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Free strength tool

Barbell plate calculator.

Enter a target weight and your bar. We split the load evenly and show exactly which plates go on each side, color-coded like competition plates. Toggle off anything your gym does not stock, and we reload with what is left.

Load the bar

Bar
Unit
Plates available

Turn off any plate your gym does not have. We reload with the rest.

Load per side

25 + 15

2 plates per side

Total: 100 kgBar: 20 kg

How it works

From a target number to the plates in your hands.

How plate math works

A loaded bar carries the same weight on both sleeves, so you only ever load half the working weight per side. Subtract the bar, halve what is left, and fill from the heaviest plate down. This tool does that in one step so you are not doing arithmetic between heavy sets.

Why the closest number matters

Not every target is loadable. With a full set the finest jump is 2.5 kg (a pair of 1.25s) or 5 lb; strip plates out and the gaps grow. When your target lands between two loadable totals we show the nearest one you can actually build and how much you fall short per side.

Color-coded like the rack

Plates are drawn in the standard competition colors: red, blue, yellow, green and the lighter change plates, sized so the picture matches what you pull off the rack. Read the bar left to right, heaviest plate against the collar.

Straight into training

Pair it with a working weight from the 1RM calculator and every set has a loadout. Ironstead shows the plate math for each set you log, so the bar is right without a mental tally mid-workout.

Common questions

About loading the bar.

Does the target weight include the bar?
Yes. The target is the full weight on the platform, bar included. The plate list shows one side only, because both sides are loaded the same.
What if my gym does not have every plate?
Toggle off the plates you do not have. We reload the bar with what is left and, if your exact target is no longer reachable, show the closest total you can build and the per-side shortfall.
Which bar weight should I pick?
A standard men's Olympic bar is 20 kg (45 lb); a women's bar is 15 kg; short training and technique bars are often 10 kg. Use Custom for a fixed machine bar, a safety-squat bar or anything non-standard.
kg or lb?
Both. Switching the unit swaps the bar presets and the standard plate set, so kg lifters see 25 down to 1.25 and lb lifters see 45 down to 2.5.
Why can it not hit my exact number?
Plates come in fixed sizes, so only certain totals are loadable. If your target sits between two of them we round to the nearest and tell you how far off each side is, rather than pretending a weight you cannot build.

Stop doing bar math between sets.

Ironstead shows the exact plate loadout for every working set you log, in kg or lb, so the bar is always right. Free for athletes.

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Loadouts assume evenly matched plates and secure collars. Check the bar before you unrack, and use a spotter for heavy work.

Ironstead - Barbell Plate Calculator: Load Any Target Weight