Plate calculator
Enter the weight you want to lift and the bar you’re using, and this shows the plates to load on each side. Untick any plate sizes your gym doesn’t have.
How it works
Take the bar off the target weight, halve what’s left, and that’s what goes on each side. The calculator then picks the heaviest plates first, which means the fewest plates to load and unload.
Example: 100 kg on a 20 kg Olympic bar leaves 80 kg, so 40 kg a side: one 25 kg and one 15 kg plate on each end.
Which bar are you using?
| Bar | Weight | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Olympic bar | 20 kg (45 lb) | Squat, bench, deadlift, most gym barbells |
| Women’s Olympic bar | 15 kg (35 lb) | Thinner grip, often used for Olympic lifts |
| Technique or training bar | Often 10 kg (15 lb in many US gyms) | Learning lifts, lighter work |
EZ curl bars and fixed “straight” bars vary a lot (often 7–12 kg), so weigh yours or check the label.
When it says “can’t make exactly”
If your plates can’t hit the number, the calculator shows the closest load below it. Smaller jumps need small plates: with 1.25 kg plates you can move in 2.5 kg steps; without them, the smallest jump is usually 5 kg.
Work out the weight first
Not sure what to put on the bar? The 1RM calculator turns any hard set into a table of training weights, rounded to loads you can actually make. Get Gains then logs every set and flags new PBs, free on Android. More free calculators.