Standard Weight Plate Hole Sizes (with Drawings)

If you plan on building an at-home gym, you’re going to need more equipment than just a squat rack. To really add bulk to your shoulders and chest, you will need a bench press with different weight plates. However, did you know that the holes of all weight plates aren’t the same?

The standard weight plate comes with a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) hole in the center. This differs from Olympic weights that come with a 2-inch (5.08-cm hole).

For the remainder of this brief guide, I will go into greater detail about the hole sizes of standard weight plates, as well as why you might pick standard weight plates over Olympic weight plates and vice versa.

Weight Plate Hole Sizes

One of the first things you should consider when purchasing weight plates for your home or garage gym is which type of weight plate to get. When choosing between standard and Olympic weight plates, you will have to know the size of their respective holes.

Standard weight plates have 1-inch or 2.54-centimeter holes, in which allows the ends of standard barbells to slip through.

Olympic weight plates, on the other hand, have holes that are twice as large (2 inches or 5.08 centimeters), indicating that the thickness of a compatible barbell’s ends is just as wide.

So, after knowing that standard weight plates come with smaller holes, let’s take a look at the implications of each weight plate type.

Comparisons between Standard and Olympic Weight Plates

If you still don’t know which type of weight plate to equip your gym with, you should consider the pros and cons of each type.

Weight Plate Sizes

First and foremost, you should know that the size of a standard and Olympic weight plate, although identical in weight, will differ. This is due to the size of the hole and the amount of metal that is displaced to accommodate the thickness of a barbell’s ends.

Because standard weight plates have smaller holes, the overall size of the weight plate will be considerably smaller than an Olympic variety.

For instance, a 5-kilogram (11.02-pound) standard weight plate will measure 24 centimeters (9.45 inches) in diameter and 3 centimeters (1.18 inches) in thickness. 5-kilogram Olympic weight plates may measure around 31.5 (12.40 inches) wide and 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) thick.

Barbell Weight Capacity

You should also consider how much weight the barbell can hold based on its thickness. Because standard weight plates are mounted onto standard barbells with narrower ends, they cannot carry as much weight as Olympic barbells without dangerously flexing.

On average, a standard barbell can hold around 200 pounds (90.72 kilograms) of weight before flexing, whereas an Olympic barbell can typically hold between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds (453.59 to 680.39 kilograms) before it becomes too dangerous to lift, even with a spotter.

Individual Weights

Finally, the weight of individual standard and Olympic weight plates may differ vastly. Olympic weight plates typically range from 1.25 to 50 kilograms (2.76 to 110.23 pounds) each, whereas standard weight plates range from 1.13 to 22.68 kilograms (2.5 to 50 pounds).

In addition, Olympic weight plates are accurately weighed to ensure accuracy, whereas cheaper standard weight plates may be off by a few ounces.