How To Store Weight Plates In A Home Gym: 6 Best Options

Written by Matt in Barbells & Plates Last Updated October 24, 2023

Tired of weight plates cluttering up your workout space, playing hide and seek, and posing as obstacles? We hear you. Let’s dive into the world of solutions that’ll keep your weights organized, your gym looking sleek, and your toes safe. Let’s explore the best ways to store and organize your weight plates in your garage or home gym.

A plate tree or wall-mounted pegs are the best solution to store your weight plates in a home gym in addition to the pegs on your rack. Proper plate storage means a tidier, safer, and nicer-looking gym. There are different types of storage available that fit your needs exactly.

Below you can find the different types of weight plate storage solutions and which ones are the best. There will also be some tips on effectively organizing them.

Why You Need a Weight Plate Storage Solution

Considering weight plate storage for your home gym? In commercial gyms, this is a no-brainer. But what about your home or garage gym? Let’s explore why having a dedicated spot for your weight plates is a smart move:

In many home setups, weight plates tend to form unruly heaps on the floor. That’s not the best option though. Plates scattered around can easily become obstacles, ready to stub your toe or send you tripping. Plus, those smaller plates? They’re experts at hiding under larger stacks.

In short, plate storage provides;

  • Organized Space:
    • Prevents weight plates from forming cluttered piles on the floor.
    • Eliminates the hassle of searching for the right weight plates mid-workout.
  • Safety First:
    • Reduces the risk of tripping over scattered plates.
    • Minimizes the chance of accidentally stubbing your toe.
  • Efficiency in Transitions:
    • Facilitates swift weight changes between sets and exercises.
    • Saves time by having weight plates readily accessible and neatly arranged.
  • Enhances Motivation:
    • Creates a tidy and visually appealing gym environment.
    • Boosts your mood and motivation by working out in an organized space.
  • Longevity of Equipment:
    • Protects weight plates from potential damage caused by being dropped or stepped on.
    • Extends the lifespan of both weight plates and the gym flooring.

Don’t have any weight plates yet? Find the best home gym plates in this article.

Types of Weight Plate Storage

There are various types of weight plate storage solutions designed to keep your gym space organized and efficient. Here are the common types:

  • Plate Tree: A plate tree is a freestanding metal frame with multiple pegs extending outward. Weight plates can be easily hung on the pegs, providing vertical storage that keeps plates organized and accessible.
  • A-Frame Storage: Similar to a plate tree, an A-frame storage unit has a triangular shape with pegs extending from each side. It offers a slightly different design while still providing effective vertical storage.
  • Wall-Mounted Plate Pegs: Wall-mounted pegs are typically attached to a wall, offering vertical storage that utilizes vertical space. These pegs are convenient for storing weight plates while keeping them off the floor.
  • Power Rack Pegs: Power racks often come with built-in pegs for weight plate storage. If they’re not built-in, you can often add them later on. These pegs are attached to the sides of the rack and offer a space-saving solution for keeping weight plates organized.
  • Horizontal Plate Holder: Similar to a dish rack, a horizontal plate holder provides horizontal storage for weight plates. These holders are suitable for bumper plates, which are thicker than standard plates. Often these have wheels for mobility.
  • Customized Storage Solutions: Some gyms create their own storage solutions using wood, metal, or other materials. These customized options can be tailored to fit specific needs and available space.

Each type of weight plate storage solution has its own advantages and considerations, such as space requirements, capacity, and installation. The choice depends on your gym’s layout, the number of weight plates you have, and your preference for organization and accessibility.

Weight plate storage
A-frame weight plate storage

Consideration Before Buying a Plate Rack

Before purchasing a plate storage solution for your home gym, there are several important factors to consider to ensure that the chosen option meets your needs and fits well within your workout space. Here’s what to keep in mind:

  • Available Space: Measure the available area in your home gym where you intend to place the plate storage. Consider both the width and height to ensure a proper fit. Also, keep accessibility in mind. If you put the rack in a corner, it’s hard to get the plates from the back.
  • Weight Plate Capacity: Determine the number and weight of plates you need to store. Ensure that the storage solution can accommodate the size and quantity of your weight plates.
  • Plate Size Compatibility: Check if the storage pegs or holders can accommodate the inner hole diameter of your weight plates, whether they’re standard or Olympic-sized.
  • Stability: Ensure that the chosen storage solution is stable and won’t wobble or tip over when loaded with weight plates. Stability is crucial for safety.
  • Installation: Check whether the storage solution requires assembly. If so, consider your comfort level with assembling the unit and whether any tools are needed.
  • Portability: If you might need to relocate or reconfigure your gym in the future, consider the portability of the storage solution. Some options might be easier to move than others.
  • Additional Features: Some storage solutions offer extra features, such as hooks for resistance bands, accessory storage, or a compact footprint. Assess whether these features align with your gym’s needs.
  • Budget: Determine your budget for the storage solution. While quality is important, consider options that offer a balance between quality and affordability.

