Plate calculator: what plates to load on the bar
Enter your target weight, bar and the plates at your gym: the calculator tells you which plates to load on each side.
Plates on each side
Heaviest against the collar stop, lightest on the outside.
Total weight: 100 kg
How the calculation works
The calculator subtracts the weight of the bar and collars from your target, splits the rest in two, then finds the simplest combination of plates to load from the ones you selected. If the exact weight is not possible, it gives you the closest weight below, rather than something heavier than planned.
Bar and collar weights
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) rules set the weight of competition bars: 20 kg for the men's bar and 15 kg for the women's bar. Competition collars weigh 2.5 kg each. In most gyms, spring clips are far lighter, and some technique bars weigh less than 20 kg: check your bar's weight before loading it.
Plate order and colours
The same rules require loading plates from heaviest to lightest, moving toward the outside of the bar. Competition plates have one colour per weight:
- 25 kg and 2.5 kg: red
- 20 kg and 2 kg: blue
- 15 kg and 1.5 kg: yellow
- 10 kg and 1 kg: green
- 5 kg and 0.5 kg: white
The 1.25 kg plate, very common in gyms, is not part of the competition set: it is shown in grey.
Not sure what weight to aim for? Estimate your max first with our one rep max calculator.
Loaden remembers your weights
Every set is logged with its weight, and the app suggests the one for your next session.
