Minecraft wiki entry for Anvil, associated text: A falling anvil damages any player, mob or item‌[Java Edition only] that it falls on. The damage amount depends on fall distance: 2 per block fallen after the first (e.g., an anvil that falls 4 blocks deals 6 damage). The damage is capped at 40 × 20, no matter how far the anvil falls. Wearing a helmet reduces the damage by 1⁄4, but this costs durability on the helmet. When a player dies by an anvil falling on them, the death message "<player> was squashed by a falling anvil" appears. However, if a player is merely touched by a falling anvil entity, no damage is dealt unless the falling anvil becomes an anvil block in the same block where the player is located.