Plate Calculator
Which plates to load on each side of the bar for any target weight.
Per side
40kg
- 25 kg× 1
- 15 kg× 1
Stop doing barbell math mid-warmup. Enter your target total and bar weight and this shows the plates to put on each side, using standard kg plates.
How it's calculated
Enter the total weight you want on the bar and your bar's weight (20 kg Olympic by default). The calculator subtracts the bar, halves the rest, and greedily loads the largest plates first: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg.
per side = (target − bar) / 2, loaded heaviest-first
How to read your result
Each row is the plate and how many go on each side. If there's a remainder, your target isn't reachable with standard plates and the smaller increment — round to the nearest loadable weight.
Frequently asked questions
- What bar weight should I use?
- A standard Olympic barbell is 20 kg; women's bars are 15 kg and some technique bars are lighter. Set it to match your bar.
- What plates does it assume?
- Standard kilo plates: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg, loaded largest-first on each side.
- Why is there a remainder?
- Because your target can't be made exactly from the available plates per side. Adjust the target to the nearest loadable number.