Fitness / Lifting
Barbell Plate Calculator
Work out which plates to load on each side of the bar for a target weight, in kilograms or pounds, with a picture of the bar and the plates you actually have.
Barbell Plate Calculator: The weight for each side is the target minus the bar and collars, divided by two. The calculator then searches the plates you have for the combination that makes that weight exactly with the fewest plates, which beats simply taking the heaviest plate each time when some plates are missing. If no combination is exact, it shows the nearest lighter load. Kilogram plates are drawn in the standard competition colours. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Health & sport tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Each side: 25 + 15
Total: 100 kg = bar 20 + 40 on each side.
Plates you have (pairs)
Loading safely
Load the heaviest plates first, nearest the centre, and keep both sides the same. Use collars for anything heavier than a warm-up, and unload one side at a time only on a bar that is racked securely.
To choose a training weight from your best lift, use the one-rep max calculator; for rest periods, a timer.
Kilograms and pounds
One kilogram is 2.2046 pounds, so a 20 kg plate is about 44 lb and a 45 lb plate about 20.4 kg. Gyms that mix plates make the real weight differ from the sum of the labels, so stick to one system on a bar.
How to use it
- Choose kilograms or pounds and enter the weight you want to lift.
- Choose the bar, and add the weight of the collars if you use them.
- Load the plates shown on each side; set how many pairs of each plate you have, if your gym is short of some.
Privacy & limitations
Everything runs in your browser.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
How much does a barbell weigh?
A standard men's Olympic bar weighs 20 kg (about 44 lb) and a women's bar 15 kg; in pound gyms bars are usually counted as 45 lb. Technique and training bars are often 10 or 15 kg, so check the bar's markings.
How do I load 100 kg?
On a 20 kg bar, 40 kg goes on each side: a 25 kg and a 15 kg plate, or two 20 kg plates.
Do collars count?
Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each and count towards the total; ordinary spring clips weigh very little. Enter the weight of both collars together if you want to include them.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required