Minecraft Enchanting Table
Fifteen bookshelves, one block of air, 30 levels in your pocket. Build the layout below and watch what the table can offer at each count.
Try the bookshelf layout
Tap the outer ring to stack bookshelves (0 → 1 → 2 high). Tap the inner gap to drop a torch in the way.
Counted 0 / 15 (0 placed)
| Top slot | 1–2 |
|---|---|
| Middle slot | 1–6 |
| Bottom slot | 1–8 |
How the table decides what to offer
When you put an item in, the game rolls a base number: a random 1–8, plus half your bookshelf count, plus a random number from zero up to your full bookshelf count. The bottom slot shows that number or twice your bookshelves, whichever is higher, so 15 shelves always gives a level 30 bottom slot. The middle slot shows about two-thirds of the base and the top slot a third. That’s why the top offer is always weak.
The level shown is a requirement, not the price. Picking a slot costs 1, 2 or 3 levels and the same number of lapis lazuli. So the usual rhythm is to enchant at 30, drop to 27, and top back up.
Building the classic setup
- Craft the table: one book, two diamonds, four obsidian.
- Leave the eight blocks around it empty. This ring must be air: torches, carpets and slabs in it cut the connection.
- Put bookshelves in the next ring out, on floor level. Sixteen spots exist; leave one open as the doorway and you have 15.
- Or build two-high walls on three sides: a common compact version that also leaves a door.
- Light the room with torches on the outside of the shelves or lanterns above, never in the gap.
Turning the table off is sometimes useful: to farm low-level books for anvil combining, drop torches into the gap or place carpet to disable shelves without breaking them. What each book is worth is on the enchantment list; merge them cheaply with the anvil calculator.
What you can and can’t get here
The table never offers Mending, Frost Walker, Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, Wind Burst or curses; those are treasure enchantments from trades and loot. Each option shows one enchantment as a hint, but the result can include extra enchantments, and higher levels make bonus enchantments more likely.
Questions players ask
How many bookshelves do you need for level 30 enchantments?
15. Place them one block away from the table (with a gap of air between) on the same level or one block higher. More than 15 does nothing extra.
Why is my enchanting table not reaching level 30?
Something is between the table and the shelves. Torches, carpets and even a slab block the gap in current Java versions. Also check that shelves sit exactly two blocks away, not directly next to the table or three blocks out.
How do you craft an enchanting table?
One book on top, two diamonds either side of the middle, and four obsidian filling the bottom row and middle, with obsidian in the centre.
What do the level numbers and lapis cost mean?
The green number is the level requirement: you need at least that many levels to pick the option. What you actually spend is 1, 2 or 3 levels (and the same number of lapis lazuli) for the top, middle and bottom slot.
How do I get different enchantment offers?
Offers change only when you enchant something. Enchant a cheap book or a wooden tool with the top slot to reroll the list without spending much.
Do chiseled bookshelves count?
No. Only regular bookshelves power an enchanting table. Chiseled bookshelves are storage and redstone blocks.