Curl Bar Weight By Type: How Much Does Your Curl Bar Weigh? (2024)

What Is a Curl Bar?

A curl bar is a type of weightlifting barbell specifically designed for bicep curl exercises. Generally, it is shorter than a regular barbell and has a curved shaft to make it easier to grip.

For this reason, they are also called EZ curl bars. However, you can use curl bars for tricep exercises and compound movements for other body parts.

Benefits of Curl Bar vs Straight Bar

The main advantage of the curl bar is that the curved grip requires less hand supination and reduces strain on your wrists. While the more neutral hand position helps activate the brachialis and long head of the biceps.

Another benefit of the curl bar is that it ensures your hands are evenly spaced for proper balance from side to side. Also, the smaller size makes maneuvering in tight spaces or crowded areas easier.

Finally, the curl bar’s lower starting weight makes it better for beginners. And advanced lifters have more options for adding weight plates to increase resistance.

• Easier to hold during arm exercises
• Less stress on your wrist and forearm
• More brachialis and long head activation
• Ensures even hand spacing for balance
• Easier to maneuver in small spaces
• Lighter starting weight and more versatile

Importance of Curl Bar Weight

The most important reason for knowing how much a curl bar weighs is so you know how much total weight you’re lifting. Without this information, it’s harder to increase the weight at proper increments for progressive overload.

In addition, knowing how much a curl bar weighs helps you choose the right starting weight for other exercises on machines and cables. Finally, it’s always fun to know how much you lift so you can compare yourself with your friends and other lifters.

Related: See how many pull-ups you should be able to do

Curl Bar Weight by Type

Now let’s get into how much different types of curl bars weigh before you add any weight plates. There are several types of curl bars. So I will go through each curl bar weight individually.

Standard Curl Bar Weight

The standard curl bar is the barbell in most home or garage gyms. It has smaller diameter sleeves with threaded collars that work with 1″ non-Olympic style plates.

Generally, these bars also have a narrower shaft and less robust construction. These design features mean the standard curl bar typically only weighs 5-12 lbs (2.3-5.5 kg), depending on the brand.

Olympic Curl Bar Weight

An Olympic curl bar is what you probably use in a commercial gym. It has larger diameter smooth sleeves that fit Olympic plates as you use on a regular barbell.

Olympic curl bars are longer than standard ones and typically have a thicker shaft. As a result, Olympic curl bars weigh 15-30 lbs (6.8-13.6 kg), depending on the exact specs.

Rackable Curl Bar Weight

The rackable curl bar is much longer than other curl bars at 74-75” from end to end. And it looks like a traditional barbell except with the EZ curl bends in the middle.

This extra-long curl bar fits on most standard power racks. So you can begin your curl exercises directly from the starting height instead of the floor (and be the alpha bro that curls in the squat rack).

However, the larger size adds to the starting weight. And the rackable curl bar typically weighs 35 lbs (15.9 kg).

Super Curl Bar Weight

A super curl bar has an exaggerated curve in the handle that allows for a more neutral hand position, especially when using a narrow grip.

Super curl bars come in both standard and Olympic sizes. So their weight can vary from 5-30 lbs.

Tricep/Hammer Curl Bar Weight

A lesser know type of curl bar is actually called a tricep bar. It has close-together parallel handles ideal for tricep exercises like skull crushers.

However, the neutral grip of the tricep bar is also perfect for hammer curls. And the narrow handles help you further isolate the outer bicep.

With a shorter length, the tricep bar typically comes in at a starting weight of around 15 lbs (6.8 kg).

How to Weigh Your Curl Bar

If you’re a numbers nerd like me, you probably want to know exactly how much your gym’s curl bar weighs. Of course, the easiest way to find out is to throw it on a scale!

You can use your bathroom scale for your home gym. And most commercial gyms have scales for checking your weight. Just make sure you have permission before moving a scale at your gym.

I used a small analog scale from the locker room. First, I weighed 10, 20, and 30 lb dumbbells to verify calibration. But you can skip this step if you’re looking for a ballpark number.

Then I put the curl bar on the scale, ensuring I balanced it in the center and the ends weren’t touching the ground. As you can see in the images below, this Olympic EZ curl bar weighs 18 lbs.

Curl Bar Weight with Plates

Now you know the empty curl bar weight for various barbell types. But what about when you add weight plates?

If you have a curl bar with an even and exact weight, like 20 lbs, then adding the weight plates is pretty straightforward. You multiply each weight plate by two and add that to the bar weight.

However, the mental math gets much more complicated if you have one of those bars with a funky starting weight, like 22.8 lbs. So here’s a calculator to make it easier for you to find the weight of the curl bar with weight plates.

Curl Bar Weight Calculator

This calculator helps you find the weight of your curl bar plus any combination of weight plates.

First, select the units and enter the starting weight of your curl bar. Then choose the number of plates on each side of the bar and the weight of each plate.

Curl Bar Weight FAQ

So far, we’ve covered the basics of curl bar weight. But you might be thirsty for more information. So here are some quick answers to a few other common questions.

How much does an empty curl bar weigh?

An empty curl bar could weigh anywhere from 5-35 lbs (2.3-15.9 kg), depending on the brand. Here’s a table of various curl bar weights by type and brand to help determine how much your curl bar weighs.