Here’s how to make an enchanting table in Minecraft: put 1 book, 2 diamonds, and 4 obsidian into a crafting table. The book goes in the top center slot, the diamonds go on the left and right of the middle row, and obsidian fills the center slot plus the entire bottom row. The recipe is the same in Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, so it works on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.
Crafting it is the easy part. Getting the obsidian and diamonds takes some work, and the table is weak until you surround it with 15 bookshelves. This guide covers every material, the exact placement rules, and the small mistakes that keep most players stuck below level 30.
Key Takeaways
- The enchanting table recipe is 1 book, 2 diamonds, and 4 obsidian.
- You need a diamond or netherite pickaxe to mine obsidian.
- 15 bookshelves give you level 30 enchantments. More than 15 does nothing.
- Bookshelves must sit exactly one empty block away from the table, with nothing in the gap.
- Every enchantment also costs 1 to 3 lapis lazuli and 1 to 3 experience levels.
Enchanting Table Recipe: Everything You Need
You only need three ingredients, but two of them come from deep underground. If you’re starting from scratch, this is the full shopping list.
| Item | Amount | How to Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Book | 1 | Craft from 3 paper + 1 leather |
| Diamond | 2 | Mine diamond ore with an iron pickaxe or better |
| Obsidian | 4 | Mine with a diamond or netherite pickaxe |
| Lapis lazuli (to use the table) | 1 to 3 per enchant | Mine lapis ore with a stone pickaxe or better |
How to Get Each Material
The Book (Paper and Leather)
Sugar cane grows along the edges of rivers, lakes, and beaches. Put 3 sugar cane in a row on a crafting table to get 3 paper. Leather mostly comes from cows, which drop 0 to 2 leather each, so you may need to take down a few.
Combine 3 paper and 1 leather in any arrangement to make a book. A quick tip from experience: plant a sugar cane farm now. You’ll need a lot more paper once you start building bookshelves.
Diamonds
Since the Caves and Cliffs update (1.18), diamonds are most common near the bottom of the world, around Y level -58 to -59. On Java, press F3 to see your coordinates. On Bedrock, turn on “Show Coordinates” in your world settings.
Use an iron pickaxe at minimum, or the ore drops nothing. Carry a water bucket, because diamond levels are full of lava pools. Shipwreck and village chests sometimes hold diamonds too, which is a nice shortcut if you get lucky.
Obsidian
Obsidian forms when water touches a still lava source block. Pour a water bucket onto a lava pool and the surface turns to obsidian (flowing lava turns into cobblestone instead). You need a diamond or netherite pickaxe to mine it, and it takes close to 10 seconds per block without Efficiency, so be patient.
Ruined portals are another easy source, since they’re built from obsidian. Just skip the crying obsidian (the purple, glowing kind). It won’t work in the recipe.
How to Make an Enchanting Table Step by Step
Once you have all three materials, crafting takes about five seconds.
- Step 1: Open your crafting table. Right-click on PC, press LT on Xbox, L2 on PlayStation, ZL on Switch, or tap it on mobile.
- Step 2: Place the book in the top middle slot.
- Step 3: Put one diamond in the middle-left slot and one in the middle-right slot.
- Step 4: Place obsidian in the center slot and all three slots of the bottom row.
- Step 5: Move the enchanting table into your inventory and place it wherever you want your enchanting room.
If you ever pick it back up, mine it with a pickaxe. Breaking it by hand destroys it, and you’d have to find two more diamonds.
How Many Bookshelves for Level 30 Enchantments?
You need exactly 15 bookshelves for level 30 enchantments, the highest the table offers. A table with no bookshelves tops out at level 8, which mostly gives you weak, low-tier enchantments. Each bookshelf raises the ceiling, and the table stops counting after 15.
| Bookshelves | Highest Enchantment Level Offered |
|---|---|
| 0 | 8 |
| 5 | 15 |
| 10 | 23 |
| 15 (max) | 30 |
Each bookshelf takes 6 wooden planks and 3 books. For all 15, that’s 90 planks (23 logs covers it), 45 books, 135 paper, 135 sugar cane, and 45 leather. Yes, that’s a lot of cows. A cow pen near your base pays for itself fast.
Enchanting Table Setup: Where to Put the Bookshelves
This is where most people go wrong. The game only counts a bookshelf if it follows these rules:
- One empty block of space between the table and the bookshelf. Shelves touching the table don’t count.
