Free lifting calculator

Plate Calculator

Enter a target weight and choose a bar to see which plates go on each side. The calculator loads the heaviest plates first. When standard plates cannot make the exact weight, it shows the closest lighter load and how far short it is.

Pound plates: 45, 35, 25, 10, 5 and 2.5 lb
Kilogram plates: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg
Bars: 45, 35, 33, 25 and 15 lb, or 20, 15 and 10 kg
Free to use, no account needed

How the plate math works

Subtract the bar from your target and split what is left in half. That is the load for each side. The calculator fills each side with the heaviest plate that fits, then the next size down, until no plate fits. Both sides always get the same plates.

Worked example: 315 lb on a 45 lb bar

315 lb minus the 45 lb bar leaves 270 lb of plates, or 135 lb per side. Three 45 lb plates make exactly 135 lb, so each side gets three 45s. In kilograms, 140 kg on a 20 kg bar leaves 60 kg per side: two 25 kg plates and one 10 kg plate.

When the weight is not exact

The smallest pound plate is 2.5 lb, so pound loads move in 5 lb steps. Ask for 227 lb on a 45 lb bar and the calculator loads 225 lb, two 45 lb plates per side, and tells you it is 2 lb short. With kilogram plates the smallest step is 2.5 kg, one 1.25 kg plate per side.

Common loads on a 45 lb bar

Total	Plates on each side
135 lb	45 lb
185 lb	45 lb + 25 lb
225 lb	2 x 45 lb
275 lb	2 x 45 lb + 25 lb
315 lb	3 x 45 lb
365 lb	3 x 45 lb + 25 lb
405 lb	4 x 45 lb
455 lb	4 x 45 lb + 25 lb

Each row lists the plates for one side. Load the same plates on the other side. The bar weighs 45 lb.

Common loads on a 20 kg bar

Total	Plates on each side
60 kg	20 kg
80 kg	25 kg + 5 kg
100 kg	25 kg + 15 kg
120 kg	2 x 25 kg
140 kg	2 x 25 kg + 10 kg
160 kg	2 x 25 kg + 20 kg
180 kg	3 x 25 kg + 5 kg
200 kg	3 x 25 kg + 15 kg

Each row lists the plates for one side. Load the same plates on the other side. The bar weighs 20 kg.