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Barbell weight: every bar type, actual numbers

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We compute it and we cite it. We do not test gear. How we know this.

Short answer

10 bars, each with its published weight, diameter, length and knurl, and a link to the source. Where a rulebook or spec sheet does not publish a figure, this page leaves it blank instead of filling it in.

This is the reference sheet. If you just want the short answer, read how much does a barbell weigh. If you want a total for a loaded bar, use the plate math calculator. What follows is the specs themselves, and the gaps in them.

Bars whose weight is set by a rulebook

These 3 are the only barbell weights on this page that are actually fixed by a governing body. Everything else in the sport is a manufacturing decision.

Men's Olympic weightlifting bar (IWF competition)

20 kg / 44.1 lb

Snatch and clean & jerk under IWF rules. This is the bar in every Olympic weightlifting meet you have watched.

Knurl: Olympic weightlifting knurl marks. The IWF rulebook requires coloured identification markings — blue for the men’s bar.

What the source does not say: The IWF Technical & Competition Rules book states the 20 kg weight and the colour marking but does NOT publish bar length or shaft diameter. The commonly repeated 2200 mm / 28 mm figures are not in the rulebook, so they are omitted here rather than attributed to the IWF.

https://iwlf.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IWF-TCRR-2024.pdf

Women's Olympic weightlifting bar (IWF competition)

15 kg / 33.1 lb

Snatch and clean & jerk under IWF rules, women’s competition.

Knurl: Olympic weightlifting knurl marks. IWF requires yellow identification markings on the women’s bar.

What the source does not say: Same as the men’s bar: the IWF rulebook gives 15 kg and the yellow marking, not length or diameter. The 2010 mm / 25 mm figures are widely repeated but are not in the rulebook.

https://iwlf.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IWF-TCRR-2024.pdf

IPF competition powerlifting bar (rule specification)

20 kg / 44.1 lb

Squat, bench and deadlift under IPF rules. The 29 mm shaft is the thick, stiff, grippy one — it is meant not to bend.

Knurl: Straight, well knurled and grooved, with machined markings or tape set 81 cm apart. Bars used at IPF Championships may not be chromed on the knurling.

What the source does not say: These are the rule LIMITS, not one product. The rulebook gives: overall length not to exceed 2.2 m; shaft 28-29 mm; distance between collar faces 1.31-1.32 m; sleeve diameter 50-52 mm; and bar PLUS collars = 25 kg (the bar is 20 kg and each competition collar is 2.5 kg). Tensile strength is not specified by rule.

https://www.powerlifting.sport/fileadmin/ipf/data/rules/technical-rules/english/IPF_Technical_Rules_Book_2023__1_.pdf

Bars documented from a manufacturer spec sheet

7 specific models, copied from the maker’s published spec table. These describe that bar, not every bar of that type. A different maker’s version of the same bar can differ on every line.

Ohio Power Bar, 45 lb

Rogue 45LB Ohio Power Bar - Black Zinc

45 lb / 20.4 kgnominal in lb

Heavy squat, bench and deadlift. The center knurl grabs your shirt and stops the bar sliding down your back under a heavy squat. That same center knurl will scrape your neck on cleans, which is why this is not a weightlifting bar.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-45lb-ohio-power-bar-black-zinc

Ohio Power Bar, 20 kg

Rogue 20KG Ohio Power Bar - Black Zinc

44.1 lb / 20 kgnominal in kg

The kilo version of the same bar, for anyone training to compete in kg. Same 29 mm shaft, slightly longer loadable sleeve than the 45 lb model.

What the source does not say: Overall bar length was not captured from the manufacturer spec table.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-20-kg-ohio-power-bar-black-zinc

Women's 15 kg multipurpose bar

Rogue Bella Bar 2.0 - Black Zinc

33 lb / 15 kgnominal in kg

The standard women’s bar. The 25 mm shaft is the whole point — a 29 mm power bar is genuinely hard to hold with smaller hands, and grip should not be what stops your set.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-bella-bar-2-0-black-zinc

Technique bar, 15 lb aluminium

Rogue T-15LB Technique Bar

15 lb / 6.8 kgnominal in lb

Learning the lifts and warming up. Aluminium, so it is light enough to drill positions with, and rated to only 45 lb / 20 kg of plates. Do not treat it as a real bar — it is not built to be loaded.

Weight for this type of bar is not standardised between makers. The figure above is this model only. Weigh yours.

What the source does not say: Length and loadable sleeve length were not captured. Technique bars come in 5 kg, 10 lb, 15 lb and other weights depending on maker — always check the one in front of you.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-t-15-lb-technique-bar

EZ curl bar (cambered curl bar)

Rogue Curl Bar

30 lb / 13.6 kgnominal in lb

Curls and skullcrushers. The bends let your wrists sit at an angle instead of locked flat, which most people find more comfortable than a straight bar.

Weight for this type of bar is not standardised between makers. The figure above is this model only. Weigh yours.

What the source does not say: EZ curl bar weight is NOT standardised. This one is 30 lb; other curl bars run anywhere from about 10 lb to 30 lb. Weigh yours. This model has 31.5" between sleeves and does not fit a standard rack.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-curl-bar

Trap bar / hex bar

Rogue TB-1 Trap Bar 2.0

60 lb / 27.2 kgnominal in lb

Deadlifts and shrugs where you want to stand inside the weight instead of behind it. Handles sit at your sides, so the load line runs closer to your hips.

Weight for this type of bar is not standardised between makers. The figure above is this model only. Weigh yours.

