Barbell Plate Calculator

This works out the plates to load on each side of a barbell to reach a weight you name. Enter the total you want, the bar weight and the collar weight in pounds or kilograms, or enter a one-rep max and a training percentage, and it returns the plates per side, the weight that actually ends up on the bar and how far that is from what you asked for. It searches every combination rather than taking the heaviest plate first, which matters because heaviest-first is not always the shortest loading. Plates go on in pairs, so the smallest change you can make is 2.5 lb or 0.5 kg, and a target between those steps is rounded to the nearest weight the plates can make.

Calculator Type
Units

Enter the weight you want on the bar and it works out the plates for one side, using the fewest plates rather than simply taking the heaviest first.

Bar included, in the units chosen above.
45 lb is the standard mens bar, 35 lb the womens bar and 15 lb a technique bar.
Spring clips weigh almost nothing; competition collars are about 5.5 lb each. Leave at zero to ignore them.
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Units

Training percentages rarely land on a weight the plates can make. Enter a one-rep max and the percentage you want and this gives the exact figure, the nearest loadable weight, and the plates for it.

The weight the percentage is taken from, bar included.
45 lb is the standard mens bar, 35 lb the womens bar and 15 lb a technique bar.
Spring clips weigh almost nothing; competition collars are about 5.5 lb each. Leave at zero to ignore them.
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