What Sharpness does
| Level | Effect | Book cost |
|---|---|---|
| I | +1 damage (0.5 hearts) | 1 |
| II | +1.5 damage (0.75 hearts) | 2 |
| III | +2 damage (1 hearts) | 3 |
| IV | +2.5 damage (1.25 hearts) | 4 |
| V | +3 damage (1.5 hearts) | 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 much damage Sharpness adds
In Java, Sharpness I adds 1 damage and every level after that adds 0.5 more. A netherite sword goes from 8 to 11 damage at Sharpness V, and a diamond sword from 7 to 10.
The bonus is flat. So it matters most on weak weapons and against mobs with little health, where one extra point can save a whole hit.
For example, an unarmored zombie has 20 health. A netherite sword without Sharpness needs three full hits, and with Sharpness V it needs two. An enderman has 40 health, and Sharpness V drops it from five hits to four.
Critical hits and the attack cooldown
A critical hit multiplies the weapon's base damage by 1.5, but the Sharpness bonus is added afterwards. So crits do not multiply Sharpness. Java also scales both the base damage and the Sharpness bonus by how charged your attack is, so spam-clicking throws most of the bonus away. Wait for the cooldown bar to fill.
Sharpness, Smite or Bane of Arthropods?
The three damage enchantments exclude each other, so a weapon carries only one. Sharpness helps against everything. Smite and Bane of Arthropods add 2.5 per level, but only against undead or arthropods.
For a main weapon, Sharpness is the right pick. Undead and spiders are only part of what you fight, and players, endermen, piglins, illagers and the warden take Sharpness damage too. A Smite weapon makes sense as a second tool for the wither fight or an undead farm. The Sharpness vs Smite and Sharpness vs Smite vs Bane pages show the numbers side by side.
Sword, axe or spear?
Sharpness goes on swords, axes and spears. The table offers it on swords and spears, while axes need a book.
A netherite axe with Sharpness V hits for 13, but it only swings once per second. A netherite sword with Sharpness V hits for 11 at 1.6 swings per second. So the sword deals more damage over time, while the axe hits harder once and can disable shields.
The mace and the trident can't take Sharpness. The mace uses Density or Breach instead, and the trident uses Impaling. See Sharpness on an axe, Sharpness on a spear, Sharpness on a mace and Sharpness on a trident.
The max sword
The standard sword is Sharpness V, Looting III, Fire Aspect II, Sweeping Edge III, Unbreaking III and Mending. Knockback is optional, and many players skip it. The best sword enchantments page shows the full build and the sword enchant order the cheapest steps.
Because Sharpness has a ×1 book multiplier, it is cheap to add at any point. So use it to fill the last anvil step, when the other books are already on.
Is Sharpness V worth it over IV?
In Java, the step from Sharpness IV to V adds only 0.5 damage. It still matters at the margins, such as finishing a mob in one fewer hit, and the book is cheap. But if the table gives you Sharpness IV, the weapon is already close to its best.
Since Sharpness is a ×1 book, the upgrade costs very few levels on the anvil. The real cost is the prior work penalty, so do the upgrade before the weapon has been on the anvil many times.
Which weapon to enchant first
In early game, an iron sword with Sharpness is a big step up from an unenchanted diamond one. Later, move to netherite and put your best books there. The old sword makes a good spare for jobs where you might lose it, such as fights near lava.
Sharpness and Sweeping Edge
A sword can carry both, and they work together. Sharpness raises the main hit, and Sweeping Edge spreads part of the damage to the mobs around it.
Sharpness and Fire Aspect
Fire Aspect adds burn damage over time, while Sharpness adds damage to every hit. So they stack well, and almost every max sword carries both. Since both are cheap books, there is no reason to pick one over the other.
Sharpness for farms
In a mob farm, Sharpness V means fewer hits per mob. So the farm runs faster and your sword uses less durability. Pair it with Looting III for the drops.
Common mistakes
- Putting Smite on your only sword. You lose damage against every mob that is not undead.
- Combining two Sharpness IV swords at the anvil instead of books. Item-to-item merges cost twice as much per level.
- Expecting more than Sharpness V in survival. Higher levels only come from commands.