Best Weight Plate Storage Options

Best Overall Home Gym Plate Rack: Body-Solid WT46

Prepare to meet your new gym buddy, the Body-Solid WT46 Plate Rack. With a colossal 1000 lbs. load capacity it can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it. There are six chromed pegs to put your plates on The fit and finish is excellent and as a bonus, it has space for two barbells.

Pros

  • Mighty Load Capacity: The WT46 boasts a jaw-dropping 1000 lbs. load capacity.
  • Double the Fun: Need a spot for not one but two barbells? This plate rack’s got your back, accommodating two barbells.
  • Compact Champion: Despite its muscle, the WT46 maintains a compact footprint of 40″ by 23″, fitting snugly into your gym space.
  • Olympic-Style Compatibility: Six 2” pegs tailored for Olympic-style weight plates.
  • Durable Steel Frame: Crafted from the same 2” x 3” and 3” x 3” steel tubing as power racks.

Cons

  • Plate Size: The distance between the bottom and the middle peg is larger than the middle and top peg. That means 45’s only fit on the bottom peg.
  • Barbell Stability: Although it accommodates two barbells, ensuring both barbells remain stable and securely placed might require some adjustment.
Body-Solid WT46 Olympic Weight Plate Tree
  • Very solid and compact weight rack
  • 6 plate pegs and 2 barbell storage spaces
  • Pegs are for 2 weight plates
  • 20 by 23 by 40
  • 1000 lbs. capacity
Buy on Amazon

2.     Best For Standard (1″) Plates: Marcy Plate Tree PT-36

Looking for an organizing solution that’s wallet-friendly, compact, and even comes with a storage cup? Look no further than the Marcy PT-36 Plate tree, a budget-friendly option that brings both convenience and character to your home gym.

Suggested: How many plates do you need for a home gym?

The total capacity of the rack is 300 lbs. The triangular design means you can access it from every side and there are many pegs but at the same time, you’ll need more space around it to access all the pegs. So a corner is not the best place to put this rack.

Pros

  • Budget-Friendly: Affordable and sufficient for many home gyms.
  • Compact: With its 29″ x 29″ footprint, the PT-36 tucks seamlessly into your gym setup.
  • Peg Power: Boasting a respectable 8 plate pegs, this rack keeps your plates organized.
  • 1″ Pegs: One of the few plate racks for standard plates.

Cons

  • 1″ Pegs: While Olympic plates will go on, they’ll be quite loose.
  • Spatial Strategy: While the triangular design is a space-savvy move, accessing all those pegs might require a bit of breathing room, so keep that in mind when choosing its spot in your gym.
Marcy Plate Tree PT-36
  • Compact and light plate storage rack
  • 8 storage pegs
  • Fits 1 weight plates
  • Affordable
  • Two year warranty
Buy on Amazon

3.     Affordable & Practical: Cap A-Frame 2” Plate Storage Rack

Simple, affordable and has seven plate pegs to organize your plates perfectly. It has a 500 lbs. load capacity and weighs only 21.5 pounds by itself. It’s made to accommodate all different types and sizes of weight plates as long as they are of the 2” inner hole variety.

On one side you can hang 45 and 35 lbs. plates on top of each other while lighter plates go on the other side or in the middle.

CAP Barbell Olympic 2-Inch Plate Rack
  • 7 Weight plate pegs
  • For 2 weight plates
  • 22 L x 19 W x 37 H
  • 500 lbs. total capacity
  • Affordable and compact
Buy on Amazon

4.     Best Mobile Plate Storage: XMark Commercial Plate Tree

Need to move your weight plates around a lot? Here is a super sturdy rack with four wheels for easy transportation. Two of the wheels have brakes on them so you don’t have to worry about it rolling away when you don’t want it to.

There are seven 2” plate pegs and two holders for Olympic barbells so you can move your whole barbell and weight set around on one rack. They have a version for normal plates and one for bumper plates. The version for bumper plates only has five pegs because that type of plate is much larger. The total capacity is 750 lbs. and this rack is very well built. If you don’t need the wheels, the Body-Solid mentioned above is a better option for most people though since it’s much cheaper.

