Standard 7ft Barbell - Weight rating ?

[Aussieguy101]

Hi guys, what's the usual weight rating for a good quality standard (not olympic) 7ft barbell ?

Cheers

[irishbrah23]

20kg or 45lbs

[Aussieguy101]

Sorry i didn't mean the weight of the bar, i meant the maximum weight you can load up the bar with

thanks

[AttyGuy]

Hi guys, what's the usual weight rating for a good quality standard (not olympic) 7ft barbell ?

Cheers

There is no "standard" for a standard bar.

[irishbrah23]

More than you'll ever need to worry about

[Squeebo]

A couple manufacturers give them about 250 lbs. They could bend with less when subjected to a drop or bounce.

[AttyGuy]

Ivanko makes some very good standard bars, if you can find them. Decades ago York made a 7' standard bar, basing it on their Oly bars. They are stout bars, if you can find them.

[Detrus]

Hampton 7' Beefy bar is discontinued, had 500 lb rating according to sales.
Only 7' standard bar you can buy online with a high weight capacity is B-86 http://www.ivankobarbell.com/products/b86/ costs $200-300. Place your order by email.

7' standard bars that come with weight sets or cost $30 on their own have 250 lb ratings.

[PaulRivers]

Dunno what's up with all the weird responses - it's 200-250 pounds usually. I did more serious research on the topic a while back.

The only exception I could find was the bar Detrus mentioned above, which is a "standard" bar specifically built for higher weight capacity. But for the vast, vast majority of standard bars it's 200-250.

[owasM]

Dunno what's up with all the weird responses - it's 200-250 pounds usually. I did more serious research on the topic a while back.

The only exception I could find was the bar Detrus mentioned above, which is a "standard" bar specifically built for higher weight capacity. But for the vast, vast majority of standard bars it's 200-250.

also, if its a hollow bar, alot less than that.
my first ever bar was a standard 5ft hollow, bent at 130lbs.

[donforeman]

Who ever gave the Hampton beefy bar a "500" rating was not in their right mind! I have one, and its not a very high quality bar. I wrote directly to the factory before purchase and apparently another more knowledgeable person answered my email and more realistically rated it at just over 300. York in the UK has the same bar and the rating is the same. It is stronger than a department store bar, but its not that great.
I have four Ivanko standard bars and they are a much higher grade. Its not really that hard to get them. Just email vinko. vinko@ivankobarbell.com
While your at it ask him about the collars too! Way better than the plastic crud other places sell.

[MikeKK]

Anyone knows if they make good standard bars in uk? I'm thinking of some 1000lb rating. Been thinking about switching back to normal 1 inch plates.

[Wildtim]

They don't make them anywhere. You will have to use Olympic or it isn't going to happen.

[sherman]

DIY???
1144 is a grade of steel that has about twice the yield strength of the more common 1018 grade. That means you can load it much heavier without it taking on a permanent bend. (It will still bend as much under load as the weaker steel.) Per results from beam calculators, a 7', 1" diameter bar should be able to handle a 600 lb load without permanently deforming.

In the US 1" diameter 1144 is readily available from on-line suppliers for $6-7 per ft, plus shipping. Can't predict price and availability anywhere else, so curious Brits and Aussies would have to check around.

I'm not recommending a DIY. A 7 foot hunk of raw steel is not the same as a finished barbell - no knurling, collars, chrome, etc. Some DIY ingenuity has to be added to make a useable piece. The main advantage is that you know what kind of steel you have and how strong it is.

Like they always say about options - they're optional.

[Detrus]

DIY???

In the US 1" diameter 1144 is readily available from on-line suppliers for $6-7 per ft, plus shipping. Can't predict price and availability anywhere else, so curious Brits and Aussies would have to check around..

That's 25mm diameter, very uncomfortable to grip for most people. Can you get 27-28mm diameter? Just add inner collars and tape in place of knurl? Some plates won't fit, but a lot will.

[owasM]

That's 25mm diameter, very uncomfortable to grip for most people. Can you get 27-28mm diameter? Just add inner collars and tape in place of knurl? Some plates won't fit, but a lot will.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mild-steel...item5899791a42

although, i havn't got a clue what type it is and its uk.

[ICEcap2]

Per results from beam calculators, a 7', 1" diameter bar should be able to handle a 600 lb load without permanently deforming.

