// FREE CALCULATOR //

Plate Calculator

Enter the weight you want on the bar and see which plates go on each side. Choose your bar, count collars if you use them, and untick plates your gym doesn’t have. It loads the way the IronLedger app does: bar and collars first, then the heaviest plate that fits, then the next.

Any barkg or lbCollars on or offThe plates you own

// THE ARITHMETIC //

Halve what’s left after the bar.

// PER SIDE //

each side = (target − bar − collars) ÷ 2

140 kg on a 20 kg bar: (140 − 20) ÷ 2 = 60 kg a side, so 25 + 25 + 10. With 2.5 kg competition collars: (140 − 20 − 5) ÷ 2 = 57.5 kg, so 25 + 25 + 5 + 2.5.

// QUICK ANSWERS //

Common loads, per side.

Standard gym plates, no collars. Heaviest plates go on first.

Plates per side on a 20 kg bar
Target	Each side	Per side
40 kg	1 × 10 kg	10 kg
60 kg	1 × 20 kg	20 kg
80 kg	1 × 25 kg + 1 × 5 kg	30 kg
100 kg	1 × 25 kg + 1 × 15 kg	40 kg
120 kg	2 × 25 kg	50 kg
140 kg	2 × 25 kg + 1 × 10 kg	60 kg
160 kg	2 × 25 kg + 1 × 20 kg	70 kg
180 kg	3 × 25 kg + 1 × 5 kg	80 kg
200 kg	3 × 25 kg + 1 × 15 kg	90 kg
220 kg	4 × 25 kg	100 kg

Plates per side on a 45 lb bar
Target	Each side	Per side
95 lb	1 × 25 lb	25 lb
135 lb	1 × 45 lb	45 lb
185 lb	1 × 45 lb + 1 × 25 lb	70 lb
225 lb	2 × 45 lb	90 lb
275 lb	2 × 45 lb + 1 × 25 lb	115 lb
315 lb	3 × 45 lb	135 lb
365 lb	3 × 45 lb + 1 × 25 lb	160 lb
405 lb	4 × 45 lb	180 lb
455 lb	4 × 45 lb + 1 × 25 lb	205 lb
495 lb	5 × 45 lb	225 lb

// GETTING IT RIGHT //

Small details, right load.

Heaviest plates inside

Load the heaviest plates first, on the inside of the sleeve, and work down in size. It is the IPF rule for competition, and it is the order this calculator lists them.

Know your bar

Most men’s bars are 20 kg or 45 lb, but women’s, technique, squat and specialty bars are not. Pick the right preset or type the weight. Our guide to how much a barbell weighs lists every common bar.

Plan the whole session

Ramp up with the warm-up calculator, which gives every warm-up set its plates, and find a working weight with the one rep max calculator.

// DIRECT ANSWERS //

Questions lifters ask.

How do I work out the plates for each side?

Take the bar off the target, then any collars, and halve what is left: that is the weight for each side. For 140 kg on a 20 kg bar, (140 − 20) ÷ 2 = 60 kg a side, which is two 25 kg plates and a 10 kg plate.

What plates make 225 lb?

Two 45 lb plates on each side of a 45 lb bar: 45 + 4 × 45 = 225 lb. Lifters call it two plates. 135 lb is one plate a side and 315 lb is three.

Do collars count toward the weight?

Count them if they are heavy. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each under IPF rules, so a competition bar with its collars is 25 kg before any plates go on. Tick “Count collars” and set the weight of each one.

What if my gym doesn’t have every plate?

Untick the sizes you don’t have, or enter how many pairs you own. The calculator then loads what it can and tells you how far short of the target that is, so you can round the target or find a smaller plate.

How do I convert pound plates to kilos?

One pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg, so a 45 lb plate is 20.4 kg and a 20 kg plate is 44.1 lb. The result always shows the loaded weight in the other unit too.

Does IronLedger have a plate calculator?

Yes. The IronLedger logger has a plate calculator that works from your own bar and plate inventory, with seven bar presets and collars, and a suggested warm-up set can be sent straight to it. It uses the same loading rule as this page.

// SOURCES //

Where the maths comes from.

Your plates, in your pocket

IronLedger’s plate calculator works from your own bar and plate inventory, right in the logger, and suggested warm-up sets can be sent to it in one tap. Free, with no subscription. iPhone now; Android is in closed testing.

Get IronLedger free on iOS

Use it from an AI assistant

The same calculation is a free JSON API at /api/tools/plates and a tool on the IronLedger MCP server, so an assistant can run it and link back to this page with your numbers.

API and MCP details

// MORE TOOLS //