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Plate calculator

Enter your total barbell weight in kg or lb, including the bar. See which plates to load on each side, using the plate sizes available at your gym. Free, with no account required.

Unit
Plates your gym has

On each side

20 · 20kg

Bar 20 kg plus 80 kg of plates makes 100 kg.

How it works

Take the bar off the total and halve what is left: that is what goes on each side. Then fill each side from the heaviest plate down, taking a plate whenever it still fits. This is the same method as the plate calculator in the Kilos app.

each side = (total − bar) ÷ 2

For 100 kg on a 20 kg bar, each side gets 40 kg: two 20s. For 142.5 kg, each side gets 61.25 kg: three 20s and a 1.25. If the plates you have cannot make the total exactly, the calculator says by how much it is short and what it loads instead.

Common barbell weights in kg

These examples include a 20 kg bar. Put the listed plates on each side, not across both sides.

  • 60 kg total: one 20 kg plate per side.
  • 80 kg total: one 20 kg and one 10 kg plate per side.
  • 100 kg total: two 20 kg plates per side.
  • 120 kg total: two 20 kg and one 10 kg plate per side.
  • 140 kg total: three 20 kg plates per side.

These are possible combinations, not the only ones. If you select 25 kg plates above, the calculator may use them instead to load the same total.

How many plates are 135, 225 and 315 lb?

With a 45 lb bar and 45 lb plates, 135 lb is one plate per side, 225 lb is two per side, and 315 lb is three per side. For 185 lb, put one 45 lb and one 25 lb plate on each side: 45 + 2 × (45 + 25) = 185 lb.

Which bar do you have?

  • Read the bar’s label. Choose the preset that matches your equipment. If its weight is not listed, use (total − bar) ÷ 2 to calculate each side manually.
  • Use the actual weight. A 20 kg bar is about 44.1 lb, not exactly 45 lb. A 15 kg bar is about 33.1 lb, not 35 lb.
  • Short bars, EZ bars and machines vary. Use the manufacturer’s stated starting weight, or ask the gym staff if it is not marked.

Collars, and kg against lb

The calculator adds the selected bar weight and plates, with no collar allowance. If you use weighted collars, subtract their combined weight from your target before entering it here. For a 100 kg target with two 2.5 kg collars, enter 95 kg; the collars bring the loaded total to 100 kg. One kilogram is about 2.2046 pounds: 100 kg is about 220.5 lb, and 225 lb is about 102.1 kg. Pick the unit your plates are marked in and use that same unit for the bar.

Why is the loaded total lower than my target?

The calculator fills each side from the heaviest selected plate down and shows any weight left over. With only 20 kg plates on a 20 kg bar, for example, the available totals jump from 60 to 100 kg. Select smaller plates if your gym has them. With an unusual selection, deselecting a larger plate can make a different combination fit. The calculator uses the selected sizes as available pairs; it does not know how many pairs your gym owns.

Not sure what weight to load?

The one rep max calculator turns a recent set into training weights, then come back here to load them.

To save the sets you lift, use the free Kilos workout log. To add up a completed session, use the workout volume calculator.