What do the plate colours mean?

Competition kilogram plates follow a colour code: 25 kg red, 20 kg blue, 15 kg yellow, 10 kg green, 5 kg white, 2.5 kg black or red, and 1.25 kg chrome. Pound plates in most gyms are plain black or grey with the weight printed on them. The drawing uses the kilogram colours so you can spot the right plate on the rack.

How much does a barbell weigh?

A standard Olympic bar weighs 20 kg (44 lb) and a women's Olympic bar 15 kg (33 lb). In the US, the common bar is 45 lb. Technique bars, EZ bars and some fixed-weight bars weigh less, often 7 to 15 kg. If you are not sure, most bars have their weight stamped on the sleeve or near the end cap.

How do I load a barbell evenly?

Put the heaviest plates on first, closest to the collar, and mirror exactly the same plates on the other side. Load one plate per side at a time so the bar never tips off the rack, then add clips. Unloading works the same way in reverse.

What are micro plates for?

Micro plates of 0.5 kg to 1.25 kg, or 1.25 lb to 2.5 lb, let you add as little as 1 to 2.5 kg to the bar. That matters for presses and for lifters near their limit, where a 5 kg jump is too big. If your gym has them, tick them in the plate list.

Why can't I load exactly my target weight?

Because the total has to be the bar plus two identical sides built from real plates. With a 20 kg bar and a smallest plate of 1.25 kg, every loadable weight is a multiple of 2.5 kg. The calculator shows the closest weight below your target so you never overshoot.

Free plate calculator

The plates,
side by side.

Type the weight you want on the bar and see exactly what goes on each side, heaviest plate first, with the plates your gym really has. Kilograms or pounds. Free, no signup.

Units

Target weightkg

Bar

Plates you have

Tap a plate to leave it out.

Load per side

Each side

25 + 15

100 kg on the bar

Warming up to that weight? Build the ramp with the warm-up sets calculator. Need the weight first? Work it out with the one-rep max calculator.

How to work out which plates to load

Pick your units and bar, tick the plates your gym has, enter the target weight, and load what the drawing shows on each side.

1
Pick your units and bar
Choose kilograms or pounds and the bar you are using: a standard 20 kg or 45 lb bar, a lighter bar, or a custom weight.
2
Tick the plates you have
Leave on only the plates your gym actually has, so the answer never asks for a plate that is not there.
3
Enter the target and load
Type the total weight you want. The calculator shows the plates for one side, heaviest first, and the closest weight you can load if the target is not possible.

How it works

Heaviest first, same on both sides.

Subtract the bar

The bar is part of the total. Take its weight off the target and split what is left in two, because both sides must carry the same load.

Heaviest plate first

Each side is filled from the heaviest plate that still fits down to the lightest. That uses the fewest plates and matches how the bar should be loaded, big plates on the inside.

Only what you have

If your gym has no 25 kg or 1.25 kg plates, switch them off. When the target cannot be reached exactly, the calculator rounds down to the closest weight you can load.

Questions, answered

Loading a barbell, explained.

What do the plate colours mean?: Competition kilogram plates follow a colour code: 25 kg red, 20 kg blue, 15 kg yellow, 10 kg green, 5 kg white, 2.5 kg black or red, and 1.25 kg chrome. Pound plates in most gyms are plain black or grey with the weight printed on them. The drawing uses the kilogram colours so you can spot the right plate on the rack.
How much does a barbell weigh?: A standard Olympic bar weighs 20 kg (44 lb) and a women's Olympic bar 15 kg (33 lb). In the US, the common bar is 45 lb. Technique bars, EZ bars and some fixed-weight bars weigh less, often 7 to 15 kg. If you are not sure, most bars have their weight stamped on the sleeve or near the end cap.
How do I load a barbell evenly?: Put the heaviest plates on first, closest to the collar, and mirror exactly the same plates on the other side. Load one plate per side at a time so the bar never tips off the rack, then add clips. Unloading works the same way in reverse.
What are micro plates for?: Micro plates of 0.5 kg to 1.25 kg, or 1.25 lb to 2.5 lb, let you add as little as 1 to 2.5 kg to the bar. That matters for presses and for lifters near their limit, where a 5 kg jump is too big. If your gym has them, tick them in the plate list.
Why can't I load exactly my target weight?: Because the total has to be the bar plus two identical sides built from real plates. With a 20 kg bar and a smallest plate of 1.25 kg, every loadable weight is a multiple of 2.5 kg. The calculator shows the closest weight below your target so you never overshoot.

Know what to lift, not just how to load it.

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The plates,side by side.