Enter the weight you want to lift and pick your bar. The calculator shows the plates to load on each side, with a picture of the sleeve, in pounds or kilograms.
Free tool · no sign-up
Assumes you have enough pairs of each plate and spring collars (weightless). Each guide link goes to our compared and ranked picks. Not medical advice.
How to work out the plates for any weight
Plates per side = (target weight − bar weight) ÷ 2. Then load the heaviest plates that fit, working down. On a 45 lb Olympic bar, 135 lb is one 45 a side, 225 lb is two, 315 lb is three and 405 lb is four. In kilograms on a 20 kg bar, 60 kg is one 20 a side and 100 kg is one 25 plus one 15 a side. The calculator above does this for any target and only uses the plates you own; when your set can’t hit the exact number, it shows the closest weights above and below.
Building your set? A starter home gym usually needs about 260 to 300 lb of plates: a pair each of 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb covers most loads in 5 lb steps. We compared bumper and cast-iron plates in bumper vs iron plates for a garage gym, ranked bars in our Olympic barbell comparison, and priced the full bar, plates and rack in the home gym under $1,000 build. Pulling from the floor with a hex bar? Enter its weight in the “Other bar” box; most hex bars weigh 45 to 65 lb, and our trap bar guide lists each one’s weight.
Quick loading chart (45 lb bar)
- 95 lb: 25 a side
- 135 lb: 45 a side
- 185 lb: 45 + 25 a side
- 225 lb: 45 + 45 a side
- 275 lb: 45 + 45 + 25 a side
- 315 lb: 45 + 45 + 45 a side
- 405 lb: four 45s a side
Plates to start with
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- Bumpers, if you will drop the bar: the CAP Barbell Economy Olympic Bumper Plate Set (260 lb) is our pick for most first-time buyers in bumper vs iron plates. Check price at Amazon
- Iron, for racks and machines: REP Rubber Coated Tri-Grip Plates, with 2.25 in thick 45s so more fit on a sleeve. Check price at Amazon
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate plates on a barbell?
Subtract the bar’s weight from your target, then divide by two: that is the weight per side. Load the biggest plates that fit first. For 225 lb on a 45 lb bar: 225 minus 45 is 180, so 90 lb per side, which is two 45 lb plates on each side.
How many plates is 200 lbs?
On a 45 lb Olympic bar, 200 lb is 155 lb of plates, or 77.5 lb per side: one 45, one 25, one 5 and one 2.5 on each side.
How much is 4 45s on a barbell?
“Four plates” usually means four 45 lb plates per side. On a 45 lb bar that is 45 + 8 × 45 = 405 lb. Two plates per side is 225 lb, three per side is 315 lb, and one per side is 135 lb.
How many 45 lb plates fit on a bar?
It depends on plate thickness and sleeve length. A typical Olympic bar has about 16 inches of loadable sleeve, which fits roughly 8 to 10 thin cast-iron 45s a side, but only about 5 or 6 thick rubber bumper 45s.
How much does an Olympic barbell weigh?
A standard men’s Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg (44 lb, usually rounded to 45 lb). A women’s bar weighs 15 kg (33 lb, often listed as 35 lb), and technique bars run about 15 lb or 10 kg. Spring collars weigh almost nothing; competition collars add 2.5 kg each.
More free tools
- Home gym budget calculator: what to buy, in order, for your budget
- Power rack ceiling height calculator: will the rack, pull-ups and overhead presses fit
Not medical advice. Strong Saga compares and ranks gear on published specs, retailer listings and owner reports; see how we compare and rank.