What this calculator does
Minecraft levels are not evenly spaced. Getting from level 0 to level 16 costs 352 experience points in total, and getting from 16 to 32 costs about three and a half times that. The cost per level is a piecewise quadratic, which is why enchanting at level 30 feels so much further away than the number 30 suggests.
This converts levels to total points in both directions and tells you the gap between any two, which is the figure you want when you are deciding whether to enchant now or bank a few more levels.
The formula
Total experience from zero to a level L follows three different curves. Up to level 16 it is L² + 6L. From 17 to 31 it is 2.5L² − 40.5L + 360. From 32 up it is 4.5L² − 162.5L + 2220. The cost of the single next level follows the same pattern: 2L + 7 below 16, 5L − 38 from 16 to 30, and 9L − 158 above. The gap between two levels is just the difference of their totals.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Level | The number shown above the hotbar. |
| Total XP | Points accumulated from level 0 to that level. |
| Next level cost | Points to go up exactly one level from where you are. |
| Ore blocks | A rough count at 7 points each, which is the middle of the diamond and emerald range. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Current level | The level you are on now. Set it to 0 to read a target level as a total from scratch. |
| Target level | The level you want to reach. 30 is the enchanting table maximum and the usual answer. |
When to use it
Getting to level 30 for enchanting
Set the target to 30 and your current level in the other field. From level 0 that is 1,395 points, which is a long way from three times the level 10 cost.
Deciding whether to spend levels now
Anvil and enchanting costs are in levels, but the time to earn them is in points. Checking the gap first tells you how much work you are really committing, which is rarely what the level number suggests.
Working out a grinder session
Take the gap in points and divide by what your farm produces. The ore block count gives a rough feel for the same thing if you are mining rather than farming mobs.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How much XP does each level cost?
The three bands in the formula are clearly visible as the cost per level jumps.
| Current level | XP for the very next level | Total XP at the current level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 7 |
| 10 | 27 | 160 |
| 15 | 37 | 315 |
| 16 | 42 | 352 |
| 17 | 47 | 394 |
| 25 | 87 | 910 |
| 30 | 112 | 1,395 |
| 31 | 121 | 1,507 |
| 32 | 130 | 1,628 |
| 40 | 202 | 2,920 |
What is the total XP for a given level?
Total points banked by the time you reach each level.
| Target level | Total XP at the target level | Ore blocks at 7 XP each |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 160 | 23 |
| 16 | 352 | 51 |
| 17 | 394 | 57 |
| 20 | 550 | 79 |
| 30 | 1,395 | 200 |
| 32 | 1,628 | 233 |
| 50 | 5,345 | 764 |
Questions
Why does the formula change at 16 and 32?
It is how the game is written. The experience curve is defined in three bands so that early levels come quickly and later ones slow down, and the boundaries sit at levels 16 and 31.
How much XP does an ore give?
It varies by ore. Diamond and emerald give 3 to 7 points, redstone 1 to 5, coal 0 to 2, and nether quartz 2 to 5. The ore block column here assumes 7 points, so it is an optimistic count.
Does this work for Bedrock as well as Java?
Yes. Both editions use the same experience curve, so the point totals are identical.
Why is level 30 the enchanting limit?
The enchanting table caps the level cost of an enchantment at 30, so levels above that bring no better enchantments from the table itself. They are still useful for anvil work, which has no such cap.
For levelling in other games, XP to next level turns a requirement and a rate into hours. The Minecraft building tools are the circle generator and the arch generator.