What Efficiency does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +2 mining speed | 1 |
| II | +5 mining speed | 2 |
| III | +10 mining speed | 3 |
| IV | +17 mining speed | 4 |
| V | +26 mining speed | 5 |
Book cost is the anvil cost of putting that book on a fresh item. However, already-used items add their prior work penalty: work it out in the calculator.
How mining speed works
Every tool has a base mining speed for the blocks it is made for. Efficiency adds to that speed, and the bonus grows fast with each level: +2 at level I, +5 at II, +10 at III, +17 at IV and +26 at V. So the jump from IV to V is the biggest of all.
The bonus only applies when you use the right tool. A pickaxe with Efficiency V still breaks logs at hand speed, and an axe still mines stone slowly.
In Java, a netherite pickaxe has a base speed of 9. With Efficiency V it reaches 35, almost four times as fast. A diamond pickaxe goes from 8 to 34.
Instant mining
A block breaks the moment you click once your mining speed reaches 30 times the block's hardness. That is the rule behind every instant-mining setup in Java.
- Netherrack has a hardness of 0.4, so it needs speed 12. Even an iron pickaxe with Efficiency III (16) breaks it instantly.
- Stone and cobblestone have a hardness of 1.5, so they need speed 45. A diamond pickaxe with Efficiency V and Haste II reaches 47.6, and a netherite one reaches 49. Both break stone instantly.
- Deepslate has a hardness of 3, so it needs speed 90. No survival setup reaches that, so deepslate always takes a moment.
Haste II comes from a beacon. Each level of Haste adds 20% mining speed, so Haste II multiplies your speed by 1.4.
Things that slow you down anyway
- Mining underwater is 5 times slower unless your helmet has Aqua Affinity.
- Mining while not standing on the ground is another 5 times slower, even with Efficiency.
- Mining Fatigue from elder guardians makes mining extremely slow until it wears off.
Efficiency on every tool
Efficiency goes on pickaxes, axes, shovels, hoes and shears. The table offers it on all of them except shears, which need a book.
- On an axe, it speeds up logs, planks, bookshelves and other wooden blocks. See Efficiency on an axe.
- On a shovel, it makes dirt, sand and gravel vanish as fast as you click.
- On a hoe, it clears leaves, hay bales, moss and sculk quickly.
- On shears, it speeds up wool, leaves and cobwebs. See Efficiency on shears.
The max pickaxe
The standard pickaxe is Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Mending and either Fortune III or Silk Touch. Efficiency is a ×1 book, so Efficiency V costs only 5 levels on a fresh pickaxe. That makes it a good book to add last. See the best pickaxe enchantments and the pickaxe enchant order.
Which level is enough?
On a pickaxe, Efficiency V is worth the effort: the last level adds the biggest jump in speed. On other tools, lower levels already feel fast.
- A shovel needs speed 15 to break dirt, sand and gravel instantly. A diamond shovel with Efficiency III reaches 18, so it is already instant on those blocks.
- An axe needs speed 60 for instant logs, which no survival setup reaches. So Efficiency V on an axe is a nice speed-up, not an instant breaker.
Big digging projects
For a perimeter or a huge tunnel, stack every speed boost. Build a full four-layer beacon pyramid to unlock Haste II. Then use an Efficiency V pickaxe with Unbreaking III and Mending, and keep a shovel for dirt and gravel. A Silk Touch pickaxe for glass and ore blocks completes the kit.
Efficiency on a budget
You don't need Efficiency V right away. An iron pickaxe with Efficiency III already makes stone and ores go much faster, and it is easy to get from a level 30 enchant. Save the expensive books for your netherite tools, and keep the iron one as a spare for risky caves.
Efficiency and Haste from a beacon
A beacon needs a full four-layer pyramid to offer Haste II. Once you have one, place it near your main mining area or storage. Then every Efficiency tool feels much faster within its range.
Efficiency and Fortune
A Fortune pickaxe with Efficiency V mines ore veins quickly and gets more from every ore. Since the two don't conflict, the max Fortune pickaxe carries both. The Silk Touch pickaxe takes Efficiency V too.
Common mistakes
- Using the wrong tool. Efficiency only helps on blocks your tool is made for.
- Mining while you jump or swim. The off-ground penalty is bigger than most Efficiency levels.
- Skipping Unbreaking. Faster mining also means you use durability faster.
Which items take Efficiency
Efficiency goes on 5 kinds of gear in the calculator: axe, pickaxe, shovel, hoe, shears. An enchanting table can roll it on the axe, pickaxe, shovel, hoe. On shears the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
Nothing conflicts with Efficiency, so it fits next to every other enchantment its items can take.
