Bars and plates
How Much Does a Barbell Weigh
Updated 1 Nov 2026 · Source: powerlifting technical rules ↗
A men's Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg, which is 44.1 lb, and US gyms sell and count it as 45 lb. Enter your bar and the plates on each side to get the total in pounds and kilograms.
Worked example
- Plates on one side: 70.0 lb
- Both sides: 70.0 × 2 = 140.0 lb
- Add the bar: 140.0 + 45.0 = 185.0 lb
Common barbells and what they weigh
| Bar | Typical weight (lb) | Typical weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Men's Olympic bar (7.2 ft) | 44.1 (sold as 45) | 20 |
| Women's Olympic bar (6.6 ft) | 33.1 (sold as 35) | 15 |
| Technique or training bar | about 11 to 15 | about 5 to 7 |
| Standard 1 inch bar, 5 to 6 ft | about 9 to 22 | about 4 to 10 |
| EZ curl bar | about 10 to 35 | about 5 to 16 |
| Trap or hex bar | about 45 to 75 | about 20 to 34 |
| Safety squat bar | about 40 to 70 | about 18 to 32 |
| Swiss or multi-grip bar | about 25 to 50 | about 11 to 23 |
| Smith machine bar (as felt) | about 6 to 45 | about 3 to 20 |
Ranges cover common gym models. Check the label on the bar, or weigh it on a scale.
The two Olympic bars
International weightlifting rules set two bar sizes. The men's bar weighs 20 kg (44.1 lb), is 2,200 mm long (about 7.2 ft) and has a 28 mm shaft. The women's bar weighs 15 kg (33.1 lb), is 2,010 mm long (about 6.6 ft) and has a thinner 25 mm shaft so smaller hands can wrap it.
Both bars have 50 mm sleeves, so they take the same plates. The space between the inner collars is also the same on both, 1,310 mm. If a bar in your gym is shorter and has a thinner grip, it is most likely the 15 kg bar.
Why US gyms call it a 45 lb bar
A true 20 kg bar is 44.09 lb. A bar made to 45 lb is 20.41 kg, so it is about 0.9 lb heavier. For daily training the gap does not matter, and most lifters simply write 45 lb in their log.
It starts to matter when you mix systems. A bar labeled in kilograms with pound plates on it, or the other way around, can put your total off by a few pounds. Our plate calculator works in either unit so you can load to the number you planned.
Bars that are not 45 lb
Plenty of bars in a gym are lighter or heavier than the Olympic bar. Aluminum technique bars usually weigh about 11 to 15 lb. Older straight bars with 1 inch sleeves run about 9 to 22 lb, depending on length. Specialty bars vary even more, from a curl bar to a hex bar.
None of these follow a standard, so treat every range on this page as a guide. The bar itself is the final word. For two of the common ones, see the pages on the trap bar and the EZ curl bar. The safety squat bar and the Swiss bar have their own pages too.
How to weigh an empty bar on a scale
If a bar has no label, a bathroom scale will tell you what it weighs. Step on the scale alone and note the number. Then pick up the empty bar, hold it level across your body, step on again and note the new number. The difference is the bar.
Do it twice and average the two results, since home scales drift a little. Write the number on a piece of tape on the bar sleeve, so you never have to guess again.
Reading the colors on the plates
Many gyms use the competition color code for kilogram plates: red 25 kg, blue 20 kg, yellow 15 kg, green 10 kg and white 5 kg. A bar loaded with one red plate per side and no collars totals 70 kg (20 + 25 + 25).
Pound plates often borrow similar colors, but there is no fixed rule for them. Read the number on the plate before you count it.
Related pages
Plate Calculator, Smith Machine Bar Weight, Trap Bar Weight, How Much Does an EZ Bar Weigh, Dumbbell Weight Chart
Questions
Does a 45 lb bar with two 45 lb plates make 135 lb?
Yes. One 45 lb plate on each side plus the 45 lb bar is 135 lb, often called one plate. With a true 20 kg bar the total is about 134.1 lb.
Do the collars count toward the weight?
In competition, yes: each collar weighs 2.5 kg, so a men's bar with collars is 25 kg. Light gym clips weigh very little, and most people leave them out of the count.
How much does the bar in the example weigh with plates?
The example uses a 45 lb bar with one 45 and one 25 lb plate per side. That is 70 lb per side, 140 lb of plates and 185 lb in total.
Is the women's bar just a shorter men's bar?
It is lighter, shorter and thinner in the grip, but the sleeves are the same 50 mm size. Any lifter can use it, and it suits smaller hands well.
How we calculate: every formula, with its author and year, is on our method page; data sources and their licenses are on sources.
gymnical.com gives estimates from published formulas and public data. It is not medical advice and not a training prescription. Last reviewed November 2026.