Strength
Deadlift Max Calculator
Updated 31 Oct 2026 · Source: Epley, Brzycki and Lombardi formulas ↗, OpenPowerlifting meet data ↗
Enter the weight and reps of a hard deadlift set to get an estimated one rep max deadlift, training percentages and the median meet pull for your bodyweight.
Worked example
- Epley: 275 × (1 + 5 ÷ 30) = 320.8 lb
- Brzycki: 275 × 36 ÷ (37 − 5) = 309.4 lb
- Lombardi: 275 × 5^0.10 = 323.0 lb
- Average of the three: (320.8 + 309.4 + 323.0) ÷ 3 = 317.7, shown as 318 lb
Percent chart for a 318 lb max
| % of max | Weight (lb) | Reps you might get |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | 318 | 1 |
| 95% | 302 | about 2 |
| 90% | 286 | about 3 |
| 85% | 270 | about 5 |
| 80% | 254 | about 7 |
| 75% | 238 | about 10 |
| 70% | 222 | about 12 |
| 65% | 207 | about 14 |
| 60% | 191 | about 16 |
| 55% | 175 | about 19 |
| 50% | 159 | about 21 |
Median raw deadlift max in meet results, by bodyweight
| Bodyweight class | Men (lb) | Women class | Women (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 130 lb | 353 | up to 104 lb | 226 |
| up to 146 lb | 408 | up to 115 lb | 248 |
| up to 163 lb | 441 | up to 126 lb | 265 |
| up to 183 lb | 474 | up to 139 lb | 281 |
| up to 205 lb | 502 | up to 152 lb | 292 |
| up to 231 lb | 529 | up to 168 lb | 309 |
| up to 265 lb | 551 | up to 185 lb | 310 |
| over 265 lb | 562 | over 185 lb | 320 |
Median of each lifter's best deadlift max in 2016-2026 (no equipment), OpenPowerlifting archive. Meet lifters are stronger than the general population.
Conventional and sumo are different lifts
Conventional pullers stand with feet about hip width and hands outside the knees. Sumo pullers take a wide stance with hands inside the knees, which shortens the pull and puts more work on the hips. Your max in one style can be quite different from the other.
Enter the style you used and keep a separate max for each. A sumo estimate tells you little about your conventional pull, and the reverse is also true.
Grip can end the set first
On heavy pulls the hands often give out before the legs and back. A double overhand grip usually fails first, a mixed grip or hook grip holds longer, and straps take grip out of the picture.
If your grip failed, the estimate reflects your grip more than your pull. Note which grip you used, and do not compare a strapped set with an unstrapped one.
Why high rep deadlift estimates drift
Formula estimates for the deadlift tend to come out low. In one study that tested seven formulas on bench, squat and deadlift, every formula underestimated the real deadlift max.
Long deadlift sets wear down the grip, the lower back and your position off the floor, so reps fail earlier than the formulas expect. Keep test sets short: 3 to 5 reps gives a cleaner reading than 10 or more.
Safety on heavy pulls
A deadlift needs no spotter or safety bars, since the bar starts and ends on the floor and can be set down at any point. The risk comes from grinding out reps with a rounded back, so end the set when your position breaks and count only the clean reps.
Where your pull sits in meet results
The median table shows the middle raw deadlift for each bodyweight class in meet results from 2016 to 2026. For men up to 183 lb the median is 474 lb, the highest of the three lifts in that class. For women up to 139 lb it is 281 lb.
To see the full spread, use the deadlift standards. To combine all three lifts and score them against bodyweight, try the powerlifting total calculator.
Related pages
Rep Max Chart, Squat Max Calculator, One Rep Max Formula, Bench Press Calculator
Questions
Does a trap bar deadlift give the same max?
No. The handles sit at your sides and the bar weighs differently from a standard bar, so keep it as a separate lift. See trap bar weight for the bar itself.
Should I count touch and go reps?
Count them, but note it. Bouncing the plates off the floor makes later reps easier than resetting each one, so the estimate may run high.
Why does my default example show about 318 lb?
The example set is 275 lb for 5 reps. The average of Epley, Brzycki and Lombardi for that set is about 318 lb (144 kg).
How we calculate: every formula, with its author and year, is on our method page; data sources and their licenses are on sources.
This page uses data from the OpenPowerlifting project, https://www.openpowerlifting.org.
gymnical.com gives estimates from published formulas and public data. It is not medical advice and not a training prescription. Last reviewed November 2026.