What the source does not say: Trap bar weight varies more than any other bar — this one is 60 lb (+/- 2 lb by the maker’s own tolerance), and others range roughly 35-75 lb. Never assume 45. Handle spacing is 25" on center.

https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-tb-1-trap-bar-2-0

Safety squat bar

Rogue SB-1 Safety Squat Bar

70 lb / 31.8 kgnominal in lb

Squatting when holding a straight bar on your back is not working — the padded yoke and front handles mean you do not have to wrench your shoulders back to hold the bar in place.

Weight for this type of bar is not standardised between makers. The figure above is this model only. Weigh yours.

What the source does not say: Dimensions and camber angle were not captured from the spec table. Safety squat bar weight is not standardised and commonly ranges from about 45 lb to 70+ lb. Weigh yours before you compute a working set.

https://www.roguefitness.com/sb-1-rogue-safety-squat-bar

Full spec table

Every bar, every published figure. A dash means the source does not publish it — not that the number is zero, and not that we could not be bothered to guess.

Barbell specifications: weight, length, shaft diameter, sleeve length and tensile strength
BarWeightLengthShaftSleeveTensileCentre knurl
Men's Olympic weightlifting bar (IWF competition)Rulebook spec44.1 lb20 kg—————
Women's Olympic weightlifting bar (IWF competition)Rulebook spec33.1 lb15 kg—————
IPF competition powerlifting bar (rule specification)Rulebook spec44.1 lb20 kg86.6 in29 mm———
Ohio Power Bar, 45 lbManufacturer spec45 lb20.4 kg86.52 in29 mm16.25 in205,000 psiYes
Ohio Power Bar, 20 kgManufacturer spec44.1 lb20 kg—29 mm16.875 in205,000 psiYes
Women's 15 kg multipurpose barManufacturer spec33 lb15 kg79.13 in25 mm13 in190,000 psiNo
Technique bar, 15 lb aluminiumManufacturer spec15 lb6.8 kg—28 mm—42,000 psi—
EZ curl bar (cambered curl bar)Manufacturer spec30 lb13.6 kg54.5 in28.5 mm10.5 in——
Trap bar / hex barManufacturer spec60 lb27.2 kg89 in34 mm16 in——
Safety squat barManufacturer spec70 lb31.8 kg————No

The bars with no standard weight at all

4 of the bars above are marked as varying by manufacturer. For those, there is no correct single number and there is no governing spec to appeal to. EZ curl bars run from roughly 10 lb to 30 lb. Trap bars, safety squat bars, cambered bars and Swiss bars are model-by-model.

If the exact figure matters — and it matters more than people expect once you are chasing a specific total — put the bar on a scale. That is the only method that returns a fact about your bar. Then feed the real number into the plate math calculator instead of assuming 45.

Knurl marks, collar and sleeve, up close

The knurl marks are the fastest way to tell a powerlifting bar from a weightlifting bar without picking either one up: the IPF sets them 81 cm apart, the IWF 91 cm. This travels the length of an IPF-spec bar and names each feature as it passes.

Modelled to the IPF technical rules: 29 mm shaft, 81 cm knurl mark spacing, 50 mm sleeve.An original 3D animation travelling slowly along an unloaded power bar and naming each feature as it passes: the centre knurl, the knurl marks, the collar, the sleeve and the end cap. The knurl mark spacing is the single feature that visually separates a powerlifting bar from a weightlifting bar, and it is drawn to the rulebook figure.Original animation by BarWeight — an illustration of this class of equipment, not footage of a specific product, and not a demonstration of how to perform a lift.

Plates and collars

The bar is only the start of the total. Standard plate denominations:

Pound plates

100 · 45 · 35 · 25 · 10 · 5 · 2.5 · 1.25 lb

Kilo plates

25 · 20 · 15 · 10 · 5 · 2.5 · 2 · 1.5 · 1 · 0.5 kg

  • IWF competition collars: 2.5 kg for the pair.
  • IPF rules treat bar plus collars as 25 kg.
  • Maximum disc diameter under IPF rules: 450 mm.

See a loaded bar

What the rulebooks do not say

Worth knowing, because it is repeated everywhere as though it were rule: the IWF Technical & Competition Rules book states the 20 kg and 15 kg bar weights and the colour identification markings, but it does not publish bar length or shaft diameter. The 2200 mm and 28 mm figures you see attributed to the IWF are not in the rulebook. We leave those cells blank here rather than attribute numbers to a document that does not contain them.

That is the same standard applied to everything on this site: a figure with a source, or an honest blank. The methodology page spells it out.

Related

Questions people actually ask

▶What is the standard barbell weight?

A standard men’s Olympic bar is a nominal 45 lb in American gyms. Under IWF and IPF rules the competition bar is 20 kg, which is 44.09 lb. Those two are close but not identical, and the pound figure is nominal rather than a rule.

▶Which barbell weights are set by a rulebook and which are not?

Only the governing-body specs are rules: the IWF men’s and women’s bars and the IPF powerlifting bar. Every pound-denominated gym bar weight is nominal — how the bar is sold and stamped — and varies by maker. 4 of the 10 bars listed here have weights that are not standardised at all.

▶How much does an EZ curl bar weigh?

There is no standard. The model documented here is 30 lb, and curl bars on the market run from roughly 10 lb to 30 lb. Anyone quoting one confident number for "the" EZ curl bar is guessing. Weigh yours.

▶How much does a trap bar or safety squat bar weigh?

It depends entirely on the model, and there is no governing spec to point at. That is why this page gives you the specific bars it has sources for rather than a single figure that would be wrong for most bars.

▶Does the barbell weight count toward my total?

Yes. Standard practice everywhere is that the number you report includes the bar. Two 45 lb plates per side on a 45 lb bar is 225 lb, not 180 lb.

▶What do competition collars weigh?

Under IWF rules competition collars are 2.5 kg for the pair, and IPF rules treat the bar plus collars as 25 kg. Gym spring clips are not the same thing and weigh a fraction of that.