Sport & running
Which barbell plates do you need to load your target weight?
Which Olympic plates to load per side for your target bar weight — 25 kg down to 1.25 kg.
Quick answer
Loading a bar to an exact weight is arithmetic everyone gets wrong under fatigue: total weight minus the bar, divided by two, then greedy plate stacking from the largest disk down. For 100 kg on a 20 kg Olympic bar, each sleeve needs 40 kg — typically 25 + 10 + 5 per side (not "two 20s" unless you own them).
Plates per side
40 kg
- Plate stack (each side)
- 25 + 15
- Total plates to load
- 4
Loads the bar symmetrically with Olympic plates (25 down to 1.25 kg). Collars are not included. If you are 0.25 kg short, add micro-plates or adjust the target.
How it works
Standard competition bumpers run 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg. If the calculator says you are 0.25 kg short, you need fractional plates or a different target — the math does not lie. Formula: plates per side = (target − bar) ÷ 2; load symmetrically and clip collars before you step back.
Check the one number the calculation assumes rather than measures: the bar itself. A men's Olympic bar is 20 kg, a women's Olympic bar is 15, technique bars run 5 to 10, and the plain bars in many commercial gyms are 10 to 12 kg while looking much like the real thing. Load a calculated total onto the wrong assumption and you are five to ten kilograms out — trivial on a heavy squat, but a large error on a 50 kg press, and enough to make a percentage-based programme meaningless. Put the bar on a scale once and write the number on your phone.
Frequently asked questions
How many plates for 100 kg total?+
On a 20 kg bar: (100 − 20) ÷ 2 = 40 kg per side → one 25, one 10, one 5 kg plate each side. Total six plates plus the bar.
Why can't I hit exactly 82.5 kg sometimes?+
You need the smallest plate in your set on each side. With 1.25 kg minimum, totals move in 2.5 kg steps once the bar is loaded. Buy fractional 0.5/0.25 kg plates for micro-loading.
Women's bar vs men's bar?+
Competition women's bars are 15 kg and often 25 mm shaft; men's are 20 kg and 28 mm. Always subtract the real bar weight — a 15 kg bar changes every plate calculation.
Do collars count in the total?+
Spring collars weigh ~0.25 kg each — negligible for gym training, counted in calibrated competition totals. This calculator sizes plates only; add collars after.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases — the price does not change for you.