Unbreaking

Overview

Every use of a tool rolls against Unbreaking, and a failed roll costs no durability at all — so the enchantment does not repair anything, it simply skips damage. At level III a tool lasts roughly four times as long, which reframes what a diamond pickaxe is: not a consumable with 1,561 swings in it, but a tool that will see you through several thousand. That is why it goes on essentially everything worth enchanting, and why it is the enchantment players stop thinking about because it is always already there. Armour follows a slightly different formula than tools do, but the practical result is the same — a set with Unbreaking III survives far more punishment before needing an anvil. The real reason to take it, though, is what it does alongside Mending. Mending repairs the item from experience you collect anyway; Unbreaking reduces how much repairing there is to do. Together they are what makes gear genuinely permanent, and the pair is the standard base of every serious build before you add the job-specific enchantments on top. Its weight of 5 makes it common enough that most tools acquire it on the first table roll.

Extending the working life of every tool, weapon and armour piece you own, which is what makes an expensive enchantment set worth building in the first place.

Gives each use a chance not to consume durability, so a tool lasts several times longer. It goes on essentially every tool, weapon and armour piece worth keeping.

III is as high as Unbreaking goes. It is a standard enchantment, which means the enchanting table can roll it for you.

At weight 5 it takes up about 13–100% of the offer pool for an item that accepts it; the larger that share, the less rerolling a level-30 table costs you.

How to get it

Enchant almost anything at a table with 15 bookshelves for 3 levels and 3 lapis, or combine 2 level II books for level III. Weight 5 makes it a common offer, and level III makes tools last about 4 times as long.

Tips

• Pair it with Mending: one reduces the damage taken, the other repairs what is left.
• It applies to shields, elytra, fishing rods and shears as well as the obvious tools.
• Enchant before the netherite upgrade; a smithing table carries every enchantment across unchanged.
• Combine two level II books rather than gambling on a level III table roll — see the enchantment calculator.

What each level does

What each level actually gives you. The jump from I to III is where most of the value sits, and an anvil can combine two II books into one III.

Unbreaking III makes tools last about four times as long.

Properties

It sits in the table's own offer pool, and a librarian will trade the book for it, so reroll the lectern until that offer comes up.

What it can be applied to

Unbreaking can be applied to Any tool, Any weapon, and Any armour.

• Any tool
• Any weapon
• Any armour

Gear it goes on

Carrot on a StickWarped Fungus on a StickElytraTurtle ShellFlint and SteelBowWooden SwordWooden ShovelWooden PickaxeWooden AxeWooden HoeStone Sword

How to get it

Enchanting table, anvil or villager trading.

At a table with fifteen bookshelves the level-30 slot is where it appears; below level 30 the offer pool is smaller and the levels lower, which is why the bookshelf ring is worth building before you enchant anything you care about.

Command

Cheats on: the first command enchants what is in your hand with Unbreaking III, and the second spawns the finished item. The component syntax below replaced the old NBT tag in 1.20.5.

Guides and tools that cover this

• GuidesAnvil Mechanics and the "Too Expensive" Limit→
• GuidesThe Complete Minecraft Enchanting Guide (1.21.4)→
• ToolsEnchantment Order Calculator→

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

Mending