Plate calculator
Enter the weight you want on the bar and see exactly which plates go on each side.
- 25 kgx 1
- 15 kgx 1
Bar 20 kg, plus the plates above on each side.
How the calculator loads the bar
It takes your target, removes the bar and any collars, and splits what is left evenly between the two sides. Each side is filled heaviest plate first, the way you would load it in a gym, using only the plates you ticked and no more pairs than you said you have.
A plain heaviest-first fill can get stuck. With only 45, 35 and 25 lb plates, 60 lb per side is a 35 and a 25, but grabbing a 45 first leaves 15 lb that nothing can fill. The calculator checks every combination your plates can make, so if an exact answer exists it finds it, and when none does it shows the closest loadable weights under and over your target.
Reading the result
- Plates per side: what goes on one sleeve. Load the same on the other.
- Loaded total: what the bar will actually weigh, bar and collars included.
- The drawing:plates sized and coloured roughly by weight, using the common competition colours. Your gym's plates may be coloured differently.
Questions
How do I work out plates per side?
Take the target, subtract the bar (and collars, if you use them), and halve what is left. That is the weight for each side. Then fill it with the heaviest plates first: 100 kg on a 20 kg bar is 40 kg per side, so one 25, one 15.
How much does the bar weigh?
A standard men's Olympic bar is 20 kg, a women's bar is 15 kg, and a technique bar is often 10 kg. In lb gyms the usual bar is 45 lb, with 35 lb bars for lighter work. Trap bars, EZ bars and Smith machines vary, so check the bar itself or pick Custom.
Why can't my weight be loaded exactly?
Every change has to go on both sides, so the smallest jump is two of your lightest plate: 2.5 kg with 1.25 kg plates, 5 lb with 2.5 lb plates. A target between two loadable weights, or one that needs more plates than you have, gets the closest weights under and over it instead.
Should I count collars?
Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each, so a pair adds 5 kg to the bar. Spring clips and plastic lock jaws weigh so little that most people leave them out.
Why does it put the heaviest plates on first?
That is how a bar is loaded in a gym: big plates inside, small ones outside. It also uses the plates you are most likely to have plenty of. If a heaviest-first fill would leave a gap your small plates cannot close, the calculator finds another mix that hits the number exactly.