Efficiency from the enchanting table
The level you can roll depends on the item's enchantability. A material with a higher value reaches higher levels from the same level 30 enchant. This table shows the best Efficiency each axe can get from a level 30 enchant with 15 bookshelves.
| Item | Enchantability | Best from the table |
|---|---|---|
| Netherite Axe | 15 | V |
| Diamond Axe | 10 | IV |
| Iron Axe | 14 | V |
| Golden Axe | 22 | V |
Anything higher has to come from a book instead. Then the enchanting table calculator shows the exact chance for every level.
Anvil cost of Efficiency
Efficiency has an anvil multiplier of 1 from another item and 1 from a book. So an Efficiency V book costs 5 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Efficiency IV books merge into Efficiency V for 5 levels. Building it from scratch takes 16 level I books and 15 merges, 75 levels in all. That is as cheap as books get, so it rarely decides the order.
Java charges the full resulting level every time, even when the item already has a lower level of it. Every step also adds the prior work penalty of both items. The enchantment calculator finds the cheapest order for your whole set of books.
Builds, questions and guides
Efficiency is part of the max build for 5 items: best axe enchantments, best pickaxe enchantments, best shovel enchantments, best hoe enchantments, best shears enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the axe enchant order, pickaxe enchant order, shovel enchant order, hoe enchant order, shears enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Efficiency on an axe?, can you put Efficiency on shears?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make an Efficiency book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Efficiency
- Enchanting table It can appear when you enchant a supported item at an enchanting table. However, higher levels need more bookshelves and a level 30 enchant.
- Librarian villagers Librarians can sell it as an enchanted book. Level I costs 5–19 emeralds plus a book.
- Trial chamber vaults This loot table names it directly, so it is one of the most reliable places to look.
- Random enchanted books It is also in the pool for the random enchanted books and gear in many chests and in fishing loot.
Efficiency is the most common tool enchantment at the table. A netherite or iron pickaxe can roll Efficiency V from a level 30 enchant, but a diamond pickaxe tops out at IV, as the table above shows. Librarians sell it often, and trial chamber vaults can give it too.
Enchanting power and librarian prices
| Level | Enchanting power | Librarian price |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1–51 | 5–19 emeralds |
| II | 11–61 | 8–32 emeralds |
| III | 21–71 | 11–45 emeralds |
| IV | 31–81 | 14–58 emeralds |
| V | 41–91 | 17–64 emeralds |
The power column is the hidden enchanting value each level needs. A level 30 enchant on a netherite axe reaches power 43 at most. That already includes the enchantability bonus and the random spread. The price column shows what a librarian can ask for each book. Curing a zombie villager or the Hero of the Village effect lowers it.
Tips
- Efficiency V on a netherite pickaxe with Haste II mines stone instantly.
- It also goes on shears and axes, and on hoes for faster leaf and hay mining.
Commands
Give yourself an Efficiency book or enchant the item in your hand. These work in Java 26.3 once cheats are on.
/give @p enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={efficiency:5}]
/enchant @s efficiency 5
/give @p netherite_axe[enchantments={efficiency:5}]Versions
Efficiency is in every Java version from 1.21 (when enchantments became data files) up to 26.3.
- 1.21.9: now goes on copper axe, copper pickaxe, copper shovel, copper hoe.
Also see the update log for every change, and how this data is checked. Bedrock player? See Efficiency on Bedrock.
Questions
What is instant mining?
When your mining speed is high enough, a block breaks the moment you click. In Java, a diamond or netherite pickaxe with Efficiency V and Haste II does it for stone, but not for deepslate.
Does Efficiency work on shears?
Yes. Shears can take Efficiency from a book, and it makes wool, leaves and cobwebs break faster.
How much faster is Efficiency V?
It adds 26 to the tool's mining speed. On a netherite pickaxe that takes it from 9 to 35, almost four times as fast.
Can you mine deepslate instantly?
No. Deepslate needs a mining speed of 90 to break instantly, and even Efficiency V with Haste II only reaches about 49.
Is Efficiency or Unbreaking better on a pickaxe?
Use both. Efficiency makes you mine faster, and Unbreaking makes the pickaxe last longer. They do not conflict, and both are cheap ×1 books.
Does Efficiency work on obsidian?
Yes, but obsidian is so hard that it still takes several seconds to mine, even with a diamond or netherite pickaxe and Efficiency V.
What is the max level of Efficiency?
Efficiency V in survival. It adds 26 to the tool's mining speed.
Can you put Efficiency on a sword?
No. Efficiency goes on pickaxes, axes, shovels, hoes and shears, but not on swords.
Does Efficiency make tools break faster?
Not per block. You use the same durability per block, but you mine more blocks per minute, so Unbreaking and Mending matter more.