the higher-level enchantments require bookshelves around the enchanting table. In order to obtain the highest level of enchantment, you need a total of 15 bookshelves. The bookshelves must be arranged one block away from the enchanting table in a 1 high, 5 by 5 square, with an opening for a door.

All Minecraft Enchantments

The effects caused by enchanting can vary wildly from knocking your foes back to igniting them as if you used a flint and steel.

For Armor

Protection 1-4
Fire Protection 1-4
Projectile Protection 1-4
Blast Protection 1-4
Feather Falling 1-4 (Only for Boots)
Respiration 1-3 (Only for Helmets)
Aqua Affinity 1-1 (Only for Helmets)
Thorns 1-3
Unbreaking 1-3
Curse of Binding 1
Depth Strider 1-3
Frost Walker 1-2 (Only for Boots)
Soul Speed 1-3 (Only for Boots)

For Tools

Unbreaking 1-3
Efficiency 1-4 (5 with use of Anvil)
Silk touch 1-1
Fortune 1-3

Swords

Sharpness 1-4 (5 with use of Anvil)
Smite 1-4
Bane of Arthropods 1-4(5 with use of Anvil)
Knockback 1-2
Fire Aspect 1-2
Looting 1-3
Sweeping Edge 1-3 (Java Only)

Trident

Impaling 1-5
Channeling 1
Impaling 1-5
Loyalty 1-3
Riptide 1-3

Bows

Power 1-4 (5 with use of Anvil)
Punch 1-2
Flame 1-1
Infinity 1-1
Multishot 1
Piercing 1-4
Quick Charge 1-3 (Crossbow)

Fishing Rods

Luck of the Sea 1-3
Lure 1-3

As of the update 1.3, you can now enchant books, giving you a random enchantment dependent on how many levels you use.

As of 1.7, books can now have multiple enchantment place upon them, ranging from Punch and Protection to Silk touch, Unbreaking, Sharpness, Flame and Looting.

Up Next: Beginner's Guide - Basics and Features

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In This Wiki Guide

How many bookshelves do you need for a level 50 enchantment?

In order to obtain the highest level of enchantment, you need a total of 15 bookshelves. The bookshelves must be arranged one block away from the enchanting table in a 1 high, 5 by 5 square, with an opening for a door.

How many bookshelves do I need for level 30 enchants?

You can make the enchantment table more powerful using bookshelves. Surrounding the table with bookshelves will give you access to higher enchantment levels, up to maximum level of 30. To reach level 30, you'll need 15 bookshelves total.

How much leather do I need for 15 bookshelves?

It takes 90 planks, 45 leather and 135 paper to make 15 bookshelves in order to get a level 30 enchantment.

Do you need 30 levels to enchant?

While enchanting, players need to be at least 30 levels of XP to get the best enchantments in the enchanting table. While enchantments of lower levels will show up when the player is at lower XP levels, only at level 30 and above will players be able to get enchantments of the maximum level.