How much does a barbell weigh?

A standard Olympic barbell weighs 45 pounds (20 kilograms) and is the most common bar you’ll find in commercial gyms.

However, not all barbells are created equal.

Women’s Olympic bars weigh 35 pounds (15 kilograms) and have a slightly smaller diameter for easier grip. Training bars, often used by beginners or for technique work, typically weigh just 15 pounds (7 kilograms).

Knowing your bar weight is essential because it forms the foundation of your total lift.

When someone asks how much you bench or squat, that number includes everything – the bar plus all the plates loaded on each side. Our calculator automatically factors in your selected barbell weight so you always get an accurate total.

Use this as a plate calculator too (for bench and squat)

Beyond calculating your total barbell weight, this tool doubles as a handy plate calculator.

Simply tap the colored plate buttons to add weight, and the calculator instantly shows you exactly what’s loaded on each side of the bar. This is incredibly useful when you’re at the gym trying to figure out what plates you need to hit a specific number. The visual breakdown displays each plate size with a count, so you can quickly replicate the setup on your actual barbell.

Whether you’re working with a fully stocked gym or limited equipment at home, you’ll know exactly which combination of plates to grab:

• How many plates 225 is
• How much two 45 plates on each side is
• How much two 45 plates and a 25 on each side is
• 3 plates on each side is
• 4 plates on each side is
• 2 45 plates on each side
• 5 plates on each side

Determine how many plates to reach your desired barbell weight

Planning your lifts becomes effortless when you can reverse-engineer your target weight. If your program calls for a 185-pound squat, just start tapping plates until you hit that number.

The calculator shows your running total in real time, making it simple to experiment with different plate combinations.

This is especially helpful for progressive overload – when you need to add small increments each week, you can see exactly how to make those micro-adjustments. The undo button lets you remove the last plate added if you overshoot, while the reset button clears everything so you can start fresh.

Switch between pounds and kilograms with one tap if you train at a gym that uses metric plates.

No more mental math, no more confusion about what’s actually on the bar.