Free calculator
Barbell plate calculator
Enter the total you want on the bar and see which plates go on each side. Pick kg or lb, the bar you're using, and competition collars if you lift with them.
Unit
Bar
The total on the bar, including the bar.
Enter a target weight to see the plates for each side.
How to work out plates per side
Take the bar off the total, then halve what's left. For 100 kg on a 20 kg bar, (100 − 20) ÷ 2 = 40 kg per side: a 25 and a 15. For 225 lb on a 45 lb bar, (225 − 45) ÷ 2 = 90 lb per side: two 45s.
The calculator fills each side with the biggest plate that fits, then the next biggest, down to 1.25 kg or 2.5 lb. With collars on, it takes their 5 kg off the total before halving. In lb, biggest-first doesn't always use the fewest plates: 60 lb per side comes out as 45 + 10 + 5, where 35 + 25 would also work.
Plates per side for common weights
Loaded biggest plate first, without collars.
| Total (kg) | Per side (kg) |
|---|---|
| 40 | 10 |
| 60 | 20 |
| 80 | 25 + 5 |
| 100 | 25 + 15 |
| 120 | 2 × 25 |
| 140 | 2 × 25 + 10 |
| 160 | 2 × 25 + 20 |
| 180 | 3 × 25 + 5 |
| 200 | 3 × 25 + 15 |
| 220 | 4 × 25 |
| Total (lb) | Per side (lb) |
|---|---|
| 95 | 25 |
| 135 | 45 |
| 185 | 45 + 25 |
| 225 | 2 × 45 |
| 275 | 2 × 45 + 25 |
| 315 | 3 × 45 |
| 365 | 3 × 45 + 25 |
| 405 | 4 × 45 |
| 455 | 4 × 45 + 25 |
| 495 | 5 × 45 |
Questions about loading a bar
How much does a barbell weigh?
A men's Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg and a women's Olympic bar 15 kg. In lb gyms, a standard bar is counted as 45 lb and a women's bar as 35 lb. Technique bars, EZ bars and many home-gym bars are lighter, so check yours if the exact total matters.
Why can't I load my exact target weight?
Your smallest plates set the step. With 1.25 kg as the smallest plate, the bar goes up 2.5 kg at a time, one plate on each side. With 2.5 lb plates the step is 5 lb. When a target falls between two steps, the calculator shows the loadable weight on either side and starts with the closer one.
What do the plate colors mean?
Competition kg plates are color-coded: red 25 kg, blue 20 kg, yellow 15 kg, green 10 kg and white 5 kg. The diagram uses those colors, with gray for 2.5 and 1.25 kg. lb plates have no official color standard, so in lb mode the diagram borrows the closest kg color: blue for 45 lb, yellow for 35 lb and green for 25 lb.
What plates do I need for a home gym?
One pair each of 20, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg plates lets you load a 20 kg bar to every weight from 20 kg to 97.5 kg in 2.5 kg steps. Each pair you add after that, such as a second pair of 20s, raises the top end.
Does the calculator count collars?
Only when you tick the collars box, which appears in kg mode. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each, so the pair adds 5 kg before any plates go on. Spring clips weigh a fraction of that, so the calculator leaves them out.
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Get the app
I build PRGRES, a workout tracker for iPhone and iPad. It has a plate calculator and a warm-up set calculator of its own, under Profile › Tools.
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