About the Barbell Plate Calculator
Which plates to load on each side of the bar for a target weight, using the plates you own.
Also known as: plate loading calculator, plate math, what plates do i need, plate-loading, plate-pair, target-weight.
How to use this calculator
- Enter target total weight, bar weight, unit, available plates (per side).
- The result updates instantly as you type — press Calculate (or Enter) at any time.
- Review the breakdown shown under the main result.
- Use Copy result or Share to save the answer or send a link with your inputs.
Formula
Per side = (target − bar) ÷ 2, loaded greedily from the heaviest plate
Worked example
Using the values pre-filled in the calculator above:
- Target total weight = 102.5
- Bar weight = 20
- Unit: kg
- Available plates (per side): 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5, 1.25
the calculator returns:
- Plates per side: 25 + 15 + 1.25
- Total loaded: 102.5 kg
- Difference from target: 0 kg
- Plates needed: 6