How Much Does A Power Rack Weigh? +List Of Popular Models

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How heavy is a power rack or squat rack? I’ve done a lot of searching and compiled a list of all the popular racks and how much they weigh. Here are the results.

The average weight of a full size power rack is 184 lbs. (83.5 kg) Squat/power racks range from 109 to about 350 lbs. (49.5 to 158.8 kg) The difference in weight comes from; size, materials, construction and the size and diameter of the tubing. In general, heavier racks are sturdier and bigger.

Below is a list with all the models and their weights. You might find something that fits your needs exactly. Scroll down to find more.

Looking for a power rack that is great for home gym? Click here to find my recommendation.

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How Much Does a Power Rack Weigh?

Here is a list of popular power racks. All the weights are the bare cage without any attachments or weights. This list consists of power racks that are popular and/or suitable for home use. They are basic power cages with 4 posts. There is a mix of depths and heights.

If you’re looking for squat stands with just two separate posts, click here to find more information.

There are much bigger racks available with six or even more posts that take up a lot of space. In my opinion those aren’t exactly suitable for most home gyms. Home gyms in general are not big enough to accommodate power racks of this size.

Brand	Model	Option	Weight (Lbs.)
Titan Fitness	T-2	36" Short	123
Titan Fitness	T-2	36" Tall	147
Titan Fitness	T-3	36" Short	240
Titan Fitness	X3	Tall	343
Rogue	RML-390C		265
Rogue	RML-490C		340
Rogue	R-3	90"	200
CAP	Full Rack	6'	109
Body-Solid	BFPR100		117
TDS	Power rack		140
REP Fitness	PR1000		144
Body power	PBC5380		192
Fitness Reality	X-Class		140
Fitness Reality	810XLT		133.5
HulkFit	1000		165
Papababe	Power rack		140
Average			184

As you can see the average weight of a power rack for home use is 184 lbs.  The majority of the lighter racks weigh in at roughly 120 to 150 lbs.  These racks are designed to handle lighter weights and are not constructed as tough as some of the heavier ones. For the majority of people these racks can still handle more than enough weights however.

The really heavy duty power cages weigh up to 350 pounds for the four post racks. Bigger (6 post) versions can weigh much more than that. These can handle a lot of weight and are super solid. There isn’t much you can throw at these that will make them wobble or worse.

A rack like the Titan T-2 (Amazon) is pretty lightweight ranging from 107 to 147 lbs. (depending on the depth and height) but is still rated to handle 700 lbs. There aren’t many people who will run into the limitations of that.

That, combined with the compact size and price is why I recommend the Titan T-2 for home gyms. Check out more about why I recommend that rack here (Click)

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Why do power racks have different weights?

For a product that looks so similar, there are big differences in weights. There are no electronics or motors like treadmills and elliptical machines so where does the weight and the differences come from?

There are three main reasons for these differences;

• Size
• Used materials
• Construction

First off, bigger means heavier. It’s that simple. Some power racks come in different depths and heights. A bigger rack requires more material to create so it becomes heavier. However, even if you look at two different racks with the same dimensions, they can have different weights. That can be explained by the construction and the used materials.

The vast majority of the power racks on the market is made out of steel. Steel is heavy. A few racks utilize other materials like aluminum or composite. Usually they don’t use these materials on the parts that are the most important for structural integrity but possibly on some other parts since these materials are not quite as strong and/or durable as steel.

The final difference in weight comes from the construction. Most racks are made out of steel tubes. That means they’re not solid steel but have walls. The walls of the tubes can have different thicknesses. The thicker the wall, the heavier the tube and rack becomes. The obvious tradeoff for this use of extra material is that the rack becomes stronger and can hold more weight.

Besides the thickness of the tube walls, the size of the tubes differs as well. The lightest power racks use tubes that measure 2” x 2”. This will support weights up to about 1000 lbs. The toughest racks like the Rogue Monster series uses 3” x 3” tubes which support an amount of weight the Hulk would have problems with. A few racks are in between and use tubes that measure 3” x 2”. A larger diameter tube makes it stiffer, even if the thickness of the walls is the same.

The combination of all of those factors (and some smaller ones like the amount and size of holes) determines how heavy a rack is and how much weight it can handle. There is a correlation between the weight of a rack and how much weight it can handle although it’s not a perfect relationship.

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Does weight matter?

Does it matter which how much your squat cage weighs? There are a few factors that come into play here.

Quality

If you’re going by weight to decide if you’re going to buy a certain rack or not, that’s probably not the best way to go about it. While weight can be a proxy for quality/sturdiness, it’s not a guarantee.

A heavier weight means more steel is used. Using more steel doesn’t mean that the quality is higher though. Manufacturing tolerances can still be worse than a lighter rack. The used hardware (nuts and bolts) can be weaker and the fit and finish doesn’t have to be any better.

So for overall quality, the weight doesn’t matter much.

Weight capacity

A higher weight does indicate that more steel is used. If more steel is used, it’s possible to build something stronger. Especially larger diameter and thicker gauge posts will add a lot of strength to a rack.

So in that regard, a higher weight of the rack is likely related to a higher load limit. Although the load limit is also dependent on the used hardware and accessories.

To anchor or not to anchor

The biggest reason to choose a heavy rack might be if you don’t want to anchor it down. For most models manufacturers recommend to bolt the rack to the floor. That’s because racking heavy weights can move the rack around which is dangerous.

However, if you intend not to bolt a rack down and think a heavier rack might stop it from moving around, there is a better way. Instead of choosing a rack based on the weight, just store a lot of weight plates on the rack. That’s going to make a much bigger difference than a heavier rack.

There are models that don’t have to be bolted down. They usually have a larger footprint for more stability. Just like with the racks that DO have to be bolted down, it’s easier just to store more weight plates on it than to buy one just because it’s heavier.

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Related questions

Do you need a power rack in a home gym? For people that do any kind of weightlifting, a power rack is a necessity in a home gym. A power cage opens up so many opportunities for different lifts. Many lifts that are mainstays in almost all weightlifting programs require a power rack. It can provide

How much does a power rack cost? A good quality power rack which can handle plenty of weight can be had for about $300 without attachments. Very simple four post racks can be bought from about $200 but you’ll start making compromises on construction and functionality. Heavy duty racks cost $500 to several thousands.

How wide is a power rack? The vast majority of power racks has an opening of 42” to 45” wide. Heavy duty racks can get wider with an inside width of 49”. Power racks are designed to work with full length 7.2’ barbells. The shaft length of such barbells is about 51”. That shaft has to fit on the J-hooks on the posts which means a power rack can’t be wider than 49”.

Read more about barbells here (click).