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Barbell Plate Calculator

Get the plates for any target weight, or tap plates onto the bar to see what it weighs. Works in lb or kg, with the plates your gym has.

Example: Loading 225 lb on a 45 lb Bar

To load 225 lb on a standard 45 lb barbell, put 2 x 45 lb on each side (90 lb per side, 180 lb of plates in total). Enter your own target weight below, or switch to Load the bar to add up plates that are already on.

Plate Count Weight
45 lb 2 90 lb

Enter the weight you want on the bar and get the plates for each side.

Target weight

lb

The total, including the bar and collars.

Pick Custom for a trap bar, safety squat bar or EZ bar.

The total counts both collars.

On the bar

The loaded bar

Plates per side

Plate Count Weight

How to use this calculator

  1. Pick a mode: Plates for a target weight, or Load the bar to add up plates that are already on.
  2. Choose lb or kg, your bar and your collars. Pick Custom for a trap bar, safety squat bar or EZ bar.
  3. For a target weight, type the total you want. Open Plates in your gym to switch off plates your gym does not have.
  4. To count a loaded bar, tap each plate on one side. Undo takes off the last plate and Reset clears the bar.
  5. Load the heaviest plates nearest the middle of the bar, as the diagram shows, and clip the collars on.

Plate Sizes and Colors

Pound plates (lb)

  • 55 lb: some gyms stock these, usually as bumper plates
  • 45 lb: the standard full-size plate
  • 35 lb, 25 lb and 15 lb: mid-size plates
  • 10 lb, 5 lb and 2.5 lb: change plates; 2.5 lb is the smallest in most gyms
  • 1 lb, 0.75 lb, 0.5 lb and 0.25 lb: fractional plates for small jumps on presses

Pound plates have no color standard and most gym 45s are plain black iron, so the diagram colors are only there to help you tell plates apart.

Kilogram plates (kg)

  • 25 kg: red
  • 20 kg: blue
  • 15 kg: yellow
  • 10 kg: green
  • 5 kg: white
  • 2.5 kg: black in powerlifting, red in weightlifting
  • 2 kg, 1.5 kg and 1 kg: blue, yellow and green weightlifting change plates
  • 1.25 kg, 0.5 kg and 0.25 kg: chrome (0.5 kg is white in weightlifting)

Competition kilo plates follow the IPF and IWF color code, and the diagram uses it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Switch to Load the bar, pick your bar and collars, then tap each plate you see on one side. Every tap puts that plate on both sides, and the total adds up the bar, both collars and all the plates. Undo takes off the last plate and Reset clears the bar.
Yes. Open Plates in your gym and switch off anything your gym does not stock, or switch on extras such as 55 lb plates, 15s or fractional plates. Target mode only uses plates that are switched on, and the calculator saves your set on this device.
Plates come in fixed sizes and go on both sides, so the smallest jump is two of your smallest plate: 5 lb with 2.5 lb plates, or 2.5 kg with 1.25 kg plates. When a target falls between loads, the calculator gives the closest weight that does not go over and tells you the next load up. Fractional plates close the gap.
Yes, and both modes count them. Spring clips weigh about 0.5 lb (0.25 kg) each. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each, about 5.5 lb, so a pair adds 5 kg to the bar. Always clip your collars on before you lift so the plates cannot slide.
Yes. A men's Olympic bar weighs 45 lb (20 kg) and a women's bar 35 lb (15 kg). Specialty bars vary by brand: safety squat bars often weigh 60 to 70 lb, trap bars 45 to 75 lb and EZ curl bars 15 to 25 lb. Choose Custom and enter the weight stamped on your bar.

Always load plates evenly on both sides and use collars to secure them. Verify actual plate weights, as gym plates can vary by manufacturer.

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