StrengthCalc

Plate Calculator

Enter the weight you want on the bar and see exactly which plates to load on each side. Choose your bar and the plate sizes your gym actually has.

Last reviewed

Barbell plate calculator

Unit
Your bar and plates
Plate sizes you have (any number of each)

Rounding rule: the loader finds the heaviest weight your plates can make that does not exceed the target. It never rounds up past it, and any shortfall is shown openly.

How to work out which plates to load

Subtract the bar weight from your target and divide by two — that is the weight for each side. Then build it from the largest plates down. For 225 lb on a 45 lb bar: (225 − 45) ÷ 2 = 90 lb per side, which is two 45 lb plates.

When you untick plates you don’t have, the “largest first” shortcut can miss a better answer. With only 20 kg and 15 kg plates, 30 kg per side is two 15s — but largest-first stops at one 20. StrengthCalc searches every combination of the sizes you selected, so it always finds the heaviest load that does not exceed your target, using the fewest plates.

Common barbell weights: plates per side

Pounds, 45 lb bar, standard plates (45, 35, 25, 10, 5, 2.5 lb)
TotalPlates on each side
95 lb25
135 lb45
185 lb45 + 25
225 lb45 + 45
275 lb45 + 45 + 25
315 lb45 + 45 + 45
365 lb45 + 45 + 45 + 25
405 lb45 + 45 + 45 + 45
Kilograms, 20 kg bar, standard plates (25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg)
TotalPlates on each side
40 kg10
60 kg20
80 kg25 + 5
100 kg25 + 15
120 kg25 + 25
140 kg25 + 25 + 10
160 kg25 + 25 + 20
180 kg25 + 25 + 25 + 5

Know your bar weight

  • Men’s Olympic bar: 20 kg (about 44 lb). In US gyms, bars are commonly sold as 45 lb.
  • Women’s Olympic bar: 15 kg (about 33 lb).
  • Technique, EZ-curl and specialty bars vary widely — check the marking on the bar or weigh it, then use the custom bar option.
  • Collars usually weigh little, but competition collars are 2.5 kg each. Add them to a custom bar weight if you use them.

Also check your plates: gym plates are often a little lighter or heavier than marked, so a “loaded” weight is only as accurate as the plates on the bar.