Free tool · Training

Barbell plate calculator

Short answer

Take the bar (and collars) off the target, halve what is left, and load that on each side, heaviest plate first. For 142.5 kg on a 20 kg bar, each side gets 25 × 2, 10, 1.25 kg. If your plates cannot make the exact weight, the calculator shows the closest load below it.

Last reviewed 27 October 20261 published sourcesNot medical advice

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Barbell plate calculator

Plates are loaded heaviest first, the order the IPF rulebook uses. Results are for one side of the bar.

Unit
kg
Bar
Collars

Enter the weight you want on the bar.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Plates per side on a 20 kg bar with 2.5 kg collars
TotalEach side (kg)
60 kg15, 2.5
80 kg25, 2.5
100 kg25, 10, 2.5
120 kg25, 20, 2.5
140 kg25 × 2, 5, 2.5
160 kg25 × 2, 15, 2.5
180 kg25 × 3, 2.5
200 kg25 × 3, 10, 2.5
250 kg25 × 4, 10, 2.5
Using the IPF competition discs (25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg), heaviest first.

Competition plates and collars

In IPF competition, discs come in 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 kg, must be loaded heaviest innermost, and are colour-coded: 25 kg red, 20 kg blue and 15 kg yellow. Collars must always be used and weigh 2.5 kg each, so the bar and collars together weigh 25 kg (IPF Technical Rulebook, 2026).

In a gym, choose no collars if you use light spring clips, and competition collars only if you load them.

Picking the weight

Work out your working weights from a recent hard set with the one rep max calculator, and plan the next jump with the progressive overload calculator.

Log the set, race your best

Say the weight and reps out loud mid-set and Reps logs it, then shows a ghost of your previous best so you know when you are ahead.

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Common questions

How do I work out plates per side?

Subtract the bar and collars from the weight you want, then divide by two. For 142.5 kg on a 20 kg bar with no collars, that is 61.25 kg a side.

How much does an Olympic barbell weigh?

The IPF rulebook sets the bar and collars together at 25 kg, with each collar weighing 2.5 kg, so the bar itself is 20 kg. Gym bars vary, so check the weight of the one you use.

Which order do the plates go on?

Heaviest first, nearest the middle of the bar, then smaller plates in descending order. That is the order the IPF rulebook requires in competition.

Sources

Figures on this page were checked against these publications on 27 October 2026.

  1. International Powerlifting Federation. Technical Rulebook, effective 1 March 2026. Sections 2.3 (bars and discs) and 2.4 (collars). www.powerlifting.sport/fileadmin/ipf/data/rules/technical-rules/english/2026_IPF_Technical_Rulebook__effective_01_March_2026__v3.pdf

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