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Free tool · Plate calculator

Plate calculator.
Load the bar, skip the math.

Enter the total weight you want on the bar. The calculator tells you which plates to put on each side, using the fewest plates, with your bar and collars counted. Missing a plate size at your gym? Switch it off and it works around it.

Unit
lb
Bar
Collars
Plates at your gym

On each side

  • 2 × 45 lb

Total on the bar: 225 lb.

How to read the result.

The plates shown go on each side of the bar, heaviest first, closest to the collar. The total counts the bar and, if you use them, the collars: a pair of competition collars adds 5 kg, while spring clips weigh next to nothing.

When the exact weight can’t be made with your plates, the calculator shows the closest load below it. Small fractional plates (1.25 kg, 0.5 kg or 2.5 lb) are what make the fine jumps of a slow progression possible.

Which bar are you using?

A standard Olympic men’s bar weighs 20 kg (about 44 lb) and a women’s bar 15 kg. In gyms that work in pounds, bars are usually treated as 45 lb. Technique bars and many fixed or EZ bars are lighter, often around 10 kg: check the end of the sleeve, the weight is usually printed there.

Machines like the Smith machine have a counterbalanced bar whose effective weight varies between models, so count only the plates there.

Loading tips.

Load and unload the bar evenly, one plate per side at a time, so it never tips. Put the heaviest plates on first: they sit closer to the center, the bar feels more stable, and the bigger bumper plates keep it at the right height from the floor for deadlifts.

  • Use collars for anything you lift overhead or to failure
  • Turn plates so their labels face out: easier to check at a glance
  • Strip the bar after your set; your gym will thank you

In the app

Your targets, already in your workout.

Lifterly puts each set’s target weight in your workout, in kg or lb, so you know what to load before you walk to the bar. Log the set in a tap; your history and records follow.

Download on the App Store

Questions

A few things worth knowing.

How much does an Olympic barbell weigh?

A standard men’s Olympic bar weighs 20 kg (44 lb) and a women’s bar 15 kg (33 lb). Pound gyms usually count their bars as 45 lb.

Do I count the collars in the weight?

Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each and are counted in powerlifting and weightlifting. Spring clips are usually ignored. Switch collars on in the calculator if yours are heavy.

What if my gym doesn’t have every plate?

Turn off the plates you don’t have. The calculator finds the fewest plates that reach your weight with the ones left, or the closest weight below it.

Keep exploring.