Barbell plate calculator
A plate calculator for the moment you're standing at the rack doing arithmetic you shouldn't have to do. Enter the total you want on the bar, pick your bar weight, uncheck any plates your gym doesn't have, and it tells you what goes on each side.
Common barbell loads
What the usual round numbers look like on a standard bar.
| Weight | Per side | Per side (lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 95 lb | 1×25 | 25 |
| 135 lb | 1×45 | 45 |
| 185 lb | 1×45 + 1×25 | 70 |
| 225 lb | 2×45 | 90 |
| 275 lb | 2×45 + 1×25 | 115 |
| 315 lb | 3×45 | 135 |
| 365 lb | 3×45 + 1×25 | 160 |
| 405 lb | 4×45 | 180 |
Load the heavy plates first
The calculator does what you should do by hand: take the biggest plate that fits, then the next, and so on. Loading heaviest-first keeps the bar balanced on the rack, keeps the sleeve from running out of room, and makes the stack readable at a glance — you can count 25-20-10 from three metres away, but not seven 5s.
If your gym has no micro plates, uncheck 1.25 and 2.5 and the result changes to what you can actually build. When a target can't be hit exactly, you'll see the closest load underneath.
Why small jumps matter
The smallest increase you can make is twice your smallest plate — 2.5 kg on the bar with 1.25 kg plates, 5 lb with 2.5 lb plates. On a press or a curl that's a brutal jump, which is why stalled lifts are often a plate problem rather than a programming problem. A pair of 0.5 kg or 1 lb micro plates in your gym bag fixes more plateaus than a new split does.
Tanko has this calculator built into the logging screen, and it remembers your gym's plate inventory so the suggestions are always achievable.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a barbell weigh?
A standard Olympic bar is 20 kg (45 lb). A women's Olympic bar is 15 kg (35 lb), a technique bar 7.5–10 kg, and most fixed/EZ curl bars 7.5–10 kg. Smith machine bars vary from 6 kg to 25 kg — weigh yours.
What plates should be on each side?
Subtract the bar, halve what's left, then take the biggest plates that fit. The calculator above does exactly that, and shows the closest load if the number doesn't divide.
Do collars count?
Spring collars are negligible. Competition collars are 2.5 kg each — if you use those, add 5 kg to your bar weight in the field above.
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