Barbell Plate Loading Chart (kg & lb)
The complete per-side loading for a 20 kg (44 lb) Olympic barbell and a 45 lb barbell. Assumes one pair each of 25/20/15/10/5/2.5/1.25 kg or 45/35/25/10/5/2.5 lb plates, largest plate first — exactly how the calculator loads by default.
Kilogram barbell — 20 kg bar
| Target weight | Plates per side |
|---|---|
| 25 kg | 1 × 2.5 |
| 30 kg | 1 × 5 |
| 35 kg | 1 × 5 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 40 kg | 1 × 10 |
| 45 kg | 1 × 10 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 50 kg | 1 × 15 |
| 55 kg | 1 × 15 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 60 kg | 1 × 20 |
| 65 kg | 1 × 20 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 70 kg | 1 × 25 |
| 75 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 80 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 5 |
| 85 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 5 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 90 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 10 |
| 95 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 10 + 1 × 2.5 |
| 100 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 15 |
| 110 kg | 1 × 25 + 1 × 20 |
| 120 kg | 2 × 25 |
| 130 kg | 2 × 25 + 1 × 5 |
| 140 kg | 2 × 25 + 1 × 10 |
| 150 kg | 2 × 25 + 1 × 15 |
| 160 kg | 2 × 25 + 1 × 20 |
| 170 kg | 3 × 25 |
| 180 kg | 3 × 25 + 1 × 5 |
| 190 kg | 3 × 25 + 1 × 10 |
| 200 kg | 3 × 25 + 1 × 15 |
On a 15 kg women’s bar, subtract 5 kg from the bar and re-solve: (target − 15) ÷ 2 per side. The calculator does this automatically when you change the bar weight.
Pound barbell — 45 lb bar
| Target weight | Plates per side |
|---|---|
| 95 lb | 1 × 25 |
| 115 lb | 1 × 35 |
| 135 lb | 1 × 45 |
| 155 lb | 1 × 45 + 1 × 10 |
| 175 lb | 1 × 45 + 2 × 10 |
| 185 lb | 1 × 45 + 1 × 25 |
| 205 lb | 1 × 45 + 1 × 35 |
| 225 lb | 2 × 45 |
| 245 lb | 2 × 45 + 1 × 10 |
| 265 lb | 2 × 45 + 2 × 10 |
| 275 lb | 2 × 45 + 1 × 25 |
| 295 lb | 2 × 45 + 1 × 35 |
| 315 lb | 3 × 45 |
| 335 lb | 3 × 45 + 1 × 10 |
| 365 lb | 3 × 45 + 1 × 25 |
| 385 lb | 3 × 45 + 1 × 35 |
| 405 lb | 4 × 45 |
| 425 lb | 4 × 45 + 1 × 10 |
| 455 lb | 4 × 45 + 1 × 25 |
| 475 lb | 4 × 45 + 1 × 35 |
| 495 lb | 5 × 45 |
Milestone weights follow standard gym convention. For anything between them — or if you are missing a plate pair — the calculator finds the closest achievable load with the exact plates you own.
The maths behind the chart
(Target − bar weight) ÷ 2 = plates per side. Each figure in the tables above is the largest-first combination that hits the target exactly with a standard plate set. Example: 100 kg on a 20 kg bar → (100 − 20) ÷ 2 = 40 kg per side → 25 + 15.
Can’t hit it exactly? A 2.5 kg plate per side moves the total 5 kg; a 1.25 kg moves it 2.5 kg. If your smallest plate is 5 kg, you can only move in 10 kg jumps — fractional plates fix that.
Keep reading
Weight plate buying guide →
How much does a barbell weigh? →
1RM percentage chart →