Barbell Plate Calculator

Stop doing plate math between sets. Enter the weight you want and see exactly which plates go on each side of the bar.

Your details

kg
Plates you have

Your results

Enter the weight you want on the bar.

How to use it

  1. Choose kg or lb, then enter your target weight.
  2. Pick your bar and whether you use competition collars (2.5 kg each). Spring clips weigh next to nothing, so leave them out.
  3. Untick any plate sizes your gym doesn't have.
  4. Load the plates shown on each side, heaviest first. If the exact weight isn't possible, you get the closest load below and above.

How it's calculated

The math. Weight per side = (target − bar − collars) ÷ 2. For 100 kg on a 20 kg bar without collars, that’s (100 − 20) ÷ 2 = 40 kg a side.

Finding the plates. The calculator checks every combination of the plates you have and picks the one with the fewest plates for that weight. It assumes you have as many of each size as you need. Simply grabbing the biggest plate first doesn’t always work: with only 20s and 15s, 30 kg a side is 15 + 15, which “biggest first” would miss.

When it doesn’t add up. If the target can’t be split into the plates you have, the calculator shows the heaviest load below your target and the lightest load above it.

Plate sizes. Kilogram plates follow the IWF and IPF ranges (25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg, plus 0.5 and 0.25 kg change plates). Pound plates are the common US gym sizes (45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb, plus 55 and 1.25 lb, which some gyms have).

Sources

  1. International Weightlifting Federation. Technical and Competition Rules & Regulations: equipment (bar 20 kg men, 15 kg women; discs 25 to 0.5 kg; collars 2.5 kg each).
  2. International Powerlifting Federation. Technical Rules Book: bar and collars (20 kg bar, 2.5 kg collars, 25 kg as the largest disc, 1.25 kg change plates).

Questions

How much does a barbell weigh?

A standard Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg (about 44 lb); in US gyms it's usually sold as 45 lb. Women's Olympic bars weigh 15 kg. Technique bars, EZ bars and fixed barbells vary, so check the bar or ask your gym.

Do I need to count the collars?

Only competition-style collars, which weigh 2.5 kg each (5 kg for the pair). Spring clips and plastic clamps weigh so little that you can ignore them.

Why can't I load my exact weight?

Every weight has to be split evenly over two sides, so the smallest jump is twice your smallest plate. With 1.25 kg plates that's 2.5 kg; with 2.5 lb plates it's 5 lb. The calculator then shows the closest weights you can load.

Why does it use fewer plates than my usual setup?

When several combinations work, the calculator picks the one with the fewest plates, because it's faster to load. Two 20s instead of a 25, a 10 and a 5, for example.

Updated November 9, 2026.