Can you put Efficiency on shears?

How to add it

The surest way is to combine an enchanted book with the shears on an anvil: Efficiency V costs 5 levels on fresh shears.

Plan it in the calculator

What it does on shears

Efficiency on shears speeds up the blocks shears cut quickly: wool, leaves and cobwebs. It does not make shearing sheep faster, because shearing is instant already. It is most useful for clearing leaves around a tree farm or a cobweb-filled mineshaft.

Step by step

1. First, get Efficiency V as an enchanted book. Sources: a librarian villager (17–64 emeralds for a top-level book), an enchanting table (on a plain book), fishing, chest loot or trial chamber vaults.
2. Then put the shears in the left slot of an anvil and the book in the right slot.
3. Finally, pay the cost shown: 5 levels on fresh shears, plus any prior work penalty the shears already have.
4. If the shears are getting more books, plan the order first so no step costs 40 levels or more.

Why it works

Efficiency lists shears among its supported items. That matters because each enchantment's data file lists the items it supports, and the anvil checks that list. The enchanting table never offers Efficiency on shears, so it has to come from a book.

It conflicts with nothing else shears can take, so it fits into any shears build.

What it costs on the anvil

First, the base price: on fresh shears, Efficiency V costs 5 levels. Java charges the full new level of each book, so upgrading later costs the whole level again. Each anvil use also raises the item's prior work penalty for the next step.

Order matters. Say your shears already have Unbreaking III and Mending, put on in the cheapest order. That took 2 anvil uses, so adding Efficiency last costs 8 levels: 3 for the prior work penalty plus 5 for the book. Planning everything from the start costs 14 levels in total, with no step above 5.

Plan your own version in the calculator or follow the shears enchant order. The prior work penalty calculator shows how the penalty grows.

Where Efficiency goes

• Efficiency goes on axe, pickaxe, shovel, hoe and shears. The enchanting table offers it on the axe, pickaxe, shovel and hoe, while the shears need a book. Related questions: Efficiency on axe.

Commands and creative mode

In creative or with cheats, one command does it: /give @p shears[enchantments={efficiency:5}]. Holding the item, /enchant @s efficiency 5 works too. Creative mode also ignores the anvil's 40-level limit. The command generator writes the right syntax for your edition.

Java and Bedrock

As far as the item list goes, the answer is also the same in Java and Bedrock. The anvil differs, though: Java charges the full new level of every book. This page follows Java 26.3.

About Efficiency

Efficiency makes tools mine faster. The bonus grows with the square of the level, so Efficiency V adds 26 mining speed.

Efficiency has a max level of V. If you need a book, you can get it from the enchanting table, librarian villagers, trial chamber vaults and enchanted loot from fishing and chests. A librarian sells an Efficiency V book for 17 to 64 emeralds. Before you buy, read everything about Efficiency, including what each level does.

What else shears can take

Besides Efficiency, shears can take Unbreaking and Mending. Then the best shears enchantments page ranks them and gives the max build.

Related questions: Mending on shears, Silk Touch on shears.

Related

• Best shears enchantments
• Efficiency
• Mending on shears
• Efficiency on axe
• Silk Touch on shears