Exact plates per side, from the plate set your gym actually stocks
Type a target total and read the exact plates to load per side, largest first, on a to-scale bar. Switch off the sizes your gym does not stock, cap how many pairs you own, and every number recomputes as you type.
Calculate my platesYour plate inventory
Turn off plates your gym does not stock and set how many you have per side. Fractional and micro plates down to 1.25 are included, so the fine jumps stay reachable.
Barbell loading reference: plates, bars, and increments
A men's 45 lb bar carries a pair of 45s per side at 225, three at 315, four at 405. Most working weights collapse to a short list of loadings like that. This reference lays them out: the standard totals in pounds and kilograms with the plates each one needs per side, what a pair of any plate adds to the bar, the finest jump each fractional plate buys, and the weights of specialty bars the presets don't cover.
per side = (target total − bar weight) ÷ 2Fill each side largest-first from the plates you own. Plates load in matched pairs, so any single plate changes the bar total by twice its face weight.
Common loadings on a 45 lb bar (pounds)
Per side equals (total − 45) ÷ 2, filled largest-first from a standard set of 45, 35, 25, 10, and 5 lb plates.
| Total | Per side | Plates per side |
|---|---|---|
| 95 lb | 25 | 1 × 25 |
| 115 lb | 35 | 1 × 35 |
| 135 lb | 45 | 1 × 45 |
| 155 lb | 55 | 45 + 10 |
| 185 lb | 70 | 45 + 25 |
| 205 lb | 80 | 45 + 35 |
| 225 lb | 90 | 2 × 45 |
| 245 lb | 100 | 2 × 45 + 10 |
| 275 lb | 115 | 2 × 45 + 25 |
| 315 lb | 135 | 3 × 45 |
| 365 lb | 160 | 3 × 45 + 25 |
| 405 lb | 180 | 4 × 45 |
| 495 lb | 225 | 5 × 45 |
Gyms without a 35 build the odd totals from 25 + 10 instead, so 115 becomes 25 + 10 a side and 205 becomes 45 + 25 + 10.
Common loadings on a 20 kg bar (kilograms)
Per side equals (total − 20) ÷ 2, filled from a standard set of 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 kg plates.
| Total | Per side | Plates per side |
|---|---|---|
| 40 kg | 10 | 1 × 10 |
| 50 kg | 15 | 1 × 15 |
| 60 kg | 20 | 1 × 20 |
| 70 kg | 25 | 1 × 25 |
| 80 kg | 30 | 25 + 5 |
| 100 kg | 40 | 25 + 15 |
| 120 kg | 50 | 2 × 25 |
| 140 kg | 60 | 2 × 25 + 10 |
| 160 kg | 70 | 2 × 25 + 20 |
| 180 kg | 80 | 3 × 25 + 5 |
| 200 kg | 90 | 3 × 25 + 15 |
What each plate pair adds, and your finest jump
Plates load in matched pairs, so a plate never changes the total by its own weight; it changes it by double. The first table is the amount one pair of each size adds to the bar. The second is the smallest change you can make once you know the smallest plate you own, which is why some exact targets never land.
| Plate | Pair adds (lb) | Plate | Pair adds (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 lb | +90 | 25 kg | +50 |
| 35 lb | +70 | 20 kg | +40 |
| 25 lb | +50 | 15 kg | +30 |
| 10 lb | +20 | 10 kg | +20 |
| 5 lb | +10 | 5 kg | +10 |
| 2.5 lb | +5 | 2.5 kg | +5 |
| 1.25 lb | +2.5 | 1.25 kg | +2.5 |
| Smallest plate on hand | Finest total jump | Kg equivalent | Finest total jump |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb | 10 lb | 2.5 kg | 5 kg |
| 2.5 lb | 5 lb | 1.25 kg | 2.5 kg |
| 1.25 lb | 2.5 lb | 0.5 kg | 1 kg |
| 0.5 lb | 1 lb | 0.25 kg | 0.5 kg |
A target that falls between two of these steps cannot be loaded exactly. Asking for 187.5 lb with nothing smaller than a 5 leaves you at 185, two and a half pounds short until a 1.25 goes on each side.
Specialty and non-standard bar weights
The presets cover Olympic men's and women's bars; these are the other bars a per-side result depends on. Weights vary by manufacturer, so weigh yours when it matters and enter it as a custom bar.
| Bar | Pounds | Kilograms | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trap / hex bar | 45–60 | 20–27 | Wide range by model and handle height |
| Safety squat bar | 60–70 | 27–32 | Padded yoke and camber add weight |
| Cambered squat bar | 55–85 | 25–39 | Varies widely; heavier than a straight bar |
| Swiss / football bar | 35–45 | 16–20 | Multiple neutral-grip handles |
| EZ-curl bar | 15–25 | 7–11 | Cambered, short loadable sleeves |
| Standard 1-inch home bar | 15–25 | 7–11 | Non-Olympic, thinner sleeve, ~5 to 6 ft |
| Curl or technique alloy bar | 11–22 | 5–10 | Light practice bar for form work |
Related concepts
- One-rep-max estimate: turn a set of reps at one of these loadings into a projected single with the sister one-rep-max calculator.
- Wilks and relative strength: compare a loaded total across bodyweights with the Wilks calculator.
- Warm-up ramp: the loadings table doubles as a ramp, since 135, 185, 225 up to a working single reuses the same plate math each jump.
- Kilogram conversion: a 20 kg bar reads 44.09 lb, not 45, so a bar entered in the wrong unit runs every rep about a pound light.