Which items take Sharpness
Sharpness goes on 3 kinds of gear in the calculator: sword, axe, spear. An enchanting table can roll it on the sword, spear. On axe the table never offers it, so there it only comes from a book.
It can't share an item with Smite, Bane of Arthropods, Impaling, Density or Breach. If an item already has one of those, the anvil skips the Sharpness book. Java still charges 1 level for it.
Sharpness 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 Sharpness each sword can get from a level 30 enchant with 15 bookshelves.
| Item | Enchantability | Best from the table |
|---|---|---|
| Netherite Sword | 15 | IV |
| Diamond Sword | 10 | IV |
| Iron Sword | 14 | IV |
| Golden Sword | 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 Sharpness
Sharpness has an anvil multiplier of 1 from another item and 1 from a book. So a Sharpness V book costs 5 levels on a fresh item, and each lower level costs 1 less. Two fresh Sharpness IV books merge into Sharpness 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
Sharpness is part of the max build for 3 items: best sword enchantments, best axe enchantments, best spear enchantments. To put it on in the cheapest order, see the sword enchant order, axe enchant order, spear enchant order.
Common questions: can you put Sharpness on an axe?, can you put Sharpness on a mace?, can you put Sharpness on a trident?, can you put Sharpness on a spear?
More reading: Getting books from librarians, How to enchant in Minecraft, Every max enchantment level. You can make a Sharpness book with the command generator. The librarian price list shows what villagers charge for it.
How to get Sharpness
- 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.
- Gear worn by trial chamber mobs This loot table names it directly, so it is one of the most reliable places to look.
- 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.
Sharpness is the most common weapon enchantment at the table. In Java, most swords top out at Sharpness IV from a level 30 enchant. Only a golden sword's high enchantability can reach V, as the table above shows. So the usual route is a librarian Sharpness V book, or two Sharpness IV books merged on an anvil.
Trial chamber vaults and the weapons that trial chamber mobs carry can also have it.
Enchanting power and librarian prices
| Level | Enchanting power | Librarian price |
|---|---|---|
| I | 1–21 | 5–19 emeralds |
| II | 12–32 | 8–32 emeralds |
| III | 23–43 | 11–45 emeralds |
| IV | 34–54 | 14–58 emeralds |
| V | 45–65 | 17–64 emeralds |
The power column is the hidden enchanting value each level needs. A level 30 enchant on a netherite sword 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
- Sharpness, Smite and Bane of Arthropods exclude each other: Sharpness is the all-round choice.
- It works on swords, axes and spears. The mace uses Density or Breach instead.
Commands
Give yourself a Sharpness book or enchant the item in your hand. These work in Java 26.3 once cheats are on.
/give @p enchanted_book[stored_enchantments={sharpness:5}]
/enchant @s sharpness 5
/give @p netherite_sword[enchantments={sharpness:5}]Versions
Sharpness is in every Java version from 1.21 (when enchantments became data files) up to 26.3.
- 1.21.9: now goes on copper sword, copper axe.
- 1.21.11: now goes on diamond spear, stone spear, golden spear, netherite spear, wooden spear, iron spear, copper spear.
Also see the update log for every change, and how this data is checked. Bedrock player? See Sharpness on Bedrock.
Questions
Sharpness or Smite?
Sharpness for general use. Smite deals far more damage to undead (+12.5 at level V) but nothing extra against anything else, so it suits a dedicated undead or wither sword.
What is the max Sharpness level?
Sharpness V in survival. Higher levels like Sharpness 255 only exist through commands.
Does Sharpness work on players?
Yes. Sharpness adds damage against every mob and every player, which is why PvP swords use it.
Does Sharpness work on an axe?
Yes. Axes can take Sharpness from a book on an anvil. The enchanting table only offers it on swords and spears.
How much damage does Sharpness V add?
In Java, Sharpness V adds 3 damage per hit.
Do critical hits multiply Sharpness?
No. In Java the 1.5× critical hit bonus applies to the weapon's base damage, and Sharpness is added after it.
Can a mace get Sharpness?
No. The mace uses Density, Breach or Smite instead, and they exclude Sharpness.
Is Sharpness worth it on a sword?
Yes. It is cheap, it works against every mob and player, and it is part of every max sword build.
Can you get Sharpness from villagers?
Yes. Librarians often sell Sharpness books, including Sharpness V.