🏋️ Gym Guide · Know Your Plates
Gym Weights Explained for the UK
You think in stone, but every plate in the gym is stamped in kilos. Here is why UK gyms use kg, what the standard sizes mean, and how to convert them in your head.
Why UK Gyms Use Kilograms
Britain is famously half-metric: we buy petrol in litres but talk about body weight in stone. Gyms fall firmly on the metric side, and the reason is simple. Weightlifting is an international sport with international equipment.
Olympic barbells and plates are manufactured to metric specifications set by the International Weightlifting Federation. A 20 kg plate made in China fits a bar made in Germany and is lifted in competitions from London to Tokyo. If British gyms used imperial plates, none of the world's equipment would be interchangeable, and every competition would need conversion tables.
There is a neat irony in it. The same person who says "I weigh twelve stone" will load "sixty kilos" on the bar without blinking. Body weight stayed imperial through culture and habit; lifting weights went metric through global standardisation. Both systems survive because each won the territory where it mattered most.
Standard Plate Sizes
Plates come in two families. Olympic plates have a 2-inch (50 mm) centre hole and fit Olympic bars. Standard plates have a 1-inch hole for lighter home bars. The denominations are nearly identical:
| Plate | Pounds (approx) | Stone (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.25 kg | 2.8 lb | 0 st 3 |
| 2.5 kg | 5.5 lb | 0 st 6 |
| 5 kg | 11 lb | 0 st 11 |
| 10 kg | 22 lb | 1 st 8 |
| 15 kg | 33 lb | 2 st 5 |
| 20 kg | 44 lb | 3 st 2 |
| 25 kg | 55 lb | 3 st 13 |
You will also see colour-coded bumper plates on lifting platforms: red for 25 kg, blue for 20, yellow for 15, green for 10, and white for 5. Learn the colours once and you can read a loaded barbell from across the room.
Note the 1.25 kg plates. They look pointless, but a pair adds exactly 2.5 kg to the bar, the smallest sensible jump for progressive overload. Micro-progress is how strength is built.
The Bar: The Weight Everyone Forgets
Beginners consistently undercount their lifts because they forget the bar itself has weight. A men's Olympic barbell is 20 kg (3 st 2 lb). A women's Olympic bar is 15 kg (2 st 5 lb), slightly thinner and shorter. Cheaper standard 1-inch bars are lighter and vary, which is one reason serious lifters prefer Olympic equipment.
So "two plates a side" on an Olympic bar is not 80 kg, it is 100 kg: 20 kg bar plus four 20 kg plates. That is 15 st 10, a milestone lift that sounds even better in stone.
Common Totals in Stone
Here are the milestone barbell totals, including a 20 kg Olympic bar, converted for imperial thinkers:
| Bar + plates | Total | In stone |
|---|---|---|
| Bar + 2 x 10 kg | 40 kg | 6 st 4 |
| Bar + 2 x 20 kg | 60 kg | 9 st 6 |
| Bar + 4 x 20 kg | 100 kg | 15 st 10 |
| Bar + 6 x 20 kg | 140 kg | 22 st 1 |
Quick Conversions for Imperial Thinkers
You do not need a calculator between sets. Three shortcuts cover almost everything:
- Kg to pounds: multiply by 2.2. A 20 kg plate is about 44 lb.
- Kg to stone (rough): divide by 6. 60 kg is near enough 10 stone for gym chat.
- Kg to stone (accurate): divide by 6.35. 60 kg is 9 st 6.
Dumbbells in UK gyms are also sold in kilo pairs, typically 2.5 kg up to 40 or 50 kg, and kettlebells follow the classic Russian ladder: 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 32 kg. A 24 kg kettlebell, the famous "two pood" bell, is 3 st 11.
For exact figures any time, use our kg to stone converter or browse the full stone to kg chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do UK gyms use kg instead of stone or pounds?
Kilograms are the international standard for weightlifting equipment. Olympic bars and plates are manufactured to metric specifications worldwide, so a 20 kg plate is the same in London, Los Angeles, or Tokyo. Stone is only used for body weight, never for gym equipment.
What are the standard weight plate sizes in kg?
Olympic plates come in 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 kg. Standard (1-inch hole) plates come in similar sizes from 0.5 kg up to 25 kg. Colour-coded bumper plates follow the same sizes for quick identification.
How much does an Olympic barbell weigh?
A men's Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg (3 st 2 lb), and a women's Olympic barbell weighs 15 kg (2 st 5 lb). Always add the bar's weight when calculating your total lift.
What is 60 kg in stone at the gym?
60 kg is 9 stone 6 lb. A 100 kg lift is 15 stone 10 lb, and a 20 kg plate on its own is 3 stone 2 lb.
How do I quickly convert kg to stone in my head at the gym?
Divide the kilos by 6.35 for stone, or use the rough shortcut: kilos divided by 6 gives a close-enough stone figure. For pounds, multiply kilos by 2.2. So a 20 kg plate is about 44 lb.