Best Shovel Enchantments in Minecraft
Quick answer
- Efficiency V
- Unbreaking III
- Mending I
- Silk Touch I
Cheapest anvil order: 21 levels in 4 steps (Java)
Why each enchantment earns its slot
- VEfficiency
Faster mining. Efficiency V + Haste II instamines many blocks.
- IIIUnbreaking
Chance to skip durability loss; roughly quadruples tool life at level III.
- IMending Treasure
Collected XP repairs the item (2 durability per XP point). Librarian trade or loot only. Get it from librarian villager trades, fishing, or loot chests.
- ISilk Touch
Blocks drop themselves: ores, glass, grass blocks, bookshelves.
Cheapest order to combine the books
Left item goes in the anvil’s first slot. Costs are Java Edition levels for a fresh shovel and books straight from the table or a librarian.
- Shovel + Silk Touch book4
- Unbreaking book + Mending book2
- Shovel (Silk Touch) + Book (Unbreaking + Mending)7
- Shovel (Silk Touch + Unbreaking + Mending) + Efficiency book8
Trade-offs to know
Silk Touch keeps grass blocks, mycelium and snow blocks. Fortune on a shovel only affects gravel flint and clay-type drops, so Silk Touch is the usual pick.
Other enchantments a shovel can take: Fortune.Fortune can’t sit with Silk Touch.
With cheats on (Java 1.21.5+), this command gives the finished shovel: /give @p netherite_shovel[enchantments={efficiency:5,unbreaking:3,mending:1,silk_touch:1}]
Every shovel enchantment
| Enchantment | Max | What it does | Conflicts with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | V | Faster mining. Efficiency V + Haste II instamines many blocks. | — |
| Silk Touch | I | Blocks drop themselves: ores, glass, grass blocks, bookshelves. | Fortune |
| Fortune | III | More drops from ores and crops (up to 4× diamonds at level III). | Silk Touch |
| Unbreaking | III | Chance to skip durability loss; roughly quadruples tool life at level III. | — |
| Mending Treasure | I | Collected XP repairs the item (2 durability per XP point). Librarian trade or loot only. | Infinity |
| Curse of Vanishing Curse | I | The item is destroyed instead of dropping when you die. | — |
Questions players ask
What are the best shovel enchantments in Minecraft?
The strongest all-round set is Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Mending I, Silk Touch I. Silk Touch keeps grass blocks, mycelium and snow blocks. Fortune on a shovel only affects gravel flint and clay-type drops, so Silk Touch is the usual pick.
How many levels does a max-enchanted shovel cost?
Combining the books in the cheapest order costs 21 levels in total over 4 anvil uses in Java Edition, and no single step reaches the 40-level “Too Expensive!” cap. Applying the books one at a time costs more because the shovel’s prior-work penalty doubles with every use.
Which shovel enchantments can’t be combined?
Fortune and Silk Touch are mutually exclusive, so pick one of each pair.
Where do I get Mending?
Mending never appears on an enchanting table; get it from librarian villager trades, fishing, or loot chests.
Is there a command to give a fully enchanted shovel?
Yes, with cheats on in Java Edition 1.21.5 or later: /give @p netherite_shovel[enchantments={efficiency:5,unbreaking:3,mending:1,silk_touch:1}]. Older versions use a different syntax.