Rogue Calibrated Steel Plates – LB

Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates

Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates are extremely precise, thin, and high quality powerlifting plates. If you’re a powerlifter, especially a competitive one, calibrated plates are an ideal choice for their accuracy, profile, and competition specificity.

This is the LB version – Rogue also carries IPF-approved KG Calibrated Plates.

Read more for details.

Features & Highlights

• Accuracy – One of the biggest benefits of calibrated plates is that they’re very accurate. Each plate is equipped with precise calibration plugs on the back to dial in the weight nearly perfectly. Weight tolerance is a very tight +/- 10 grams.
• Weight Offerings – Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates can be purchased from 0.25LB up to 55LB and they’re sold in pairs. They’re also available in 358.5LB and 1,018.5LB sets. Neither sets nor pairs include free shipping.
• Width – Another major benefit of calibrated plates is that they’re extremely thin, which allows you to load much more weight onto the bar in comparison to standard iron plates. In fact, these plates will allow for a max capacity of 1,500LB loaded on the bar.
  • 0.25LB – 4.5mm (0.18″)
  • 0.5LB – 5.5mm (0.22″)
  • 1LB – 7mm (0.28″)
  • 2.5LB – 10mm (0.39″)
  • 5LB – 14.5mm (0.57″)
  • 10LB – 19mm (0.75″)
  • 25LB – 23mm (0.91″)
  • 35LB – 21mm (0.83″)
  • 45LB – 22mm (0.87″)
  • 55LB – 27mm (1.06″)
• Diameter – Unlike bumper plates, iron plates do not offer consistent plate diameters except for 55LB and 45LB variants. On calibrated plates, most users are at least going to have two 45LB plates on the bar, so it’s not of major concern, but just know that you won’t be pulling from standard height unless you have one of the two variants loaded.
  • 0.25LB – 90mm
  • 0.5LB – 112mm
  • 1LB – 134mm
  • 2.5LB – 160mm
  • 5LB – 190mm
  • 10LB – 228mm
  • 25LB – 325mm
  • 35LB – 400mm
  • 45LB – 450mm
  • 55LB – 450mm
• Hole Size – Calibrated plates fit very snuggly on the bar with a 50.4mm diameter hole. Some users have complained that the plates may tend to scrape the sleeve, leaving behind some paint or otherwise making it more difficult to slide. Some of this will depend on the barbell and the sleeve tolerance. That said, the tight fit is advantageous when it comes to actually lifting.
• Flanges – These plates do include flanges around the outer edge, but only on the front. This makes them great for grip strength, but not-so-great at picking up and handling. When these plates are lying flat on the floor, they’re difficult to grab.
• Powder Coated Finish – Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates have a beautiful IPF color scheme with vibrant colors on 5LB+ variants. Anything under less than 5LB is finished in a very nice-looking chrome. It’s important to note that the colored plates are powder coated. Therefore, they will chip, scrape, etc… over time. Some users complain about this while others appreciate the patina and look that it eventually creates.
• Durability – These are cast iron plates and overall durability is very good. As with any plate, durability will come down to frequency of use and how they’re used. These plates should last years and withstand a lot of abuse.

What They’re Saying at roguefitness.com

Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates receive very positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.7/5, here are some of the things people have said at roguefitness.com.

Positive

• “As the other reviewer said, buy once, cry once. I bought a full set from the 2.5lb pair to 55lb pair, and they’re just what I expected for bench, squat, and deadlifts. Good feel, great detail, and easy to load. Shipping was fast, and they arrived securely wrapped. Solid plates!”
• “These are thin plates & they are dense. They don’t feel like standard steel plates they are much thinner so they are harder to grasp. You’ll get used to it & their thin profile is nice once your lifting them. Two blue plates are just wider on the bar than only one steel 45 pound plate. So by using these 225 pounds is a hair wider on the bar than 135 with standard steel plates. These plates on an Ohio bar has zero slack! Buy some paint markers if the chipping will bother you.”
• “I bought a 1000 pounds of these calibrated plates great quality and value”
• “I purchased a complete set of calibrated plates over one year ago. I compete in powerlifting and wanted to have the same equip I compete with at home to train with. I ended up purchasing additional plates since I have a few people training at home with me now. Well worth the money.”
• “I bought 2 pairs of 45’s with a large order for my garage gym, and I am glad I did. These plates are beautiful! I have people ask about them on Instagram all the time. The main reason I bought them is for how thin they are for loading up on big deadlifts in the future, and they are perfect for that. Now I want to sell my other steel plates and buy more of these!”

Critical

• “The powder coat is fragile and easily chipped so you can’t toss them around or stack them on top of each other on the floor without damaging the paint. The plates are thin and difficult to hold. Forget about putting a 45lb on the bar without any other weights on. The 50mm insert hole also makes it difficult to slide the plate on the barbell. Even if you can get it on the sleeve, it doesn’t slide in easily since the sharp edge of the plate get caught easily on the grooves of the barbell sleeve.”

Garage Gym Lab Review

The Rogue Calibrated Steel Plates were a winner in the Garage Gym Lab Best Weight Plate Awards.

Other Options

The below plates were picked as alternatives to the Rogue Calibrated LB Steel Plates.