With bumper plate options more than covered across the Internet (here included), I figured it was time to tackle the options for standard weight plates, coated plates, and powerlifting discs. In this guide I’ll cover multiple styles, numerous brands, and offer up enough product examples for you to be able to evaluate any brand or style of plate you happen to stumble upon in your quest for iron.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.
If you know of a good set of plates not listed here, feel free to comment. We don’t so much need to hear about any more of the cheap plates though. If I listed every VTX, Weider, and X-Mark plate on the market this page would crash your browser.
Article last updated: SEPT
Purchasing basic, cast iron plates is the cheapest way to load up on weight plates in a gym. Cast iron can be had new for as little as ~$1 a pound; both in chain stores and online. Make some effort to find them used and you can pay as little as $.50 per pound.
Whether you buy new or used you’ll want to keep one thing in mind, cheap cast Iron plates are known to be wildly inaccurate. Some of the cheaper brands and styles can deviate from the stated weight by 5-10%; brands like CAP Barbell for instance. Matter of fact, these kind of inaccuracies are going to be hard to avoid unless you upgrade to machined plates.
Online prices are competitive, but you generally still have to pay for shipping for all but the shittiest of plates. This is what makes at least checking the box stores appealing. If you do plan to buy cast iron plates in a local store you absolutely must bring a scale with you. It’s unlikely that you’ll find plates that are the stated weight, but you can at least try to make sure that each pair of plates you buy are the same weight. It seems better to have a pair of 47-lb plates than a 41-lb and a 48.5-lb plate, right?
There are countless brands & models of simple, cast iron plates out there. Honestly these cheap, inaccurate plates are so easy to find used that I think you’re throwing your money away by buying them new. If you care about accuracy even a little bit then you’re throwing your money away by buying them at all. You should be looking at machined or milled cast iron, which I’ll cover next.
While still not accurate enough to be considered ‘precise’, non-calibrated, machined plates tend to be far more accurate than the cheap plates from the previous section. Machining or milling plates leads to a more refined product. The final weight is easier to control, as are tolerances to both the center hole and overall diameter.
If you’re not willing to drop the cash for calibrated powerlifting discs, but you would still like to have a fairly good idea of how much weight you’re lifting while knowing both sides of the bar are balanced, machined plates are the way to go. Expect a 2% accuracy with machined plates. Here are some brand and pricing examples.
Again I strongly suggest you buy machined plates versus simple cast iron if you take your lifting seriously. The price difference isn’t that much (if you avoid Ivanko) considering that you get a pretty solid level of accuracy and a refined surface texture that’s far less likely to damage the sleeve finish and/or cut your hands.
When shopping around, please note that Troy has three divisions: Troy Barbell (commercial line), then VTX and Troy USA. The last two are much lower quality and not recommended.
IPF-style, steel powerlifting plates are machine calibrated to very tight weight tolerances; typically to within about 10 grams of stated weight. They have a precise 50 mm opening, a much slimmer profile than basic cast iron plates, and they are painted according to the IPF coloring scheme. Most calibrated plates on the market are in kilograms, but Rogue Fitness was kind enough to offer these in pounds as well.
Pricing for calibrated, certified plates is obviously going to be more than what you’d pay for non-calibrated, machined plates. Needless to say it’s a whole lot more than what you’d pay for simple cast iron. Don’t expect much in the way of savings for buying sets unless you buy massive sets (400 kg or more.) Vulcan and Strongarm Sport have the best prices, and they both utilize the calibration plugs for increased accuracy.
There is a slight lack of consistency among the different brands when it comes to the size of the plates. All 25 kg plates are 450 mm in diameter and about 26-27 mm thick, but 20 kg plates can be either 400 mm or 450 mm depending on brand. Titex has smaller diameter 20 kg plates, while the others maintain the 450 mm on 20 kg plates. If you ask me, the 20 and 25 kg plates being the same diameter is best.
Generally considered more of a commercial gym product, coated plates are becoming more commonplace in home/garage gyms. People tend to like them because of the handles (they are easy to move around and use for random exercises), the lack of rust issues versus iron, and the fact that are just nice looking. While more expensive than simple cast iron, they are still more affordable than calibrated discs, and they do last a long time.
Technically speaking, urethane is a better and longer lasting material than rubber. It is also more expensive. If your plates are stored indoors and not exposed to the elements, there is probably no need to pay for urethane over rubber. Also, keep in mind that coated plates are not bumper plates.
When it comes to coated plates, there are really nice options and super shitty options. Just about every box-store manufacturer makes rubber-coated discs; CAP, Body Solid, X-Mark, and Troy’s non-commercial division (VTX and Troy USA); among many others. Just like the economy cast iron plates, accuracy is crap on the cheap coated plates. Save your money.
My best advice would be to avoid anything in the CAP price range or below unless you can somehow weigh out the discs prior to purchase. I can think of no situation in where it would be acceptable to have weights with tolerances in excess of 10%, and I can’t even begin to imagine being okay with having trash like that in your own gym for your own personal use. I mean talk about not valuing your training.
In terms of brands and value, Rogue has fair prices and highly accurate options in almost every plate style imaginable. Ivanko produces comparable equipment to Rogue, but at one heck of a premium. Troy’s commercial line is also solid for both steel and coated plates, but also expensive. Vulcan has great prices on their coated plates and calibrated discs. Never ignore Vulcan!