- Same height or one block higher than the table. Shelves placed lower or stacked too high are ignored.
- Nothing in the gap. Only air and a few replaceable blocks (like snow layers or grass) let the power through. A torch, carpet, slab, or candle in that space blocks it.
- Regular bookshelves only. Chiseled bookshelves don’t count.
The simplest layout is a 5 by 5 square with the table in the middle. The outer ring has 16 spots. Fill 15 with bookshelves and leave one open as your doorway. You’ll know it works when you see small glyphs floating from the shelves into the book.
My recommendation: put your lighting on top of the bookshelves or on the outer walls, never in the gap. A single wall torch on the inside of the ring is the most common reason a “perfect” room only shows level 28 or 29.
How to Use Your Enchanting Table
Open the table, place your tool, weapon, armor piece, or book in the left slot, and add lapis lazuli in the right slot. You’ll see three options. The top costs 1 lapis and 1 level, the middle costs 2 of each, and the bottom costs 3 of each.
The number on the right is the level you need to have, not what you’ll pay. To pick a level 30 option, you need at least 30 experience levels, but the table only takes 3. So the smart move is to enchant the moment you hit level 30, not to save up to 50. Higher levels take more experience to earn, so piling them up is wasted effort.
Hover over an option to preview one of the enchantments you’ll get. If you don’t like the choices, enchanting a cheap book with the top option rerolls the list for your next item.
Common Enchanting Table Problems and Fixes
- Stuck below level 30: Count your shelves and check the gap for torches, carpet, or slabs.
- Options are grayed out: You don’t have enough lapis or experience levels.
- Item won’t go in: It’s already enchanted. Use an anvil to add more enchantments.
- No Mending option: Mending is a treasure enchantment, so it never appears on the table. Get it from librarian villagers or loot chests.
For the full mechanics, the Minecraft Wiki’s enchanting table page and its bookshelf page are the most detailed references available. New to the game? Start with our Minecraft for beginners guide, then learn how to find and use ancient debris to upgrade your gear to netherite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to make an enchanting table in Minecraft?
You need 1 book, 2 diamonds, and 4 obsidian. Make the book from 3 paper and 1 leather. Diamonds require an iron pickaxe or better, and obsidian requires a diamond or netherite pickaxe. Arrange them on a crafting table with the book on top, diamonds on the sides, and obsidian in the center and bottom row.
How many bookshelves do you need for a level 30 enchanting table?
You need 15 bookshelves for level 30 enchantments, the maximum the table can offer. Place each one with exactly one empty block between it and the table, at the same height or one block higher. Adding more than 15 bookshelves won’t raise the level any further, though extra shelves are fine for decoration.
Why is my enchanting table not giving level 30?
Usually something is blocking the gap between the table and the bookshelves. Torches, carpet, slabs, and candles all cut the connection. Also check that you have 15 regular bookshelves, not chiseled ones, and that every shelf sits one block away from the table at the same level or one block higher.
Can you make an enchanting table without diamonds?
No. Diamonds are a required part of the enchanting table recipe, and there’s no alternate version in standard Minecraft. You need exactly two. If you’re short, explore caves near Y level -58 to -59 with a water bucket handy, and check shipwreck and village chests along the way.
Do you need lapis lazuli to use an enchanting table?
Yes. Every enchantment costs 1, 2, or 3 lapis lazuli depending on which option you pick, plus the same number of experience levels. Without lapis in the right slot, all three options stay grayed out. Lapis ore shows up in caves at most depths and drops several pieces per block.
Can you get Mending from an enchanting table?
No. Mending is a treasure enchantment, so the enchanting table never offers it. You can get a Mending book by trading with a librarian villager, fishing, or opening loot chests in places like strongholds and ancient cities. Then combine the book with your gear on an anvil to apply it.
Ready to Enchant? Here’s What to Do Next
Get the table built first, even before you have bookshelves. A low-level Efficiency pickaxe makes the obsidian and diamond grind go faster. Then set up a sugar cane farm and a cow pen, and work toward all 15 shelves one session at a time. Once your library is done, grab a stack of lapis, reach level 30, and enchant your best diamond gear first. If you want a steady source of Mending books after that, learn how to get villagers to breed in Minecraft so you can raise your own librarians.