XMark Commercial Olympic Weight Plate Tree
  • 6X 9.5 inch weight plate pegs, 1 short peg and two barbell holders
  • 750 lbs. capacity
  • Wheels for easy transportation
  • 2 different versions for bumper and normal plates
Buy on Amazon

5.     Space Saving: Titan Fitness Wall Mounted 4 Peg Plate Holder

Need something that doesn’t take up any floor space? This four peg plate tree has room for up to 16 x 45 lbs. weight plates. That’s more than you’ll find in any other wall mounted plate tree. Of course smaller weight plates fit as well.

Because this rack has anchor points on the walls but also on the floor. At the same time the bottom is a bit further away from the wall than the top. That means the weight actually pushes into the wall and floor instead of pulling away from the wall. This means a much higher load limit.

Titan Fitness Wall Mounted 4-Peg Olympic Bumper Plate Weight Rack Storage
  • Four 2 plate pegs
  • Mounts on the wall
  • The angle of the rack means it leans into the wall instead of pulling away from it.
  • Holds up to four 45s per peg
  • Very compact
Buy on Amazon

6.     Minimalist: Yes4All Wall Mounted Weight Plate Holder

Just need a few pegs for lighter plates? Here is a set of two plate pegs that are mounted separately on the wall. They pegs themselves can handle up to 550 lbs. but of course the wall and your mounting method has to be able to support that as well.

This will work great in combination with storage pegs on a power rack. Usually you want just a few more pegs on the rack to organize everything properly. By mounting a few of these on the wall next to the power rack, you’ll be able to organize everything perfectly. The pegs made for 2” plates and are angled up slightly so the plates stay on there securely.

Yes4All Wall Mounted Weight Plate Holder
  • Set of 2 wall mounted plate holders
  • For 2 plate pegs
  • 9 long
  • Peg has slight upward angle so plates dont slide off
Buy on Amazon

How To Organize Weight Plates

How should you organize weight plates in your gym? Nobody likes digging up that one plate you need from under a 300 lbs. pile between sets. That’s often what leaving them on the floor leads to so that’s not a good way to do it. Plate trees and other storage options give you the option to organize plates in a way that makes your life easier.

However, even if you’ve got all the storage pegs, it doesn’t mean you automatically organize them in the right way. So here are some guidelines that help make your life easier and switching plates easier.

  • Each size on its own peg: Ideally you want each weight to have its own peg to make things as easy as possible. This isn’t always possible but try to get close if you can.
  • Heavy plates lower: Put heavier plates lower on the plate tree. This does a few things; 1.) Prevents the plate tree from becoming top-heavy and toppling over. 2.) Grabbing small plates to add on between sets is easier.
  • Lighter plates together: Try to avoid mixing the heavy and light plates on one peg. You will always end up with a 5 lbs. plate hidden behind four 45 lbs. plates which you’ll all have to take off to get to the one you want. Taking off 4 x 10 lbs. to get there is a lot easier.
  • Put plates back in the same place: Once you’ve organized everything, stick to your system and only change things around if you think that would be easier. Don’t organize everything and then put any random plate on a random peg. That way you’ll be left with a mess after two exercises and you might as well throw the plates on the floor.

What To Avoid When Storing Weight Plates

When storing weight plates, there are a few things you should avoid doing to ensure the safety of your plates, your gym space, and yourself.

Here’s what to steer clear of:

  • Overloading Racks: Avoid overloading weight plate racks beyond their recommended capacity. Overloading can lead to instability, causing the rack to tip over or become unsafe.
  • Leaving Plates on the Floor: Storing weight plates directly on the floor can lead to damage to both the plates and the floor. Avoid leaving plates on the ground without proper protection.
  • Improper Placement: Don’t place weight plates in areas where they could obstruct pathways or pose tripping hazards. Keep high-traffic areas clear of clutter.
  • Stacking Plates Unnecessarily: Avoid stacking too many plates on top of each other without proper support. Excessive stacking can damage the plates and make them difficult to access.
  • Neglecting Rust Prevention: Don’t store metal weight plates in humid or damp areas without proper rust prevention measures. This can lead to corrosion and degradation over time.
  • Ignoring Weight Plate Compatibility: Avoid using storage solutions that don’t fit the size or hole diameter of your weight plates. Incompatible storage can damage both the plates and the storage unit.

Matt

Hey, I'm Matt. Welcome to HomeGymResource.com. After working out in many different gyms for almost 20 years and helping people build their own home gyms, i've learned a few things i'd like to share with you.

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