Barbell plate calculator
What goes on each side of the bar for the weight you want — and, when the number does not divide, the closest weight you can actually load.
Per side
The plate sets it assumes
In kilograms: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25. In pounds: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5. That is what a normally equipped gym owns. It loads heaviest first, which is both the standard way to do it and the way that keeps the bar stable.
Why the smallest jump is bigger than you think
Plates go on in pairs, so the smallest increase available to you is twice your smallest plate. On the squat and the deadlift a 2.5 kg jump is nothing. On the overhead press, where a good working weight might be 45 kg, the same jump is over five percent — enough that most people stall on it and assume they have hit a ceiling when they have only hit a rounding error.
Track what was on the bar, not what you meant to load
Log the weight you actually lifted, including the bar. It sounds obvious, and it is the single most common way a training log quietly becomes fiction.
Common questions
What does a standard barbell weigh?
A men's Olympic barbell is 20 kg or 45 lb. A women's Olympic bar is 15 kg or 35 lb, and many gyms also have shorter training bars at 10 or 15 kg. Set the bar weight above to whatever you are actually using.
Why can't I load the weight I want?
Because plates come in fixed sizes and go on in pairs, so the smallest step you can take is twice your smallest plate. With 1.25 kg plates that is a 2.5 kg jump; with 2.5 lb plates it is 5 lb.
What are fractional plates for?
Making smaller jumps than the gym's plate set allows. They matter most on the overhead press and the bench press, where a 5 kg jump can be a ten percent increase and simply too much.
What order do the plates go on?
Heaviest first, closest to the collar, then descending outward. That keeps the load stable and makes it obvious at a glance what is on the bar.
Do collars count?
Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each and do count. The spring clips most gyms use weigh very little and are usually ignored.
Know what you loaded last time
Every exercise gets its own history page with your best weight and what you used last session — so you never guess at the rack again.