We’ve all had the moment where we finish a set and think, right, what do I actually log for that? Usually, the plate numbers go into the tracking app and that’s the end of it. The bar itself never makes it into the maths. The progress from adding more weight is real, but the number in your app is lower than the weight you just moved.
Two things make bars easy to get wrong. They look interchangeable when they’re racked side by side, and it’s hard to tell a 15kg barbell and a 20kg barbell apart at a glance, so picking up a different one from your last session throws off your sets for reasons you can’t put your finger on. The second is reaching for a bar that doesn’t suit the lift you’re about to do. Both are solved when you know which bars are which.
How much does each type of gym bar weigh?
You’ll come across a lot of different bars on a commercial gym floor. Here are the eight most common gym bars, and what each one weighs before you load a single plate.
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Bar Type |
Weight |
Length |
Two things decide what a bar weighs:
- International governing bodies
- Equipment manufacturers
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) sets the 20kg men’s and 15kg women’s bar, along with the technique bars used to teach the lifts. The International Powerlifting Federation sets the competition bar at 20kg, with a shaft between 28mm and 29mm, a maximum overall length of 2.2m and grip markings 81cm apart.
Those figures have become the default across UK commercial gyms, which is why the standard rack is almost always 20kg. The men’s and women’s distinction exists for competition categories rather than as a rule about who should lift what.
Everything else on the list is down to the manufacturer.
Why do gym bars weigh different amounts?
Outside the competition specifications, four things influence the number.
- Length: A men’s bar runs just over 7ft and a women’s bar around 6ft. Nine inches of solid steel account for a good portion of that 5kg gap.
- Shaft diameter: Men’s bars sit at 28mm and women’s at 25mm, which makes the bar easier to grip for smaller hands. Power bars go the other way, up to 29mm, because a thicker shaft flexes less under a heavy squat.
- Steel: Standard steel and spring steel behave differently. Spring steel carries a higher yield strength, so it bends further during a lift and returns to straight afterwards. That’s whip, and it’s why our Ultra Bar suits Olympic lifting while the Competition Power Bar stays stiff for squats and deadlifts.
- Sleeve construction: Needle bearings, bushings and end caps all add mass. The standard loadable sleeve on a 7ft bar is 16 inches, but there are bars which come shorter than this. This length also impacts how much weight you can load on the bar.
Speciality bars sit outside all of this. A trap bar carries a full hexagonal frame and two sets of handles, so this will vary by the manufacturer’s design. A safety squat bar has a padded yoke and a cambered shaft, which is material a straight bar doesn’t have.
Does the bar count towards the weight you lift?
The bar weight counts towards the total amount you lift. If you have 20kg plates on either side, you’re lifting 60kg in total because you count both plates and the bar weight. The bar is the first thing on the lift, as you wouldn’t be lifting 0kg without any plates.
Two things get overlooked here. Spring clips add a few hundred grams, and you can round them off. Competition collars weigh 2.5kg each under both IWF and IPF rules, so a pair adds 5kg to any plates added.
Smith machines run the opposite way. The bar is counterbalanced by the frame, so the weight you’re moving is lower than the bar’s own mass. The figure changes between manufacturers and it’s rarely printed on the machine. Ask a member of staff at your gym, or if nobody knows, treat the weight as zero and log only the plates you add. It won’t be exact but at least your measurements will stay consistent.
The weight you log for your sets is only as accurate as the bar you started with.
Which barbell should you use?
The bar you reach for depends on your training style, your experience and the lift you plan to do.
For strength
- If you’re new to lifting, start on a lighter training bar and give yourself room to work on form and range of motion before adding to the load.
- If you train regularly, a standard 20kg or 15kg Olympic bar covers almost everything. Speciality bars are worth testing once the basics are settled.
- If you have lifting experience, a power bar handles the heavy squat, bench and deadlift work, with Olympic and speciality bars filling in your training around it.
For exercises
- Olympic bars: Squats, bench press, Olympic lifts
- Power bars: Powerlifting
- EZ curl bar: Curls and extensions
- Trap bars: Deadlifts, shrugs, loaded carries
What barbell should you buy?
Bar weight is the starting point, and its bar specification where you find out what you’re paying for.
If you’re training at home and doing a bit of everything, whether you’re an athlete or a fitness enthusiast, a 15kg or a 20kg Olympic bar covers you. Our Foundation Bar is the entry point with a one-year warranty, and the Wolverson Olympic Bar steps up to a two-year commercial warranty with the medium whip and passive knurling that suit CrossFit training.
If you’re chasing cleans and snatches, we’d point you towards the Ultra Bar. Spring steel, high whip and a three-year commercial warranty when used on the correct protective flooring.
If you’re kitting out a commercial gym, you need enough 20kg and 15kg bars that members aren’t queuing to train. Adding speciality bars widens what your programming can offer, which gives members more reason to stay.
Whoever you buy from, check the tensile strength rating. We build every bar above 190,000 PSI, which we treat as the sensible floor for a bar that’ll be loaded properly and often. Below around 165,000 PSI and you’re into territory where a heavy session can leave the bar permanently bent, and you’ll end up buying twice.
Not sure which bar fits your setup?
If you’re working out where a bar fits alongside a rack, plates and storage, our free 3D Gym Builder lets you lay the whole space out before you spend anything. Our barbell guide goes deeper on whip, knurling and coatings if you want the details behind the spec sheet.
Give us a call between Monday and Friday, 9am-5pm, and the team will be happy to talk through what you’re training for.
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