About this tool
The Barbell Plate Loading Calculator tells you exactly which plates go on each side of the bar to hit a target weight, or works backwards to total up plates you have already loaded. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
In 'plates for a weight' mode it takes the weight per side as (target − bar) ÷ 2, then fills that greedily from the largest available plate down: it uses as many of each plate as fit before moving to the next size. Any weight that cannot be made from your plate set is shown as a remainder. In 'weight from plates' mode it does the reverse, computing total = bar + 2 × (sum of the plates on one side). You choose the unit (default bar 45 lb or 20 kg) and tick which plate denominations you own (lb 45/35/25/10/5/2.5; kg 25/20/15/10/5/2.5/1.25).
To use it, pick your unit and bar weight, set the target, and read the per-side list (for example 45 + 45 for 225 lb on a 45 lb bar). Load each listed plate on both sides. This is general fitness information, not medical or coaching advice.