A barbell is one of the most important pieces of equipment you can train with, and I know many of you aren’t quite sure how much they weigh.
This guide will answer the question so many have, “How much does an Olympic bar weigh?”
Also, here is my guide on the best barbells if you want to invest in your own bar for your home gym.
Let’s get started!
Table Of Contents
Olympic Barbell Vs. Standard Bar Weight
An Olympic barbell is a type of bar with 2″ rotating sleeves to hold Bumper and Olympic weight plates.
They are also constructed of higher quality steel, the sleeves spin using bushing or bearings, and they hold much more weight.
If you're not sure what any of this means - check out my barbell buying guide where I cover different types of bar finishes, barbells in general, and more!
An Olympic Barbell weighs 20kg or around 45 lbs on average.
Standard bars are smaller in all dimensions compared to Powerlifting and Olympic barbells.
The most significant difference is the diameter of the collars, which can only hold 1″ weight plates.
Also, because they tend to have a smaller diameter shaft, they are nowhere near as strong as an Olympic barbell.
A standard barbell weight is usually around 15-25 lbs, which explains why they’re less durable.
I’ve seen some standard bars rated for up to 500 lbs, but I wouldn’t trust that at all.
The safety concerns with these smaller diameter standard barbells are too much to take lightly.
When in doubt, stick to Olympic weight plates and bars.
If you want to find the best weight plates for your home gym, my guide on how to buy weight plates online & locally covers just that!
Olympic Weightlifting/Multipurpose Bars
An Olympic weightlifting bar is different than standard Olympic bars.
An Olympic barbell can refer to any barbell that can handle 2″ Olympic plates, such as a typical powerlifting barbell, multipurpose bar, etc.
On the other hand, an
These tend to have bearings in the sleeves to allow for a much faster spin than bushing barbells provide.
The other main difference is that they usually come in men’s, women’s, technique, and kids’ variations.
They share this distinction with multipurpose bars that are also available in men’s and women’s bars.
Here’s how you can tell which one is which, as well as how much each barbell weighs.
Men’s Olympic/Multipurpose Bars
Men’s Olympic weightlifting bars have a 28mm shaft while men’s multipurpose bars have a 28.5mm shaft.
This allows for more whip while performing the Olympic lifts while hybrid bars are a nice balance.
Men’s WL and Multipurpose bars weigh 20kg or 45 lbs, just like a regular Olympic bar.
Women’s Olympic/Multipurpose Bars
Women’s Olympic and Multipurpose bars have a much smaller 25mm shaft and weigh around 15kg or 35 lbs on average.
This makes it easier for female lifters to grip the bar and start practicing Olympic lifts with a lighter starting weight.
Technique Olympic Weightlifting Bars
Technique barbells are lighter-weight Olympic bars, typically constructed with aluminum.
These bars are designed for young and beginner lifters, warmups, rehab, and, as the name implies, technique practice.
Most of these barbells only have a tensile strength of around 42,000 PSI, so you shouldn’t load most of them up with weights over 50 lbs.
Kids’ bars usually weigh around 5 lbs, and a normal barbell weight for technique bars is between 15 and 45 lbs.
Specialty Bars
Safety Squat Bars
The Safety Squat Bar is a fantastic tool to use in your strength training workouts. I use it with beginners to focus on the basic squat pattern and build some muscle.
A standard Safety Squat Bar weighs around 70 lbs on average. This is due to the handle and yoke that SSBs are known for.
Because Safety Squat Bars weigh more than a standard barbell, they tend to be stronger than any other run-of-the-mill bar you might find in a commercial gym.
Trap/Hex Bar
The standard bar weight varies quite a bit for a traditional hex bar!
Some weigh 45 lbs and even up to 75 lbs.
So when in doubt, just buy a bar and track each of your movements the same. Each bar weighs 45 lbs, and the extra weight doesn’t matter much at all.
If you want something built like a tank, you can go with Rogues.
A crappy trap bar only has a weight capacity of 500 lbs, I wanted a hex bar that was rated for at least 1,000 lbs, and that’s what I got.
However, make sure the sleeves are long enough to hold the weight you plan on lifting.
If you have basic bumper plates, you might have difficulty loading them up, as they’re usually pretty wide.
Swiss/Multi-Grip Barbell
Swiss, or Multi-Grip bars, as they’re commonly called, are a type of versatile specialty bar that allows you to press from neutral or angled positions.
I found some of the most popular ones that I recommend and averaged out how much they weigh in lbs or kgs.
| Brand Model | Bar Weight in Lbs | Bar Weight in Kg |
| Archon | 30 | 13.64 |
| Fringe Sport | 46 | 20.91 |
| Get RX’d | 47 | 21.37 |
| Rep Fitness | 45 | 20.46 |
| ROGUE MG-1 | 39 | 17.73 |
| ROGUE MG-3 | 43 | 19.55 |
| Synergee | 27 | 12.28 |
| Titan Fitness | 48 | 21.82 |
| Average | 40.6 | 18.5 |
As you can see, Swiss bars can weigh between 27 and 48 lbs, or 12.28 and 21.82 kg.
This is an average of 40.6 lbs or 18.5kg.
Luckily, this is a pretty small range, so you can be sure your Multi-Grip bar will be in the same 10-20 lb range.
EZ Curl Bar
An EZ curl bar can weigh anywhere between 10-35 lbs, and the best ones can hold up to 300 lbs.
Compared to straight Olympic barbells, the primary benefit of a curl bar is doing curls and extensions.
The ergonomic handle keeps your wrists in a more natural position and allows you to train your arms better than a straight bar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Now I turn it over to you!
Knowing how much Olympic and other bars weigh in your gym, do you feel more confident?
Let me know in the comments below right now!