Is that a static load estimate? If so I would want a much strong steel or larger diameter bar. Bouncing the weights on squats or dropping the bar can easily double or more the static loads.

[Stasher1]

DIY???
1144 is a grade of steel that has about twice the yield strength of the more common 1018 grade. That means you can load it much heavier without it taking on a permanent bend. (It will still bend as much under load as the weaker steel.) Per results from beam calculators, a 7', 1" diameter bar should be able to handle a 600 lb load without permanently deforming.

In the US 1" diameter 1144 is readily available from on-line suppliers for $6-7 per ft, plus shipping. Can't predict price and availability anywhere else, so curious Brits and Aussies would have to check around.

I'm not recommending a DIY. A 7 foot hunk of raw steel is not the same as a finished barbell - no knurling, collars, chrome, etc. Some DIY ingenuity has to be added to make a useable piece. The main advantage is that you know what kind of steel you have and how strong it is.

Like they always say about options - they're optional.

Or, the OP can bite the bullet and buy the right tool for the job.

Even the crappiest of oly bars is rated for 300+ lbs, and the cheap CAP bar that they include with their 300lb sets is rated for 500lbs, which is quite a bit more than the average standard bar.

[owasM]

Or, the OP can bite the bullet and buy the right tool for the job.

Even the crappiest of oly bars is rated for 300+ lbs, and the cheap CAP bar that they include with their 300lb sets is rated for 500lbs, which is quite a bit more than the average standard bar.

pretty much this, the cheapest oly bars here are rated for 700lbs.

[SQ76]

pretty much this, the cheapest oly bars here are rated for 700lbs.

And if you plan to do pressing/ squatting exercises you can load the weight onto an oly bar without any assistance... which is virtually impossible with a standard bar.

[cgc]

Or, the OP can bite the bullet and buy the right tool for the job.

Even the crappiest of oly bars is rated for 300+ lbs, and the cheap CAP bar that they include with their 300lb sets is rated for 500lbs, which is quite a bit more than the average standard bar.

500lb may be what they advertise, but I have one sitting in a corner that bent with no more than 350-370lbs (no drops)

I used a standard bar for years with zero issue. It was an old school bar and I couldn't tell you the max weight it ever had on it....but considering the OP didn't say what he wanted to use the bar for, I don't know if I would say that he's not using the right tool for the job.
Only thing he did was ask what the bars can hold.
For all we know he's just looking to curl with it.

pretty much this, the cheapest oly bars here are rated for 700lbs.

Load a cheap Oly bar with 700lbs and let me know how that works for you...lol

[Stasher1]

500lb may be what they advertise, but I have one sitting in a corner that bent with no more than 350-370lbs (no drops)

I used a standard bar for years with zero issue. It was an old school bar and I couldn't tell you the max weight it ever had on it....but considering the OP didn't say what he wanted to use the bar for, I don't know if I would say that he's not using the right tool for the job.
Only thing he did was ask what the bars can hold.

It definitely happens, but I've done numerous 350-400lb deadlifts with one of those cheap CAP bars and it was still straight when I sold it to PIAS.

I may be wrong, but the fact that the OP is concerned with the max capacity of a standard bar leads me to believe he has already seen something that made him question the durability of his current bar, or its suitability for heavier lifts like squats/deads.

In any event, my comment was really directed more at Sherman than the OP. There's nothing wrong with DIY, but there's no point in trying to reinvent the wheel just to save a couple bucks.

[sherman]

That's 25mm diameter, very uncomfortable to grip for most people. Can you get 27-28mm diameter? Just add inner collars and tape in place of knurl? Some plates won't fit, but a lot will.

You could slide a piece of schedule 40 1" pipe over the grip part of the bar. It has an ID of 1.05" and an OD of 1.3". Result would be close to a 1000 lb bar.

[owasM]

Load a cheap Oly bar with 700lbs and let me know how that works for you...lol

if i had 700lbs of oly plates i would (static not drop) , and i'm sure the bar would be fine,
i've dropped 400lbs+ on a rack pull a few times and its still straight ..
by cheap i did not mean the marcy,cap etc crap , i don't see much of those here, it's the slightly better bodypower bar, obv not the best but its ALOT better than any standard bar here and i've seen them go for around £20-30 a few times on ebay.