Tools Strength
Barbell plate calculator
Enter the weight you want on the bar and see exactly which plates to load on each side, in pounds or kilograms. Tell it which plates you actually have and it works around a partial set. Nothing leaves your browser.
A loaded barbell is the bar plus a matching pair of plates on each sleeve, so the plates on one side always weigh half of the total minus the bar. This calculator loads the heaviest plates first and works down, the same order you would at the rack, and rounds to weights you can actually build. It uses the standard Olympic plate sets the Anneal app rounds working weights to, so a prescribed load and its plate loadout always agree.
Load the bar
Loading a weight you cannot build exactly
A barbell moves in steps of twice your smallest plate, because both sides load together. With a full set the smallest step is 5 lb (a pair of 2.5s) or 2.5 kg (a pair of 1.25s), so most round numbers are loadable. Drop your small plates and the step widens fast, which is why a home-gym setup often cannot hit an exact target. When that happens the calculator shows the closest weight below and above so you can pick the one nearer your working load.
Once you know the weight, the 1RM calculator turns it into training percentages, and the RIR-to-load calculator works the other way, from a target effort to a weight you can then load here.
Common questions
How do I load a barbell to an exact weight?
Subtract the bar weight, then split what is left evenly across both sides, since a barbell is loaded with mirror pairs. Load the heaviest plates first and work down. This calculator does that for you: enter the total you want and it lists the plates for one side, largest first.
What if I do not have every plate?
Uncheck any plate pair you do not own. When the exact weight cannot be built from your plates, the calculator shows the closest loadable weight below and above so you can pick one. A barbell only moves in steps of twice your smallest plate, because both sides load together.
How much does an Olympic barbell weigh?
A standard men's Olympic bar is 45 lb, or 20 kg in a metric gym. A women's bar is 35 lb or 15 kg, and an EZ-curl bar is lighter still. Set the bar weight to match yours so the plate math starts from the right floor.