Barbell loading · free tool
Barbell plate calculator
Tell it the weight you want and it gives you the plates for each sleeve, working only from the bar, collars, and plates you own. When your number will not build, it says so and shows the nearest weight below and above.
Display unit
Includes the bar, both collars, and plates on both sides.
Bar weight
Your setup
Plates per side
Alternatives
Plates per side
- 25 kg1 plate
- 15 kg1 plate
The method
How the plate calculation works
The calculator subtracts the bar and the collars from your target. It splits what is left between the two sleeves. Then it finds the fewest plates that build that number, heaviest first.
Worked example
100 kg on the bar
Start with a 20 kg bar and collars you are not counting, which leaves 80 kg of plates to split, or 40 kg per sleeve. Two 20s on each side land it exactly.
Each side
2 × 20 kg
20 + 2 × 40 = 100 kg total
Bars
A 20 kg bar is 44.09 lb
The calculator keeps bar units separate, so a metric bar never rounds into 45 lb when you load it with pound plates.
Collars
Count them when the platform does
The IWF and IPF presets carry a 5 kg collar pair, because that is what the platform uses. Gym presets start at zero, since most training collars are light enough that nobody counts them.
Unavailable weights
Below and above stay separate
When your exact weight will not build, you get the nearest one below and the nearest one above, both labeled, so you choose which way to miss.
Frequently asked questions
Plate math, answered
How do I calculate plates on each side of a barbell?+
Subtract the bar and collars from your target, halve what is left, and build that number on each sleeve. This calculator searches every plate size you have enabled and does the arithmetic for you.
Does the target weight include the bar?+
Yes. The target is the whole loaded barbell: the bar, both collars, and the plates on both sides.
How many plates make 225 lb?+
Two 45 lb plates per side, on a 45 lb bar with no collars counted.
What plates make 100 kg?+
Two 20 kg plates per side, on a 20 kg bar with no collars counted.
Is a 20 kg bar the same as a 45 lb bar?+
No. A 20 kg bar is 44.09 lb, and the calculator keeps that difference when you mix a metric bar with pound plates.
Do collars count toward the total weight?+
They do, once you switch collars on or pick a competition preset. Most gym calculations leave them off, because everyday collars vary and nobody counts them.
Why can the calculator not reach my exact target?+
Your bar, your collars, and the plate sizes you enabled decide which totals exist at all. When your exact weight is not one of them, the calculator keeps the closest lighter and heavier setups apart instead of choosing for you.
How do I calculate the weight already on a bar?+
Switch to Count this bar, choose your equipment, and add the plates you can see on one sleeve. The calculator doubles that side and adds the bar and collars back on.
Made by Everground
The plates are the easy part. The rest is the workout.
Everground times the workout and records what you lifted, movement by movement, so the 100 kg you just loaded still means something when you look back at it in three months.