Plate Calculator
Figure out exactly which plates to load on the bar to hit your target weight.
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Example 1 — Metric
BMI = 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) = 70 ÷ 3.0625 ≈ 22.9 — Normal weight
📘 What is the Plate Calculator?
Quickly figuring out which plates to load for a specific target weight is a small but genuinely useful calculation, especially under time pressure between sets. This calculator works out the exact combination of standard plates needed per side to hit your target as closely as possible.
⚙️ How Plate Calculator is calculated
The greedy plate-selection approach
This calculator works through available plates from largest to smallest, using as many of the largest plate as fit, then moving to the next size down, repeating until the target weight per side is reached or the closest achievable combination is found.
Why the bar weight matters
A standard Olympic barbell weighs 20kg — this is subtracted from your target total before calculating per-side plate weight, since the bar itself already contributes that weight before any plates are added.
When the exact target cannot be hit precisely
Standard plate increments (down to 1.25kg) cannot always hit every possible target weight exactly — this calculator shows the closest achievable total and the small remainder, if any, so you know precisely what you are actually lifting.
Plates needed per side
Per side weight = (target weight − bar weight) ÷ 2
Then greedily filled using standard plate sizes: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25kg
🧮 Worked examples
Example — 100kg target, 20kg bar
Target total of 100kg using a standard 20kg Olympic bar.
→ Per side weight needed = 40kg, achieved using one 25kg plate and one 15kg plate per side
Example — a weight that does not divide evenly
A target of 101kg instead, same 20kg bar.
→ Per side weight needed = 40.5kg — the calculator finds the closest achievable combination and shows any small remainder
💡 Original insights & how to use this calculator
Quickly loading the bar for a new target weight
Rather than mentally calculating plate combinations under time pressure between sets, this gives an instant, exact answer.
Planning a progressive overload sequence
Calculating plate combinations for a series of planned weight increases ahead of a session helps you set up the right plates in advance.
Working with a gym that has a different plate set
If your gym does not stock every standard plate size, the closest achievable combination shown here helps you adapt your target slightly to what is actually available.
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💡 Expert tips
Always load plates symmetrically and use collars to keep them secure, especially as weight increases.
❓ Common questions
What plates does a standard gym usually have?
Most commercial gyms stock 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, and 1.25kg plates per side, on a 20kg Olympic bar.
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