How Much Does a Barbell Weigh? Bars, Plates and Collars Explained
A standard men’s Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg and is 2.2 metres long. The women’s Olympic bar weighs 15 kg and is slightly shorter with a thinner grip. Those are the two you will meet most in UK gyms, but plenty of other bars are lighter or heavier: technique bars can be 5 to 10 kg, EZ curl bars and fixed-weight bars vary widely, and a trap bar is often 20 kg or more. To work out what you are lifting, add the bar, every plate and the collars. Below is how to tell the bars apart, what the plate colours mean, and the common counting mistakes.
The main types of barbell
| Bar | Typical weight | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Olympic bar | 20 kg | 2.2 m long, thicker grip (about 28 mm), rotating sleeves with 50 mm holes for plates |
| Women’s Olympic bar | 15 kg | About 2.01 m long, thinner grip (about 25 mm), often no centre knurl |
| Powerlifting bar | Usually 20 kg | Stiffer, aggressive knurling including a centre section |
| Technique or training bar | Often 5 to 10 kg | Lighter, sometimes aluminium; for learning lifts |
| Standard (1 inch) bar | Varies, often 5 to 10 kg | Same diameter along its length, small-hole plates, common in home sets |
| EZ curl bar | Varies widely | Zig-zag shape in the middle |
| Trap or hex bar | Often 20 to 30 kg | Hexagonal frame you stand inside |
The Olympic figures come from the international weightlifting federation’s specifications, which most quality gym bars follow. Anything outside those standards is up to the manufacturer, so the only way to know for sure is to look for a marking on the bar or ask.
The pound problem
Some bars, especially imported ones, are made to a 45 lb standard. That is about 20.4 kg, close enough not to matter for most people. Plates are more of an issue: a gym with a mix of kilo and pound plates can quietly add or remove a few kilos from your total. Check the markings on each plate.
Plates and what the colours mean
Competition plates in kilos follow a standard colour scheme. Many gym bumper plates copy it:
- Red: 25 kg
- Blue: 20 kg
- Yellow: 15 kg
- Green: 10 kg
- White: 5 kg
Smaller change plates often repeat the same colours at smaller weights, which can confuse people. Always read the number, not just the colour. Black iron and black rubber plates have no colour code at all.
Bumper plates vs iron plates
Bumper plates are thick rubber, designed to be dropped from overhead in Olympic lifting. Iron plates are thinner and should not be dropped. A 20 kg bumper and a 20 kg iron plate weigh the same; the bumper simply takes up more of the sleeve. That is why a heavily loaded bar can run out of room with bumpers before it does with iron.
How accurate are plates?
Calibrated competition plates are made to a tight tolerance. Ordinary gym plates can be a little over or under their stated weight. For training purposes it rarely matters, as long as you use the same plates each time, but it is one reason a lift can feel slightly different from one gym to the next.
Collars
Collars stop plates sliding off the sleeves. A pair of spring clips or plastic lock-jaw collars adds very little, usually well under half a kilo together, and most people ignore them. Competition collars are different: they are 2.5 kg each, so a pair adds 5 kg to the bar. If you are counting exact weight against a target, know which kind you are using.
How to add up what you are lifting
- Start with the bar weight. If it is unmarked and you are unsure, ask.
- Add up the plates on one side.
- Double that figure, assuming both sides are loaded the same.
- Add the collars if they are heavy competition collars.
Example: a 20 kg bar with a 20 kg plate and a 5 kg plate on each side is 20 + (25 x 2) = 70 kg. Spring clips add nothing worth counting.
The most common counting mistakes:
- Forgetting the bar entirely. A bar with two 10 kg plates is 40 kg, not 20 kg.
- Counting only one side, then reporting it as the total.
- Assuming every bar is 20 kg, including a lighter women’s or training bar.
- Mixing kilo and pound plates without noticing.
Which bar should a beginner use?
Whichever one lets you do the movement with good form at the right load. For many adults starting out, an empty 20 kg bar is a reasonable starting point for squats, but too heavy for an overhead press or a first bent-over row. A 15 kg bar, a lighter training bar or dumbbells are perfectly good alternatives. There is no prize for starting with the “proper” bar if it compromises the movement.
Our guide to barbell basics covers loading, grip and unracking safely, and our post on how to use a squat rack explains safeties and J-hooks. If you are wondering where your numbers should be heading, see realistic squat benchmarks for adults.
For the official specifications on competition bars and plates, British Weight Lifting is the UK governing body and a good starting point.
Check with your GP first if you have a back, knee or shoulder injury, a heart condition, are pregnant or are returning after a long break before you start loading a barbell.
Barbell training in the studio
The private studio in Highgate has a squat rack, barbell and plates alongside a full dumbbell rack. In a first session, part of the job is simply working out which loads suit you for each lift, and whether a barbell is the right tool yet. Every weight is logged, including the bar, so your numbers are always counted the same way.
Questions we get asked
Does the barbell count in the weight?
Yes. When people quote a lift, the total includes the bar.
How much does the bar on a Smith machine weigh?
It varies by machine, and many are counterbalanced to feel lighter. Check the label on the machine or ask the gym.
Is a 20 kg bar too heavy for a beginner?
For squats and deadlifts, often not. For presses overhead, it can be. Use lighter options until form is solid.
How much does an EZ bar weigh?
It depends on the model. Many sit somewhere in single figures, but check the marking.
For coached barbell work with every number logged, see 1-1 personal training in Highgate or start at the homepage.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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