Bumper Plates

Why Choose Bumper Plates?

While they may seem similar at first glance, bumper plate sets are slightly different from rubber weight plates. Their difference lies in their design and use.

While weight plates are designed for general strength training, bodybuilding, and fitness workouts, bumper weight plates are designed for functional fitness, Olympic weightlifting exercises, and compound exercises. 

Bumper plates are also typically made from a combination of rubber or urethane and metal, rather than just rubber. A thick rubber coating allows bumper plates to be dropped safely from overhead, reducing plate, barbell, and floor damage.

Available in 5kg, 10kg, 15kg, and 20kg bumper plates, plus heavier options, Olympic bumper plates and sets are generally colour-coded to indicate their weight, for easier identification during workouts. They are commonly used in CrossFit, weightlifting, and in other high-impact training programs that require athletes to frequently drop the barbell from overhead positions. Unlike bumper plates, rubber weight plates are not intended to be dropped from heights. 

Shop the full range of CrossFit plates and sets at GymEquipment.co.uk and get free UK delivery on selected products. In the process of designing or refurbishing your fitness suite? Our gym design consultants can help you create the ultimate gym space for your needs. Get in touch today to find out more.

FAQs for Bumper Plates

What's the difference between urethane and rubber bumpers?

Price and the depth of the bumper plates themselves.

Urethane bumper plates are made with a high-grade synthetic polymer coating, which allows them to be thinner. They are also more durable than standard rubber bumper plates and come with a very low bounce height when dropped.

Rubber bumper plates are made from natural or synthetic rubber (recycled is increasingly popular) and are softer to the touch, with a much higher bounce when dropped. They are also usually around 40-50% cheaper than the urethane ones.

For most people, rubber bumpers are perfect.

Will a bumper plate fit an Olympic barbell?

Yes, all bumper plates fit Olympic bars. They have a standard 2" (or 50mm) central bore hole. Olympic bars have a 2" sleeve. You can check our Olympic bars to see what options we have for training or weightlifting.

What weights are available as bumpers?

All our bumper plates are available in 5kg to 20kg —with most sets also having the 25kg bumper plate. Smaller weights are usually added as fractional plates, which are 0.5kg, 1kg, 1.5kg, 2kg, and 2.5kg in weight. 

Will I need special flooring to use bumper plates?

We always advise using bumper plates with rubber flooring that's at least 20mm thick. This helps to dissipate the energy of the dropped weights, which will also help prolong the life of your plate. 

Bumper plates should absorb a lot of the impact themselves, but the thicker your rubber gym flooring, the better for sound and impact reduction. We recommend an absolute minimum of 40mm for dedicated commercial lifting areas. You can also use drop pads to help if your flooring is only 20mm. It's also worth considering whether you need acoustic wall panels for your gym.

If you're planning a dedicated lifting area, our home gym design, garage gym design and commercial gym design services can help you plan the flooring and equipment requirements into your space from the start.

Can you deliver to my house?

Yes, of course. We offer a pallet delivery service only due to the weight of multiple plates or a set of plates. They will deliver to your kerbside on a pallet for you. Alternatively, we can offer a 2-man delivery, but this is more expensive.

Unfortunately, with kerbside delivery, we cannot provide an exact time.

Why buy from GymEquipment.co.uk?

With over 20 years of experience designing and supplying gym equipment, GymEquipment.co.uk can help you choose the right bumper plates and build a complete training space around them. We offer expert advice, professional installation and technical support, alongside a wide range of equipment from leading fitness brands. Our luxury home gym design, PT studio design, hotel gym design, and office gym design services can also help you plan everything from flooring and equipment selection to the layout of your lifting area.