Again, if you’re going to go with simple cast iron, try to find them used before buying them new. If you end up having to pay for brand new, opt for machined plates. Price difference is minimal, but quality and accuracy is night and day.
Share me, please.
Whether you are new to weight training, or have been lifting for years, the range and variety of weight plates has exploded over the recent years. As an experienced trainer myself, making the right choice for plates is daunting. Plus, the affordability of premium styles has improved dramatically, making the decision harder.
What I thought it would be a good idea to break down the specs of the different varieties, so you can work out what type of plate would best suit your gym.
Also they aren’t calibrated to the same degree as the higher end plates. This means they have a wider variance to their stated weight. If you are getting into serious competition – not a ‘manhood’ measuring bench press battle at the local pub – I mean entering into powerlifting competitions with the intention of breaking records then look at higher end plates.
I trained with these basic style plates and have won competitions and switched to the ATX Powerlifting Plates when training for the World Bench Press Championship.
The colour coding system was designed for competitions to make it easier for spectators and loaders to know what weight the athlete is lifting.
The solid bumpers come in plain black too, so if you don’t need the colour coding system you can save yourself some money. Buying bumper plates all in black is cheaper as there are fewer manufacturing costs.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Yifeng.
These solid rubber bumpers are entry level bumper plates. Over the years the price of these has reduced dramatically making them very affordable for even the most budget conscious home gym enthusiast.
They absorb shock way better than the basic rubber coated cast iron plates. Plus, the solid rubber absorbs shock. This will reduce wear and tear on your barbell, weight plates and gym floor.
The other big advantage is that all the plates are 450mm in diameter. This will get you at the right height for all your weightlifting or powerlifting exercises. For you inexperienced lifters, this means the barbell will be at the standard height.
Some weight plates have a lot smaller diameter. This means the barbell will be lower to the ground and harder to lift heavier weights off the ground.
The downside to these bumpers is that they are much thicker than most plates. This is only a problem if you are starting lift extremely heavy – you will run out loading area on your barbell. This can be easily overcome by buying some extra 20kg Olympic rubber coated plates above.
Or you can add ATX Powerlifting plates mentioned later.
Also, the 5kg & 10kg weight plates aren’t designed for using individually for dropping. By this I mean loading one 5kg or 10kg plate either side, then dumping the bar from a great height. Remember these plates are made from solid rubber, so the 5kg & 10kg plates are thinner and when rubber is too thin it doesn’t have a lot of support.
But they are ideal for working on technique, so if you are doing this, you don’t need to dump the bar down hard.
The ATX Powerlifting Plates are designed for the trainer who is serious about their lifting. If you have entered a few powerlifting comps and have been bitten by the bug, then it might be time to upgrade your equipment.
These plates have the same specs of the plates that you will be using in competition, but at a fraction of the price.
The reason these plates are more expensive than other weight plates is that they are made to exacting tolerances – they have a weight variance of +/-0.5%.
The contact areas are chrome plated. Chrome is extremely durable, so it is ideal for areas which experience metal on metal contact. Painted plates will chip, so over time this will affect the weight variances.
The other advantage is that they are extremely thin. You can load a lot of weight onto your barbell. This also makes them handy for plate loaded machines like leg presses where you sometimes run out of loading area.
Just like weightlifting plates they come in the same diameter – 450 mm.
Unless you need them for powerlifting or a leg machine, I wouldn’t advise these for general gym use. Let’s face it, these plates are sexy! But this sex appeal does have its draw backs.
As the plates are extremely thin and chrome plated, they are sometimes hard to grip. Inexperienced trainers will find them heavy, so this combination makes loading plate loaded machines difficult. Especially taller machines like leverage squats.
If you are a home weight trainer and want to sneak in a workout before work while the family sleeps then steer clear. These plates make a racket when deadlifting. For some the clang of iron plates is music to their ears, but not when you get woken up at 5am!
Both weightlifters and powerlifters use fractional plates. It is handy to have some smaller plates laying around in your gym. Adding 10 kg on the bar is not an extremely efficient way to train.
Made out of solid steel. Offers minimum weight deviation. It allows the lifter to train closer to his or hers personal best without having to risk a failed repetition via massive jumps in weight.
You can also buy them in sets such as our Power Maxx 5kg Fractional Plate Set that comes with a pair of 0.25kg, 0.5kg, 0.75kg & 1kg plates.
The best way to beat your PB’s is to sneak up on them. Half the battle of lifting heavy is psychological, increasing with small amounts breaks down this barrier.
Calibrated weight plates are used for competition. They come with lead inserts and offer minimal weight deviation of 0.05%. The inserts allow you to dial in your plates to the exact weight.
These plates are not certified by the appropriate federations for sanctioned events. These are the events where records can be broken and officially recognised. But they are a lot cheaper than the ones that are certified.
This makes them ideal for the gym who is either preparing competitors for sanctioned events or want to put on an unsanctioned event.
All weight plates vary – the degree will depend on their quality and cost. Now, before you go and grab your 20 year old bathroom scales, I should add that the same applies to scales.
Just like plates, they vary too. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to calibrate expensive plates on el cheapo scales.
Proper calibration requires proper equipment.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of custom logo weight plate. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.