Billard Vintage Weight Plates

Name: Billard Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: Billard
Rating: 4.9 (10 reviews)

Billard Barbell was a Reading, Pennsylvania weightlifting equipment maker that competed with York Barbell through the 1960s, sold mainly through department and sporting-goods stores, and used 1959 Mr. Universe Bruce Randall as its touring spokesman. This deep-dish Olympic plate is one of its classic designs: a three-spoke casting carried all the way down to the smallest 2.5 lb change plates, dual-marked in pounds and kilograms, with the smaller plates’ lettering noted as a nice touch by owners. The company closed in the early 1990s, so these plates are no longer manufactured or sold new – what circulates today is decades-old stock on the used market.

An independent scale check found the plates landing right on their stated weight, and made-in-USA examples are lathed on the back for accuracy, similar in intent to a milled York plate. Buyers should watch for an overseas-made “Billard Universal” look-alike (stamped “Taiwan” on the spoke) with a noticeably smaller diameter, thinner rim, and thicker spokes than the genuine made-in-USA casting.

Buying guide

Best Weight Plates for Your Home Gym — July 2026 Bumper Plates or Iron Plates? How to Pick Your First Set — July 2026 Do You Need Calibrated or Competition Plates? — July 2026 How Much Do Weight Plates Cost Per Pound? — July 2026 What Weight Set Should a Beginner Buy? — July 2026 Will Dropping Weights Damage Your Floor? — July 2026

Design	Three-spoke deep-dish, self-balancing on the floor; spokes and lettering carried down to the smallest 2.5 lb change plates
Finish	Made-in-USA examples lathed on the back for weight accuracy (larger plates lathed, smaller plates cast to tolerance)
Markings	Dual-marked in pounds and kilograms
Material	Cast iron
Hole type	Olympic (2") deep-dish; a standard 1" hole version was also produced
Thickness	Roughly 1.7" for made-in-USA castings (about 1.686" on overseas-made examples)
Variant caveat	An overseas-made "Billard Universal" version exists, stamped "Taiwan" on the spoke, with a smaller diameter and different rim/spoke proportions than the made-in-USA original
Manufacturer status	Billard Barbell (Reading, PA) closed in the early 1990s; no longer manufactured -- used-market only

What is a Weight Plate?

What weight plates are

Weight plates load your barbell — but “plate” covers two very different tools. Bumper plates are rubber discs around a steel hub, all the same ~450mm diameter, built to be dropped from overhead without damaging your floor or bar; they’re the default for Olympic lifting and CrossFit. Iron/steel plates are denser and thinner per pound, cheaper, and quieter to load, but most aren’t made to be dropped — better for slow, controlled powerlifting-style work.

What actually matters

Bumper vs. iron. Buy bumpers if the bar might hit the floor; iron (or rubber-coated iron) for controlled lifts and compact loading.
Weight tolerance. How far a plate strays from its stated weight (±1% is tight, ±3% loose). It barely matters for general training but adds up if you chase a specific total — which is why serious lifters add small change / fractional plates.
Collar fit & bounce. The center hole should fit your bar’s sleeve snugly; rubber durometer (around 88 Shore A) controls how “dead” a dropped plate lands.
Coating & set composition. Virgin rubber holds up and smells less than recycled crumb rubber; plan a starting set (usually a pair each of 45/25/10/5 lb plus change plates) around the lifts you actually do.

Who it’s for

Every barbell gym needs plates. Most home lifters should start with a bumper set, then add iron, change, or specialty plates as a second purchase once they know what their training is missing.

How it compares

	Billard Vintage Weight Plates	Pinnacle™ Bumper Plates	Weight Plates - Custom/DIY	Hansu Deep Dish Plates
GymRadar rating	4.9/5	4.89/5	4.89/5	4.89/5
Price		$69.99
Design	Three-spoke deep-dish, self-balancing on the floor; spokes and lettering carried down to the smallest 2.5 lb change plates
Finish	Made-in-USA examples lathed on the back for weight accuracy (larger plates lathed, smaller plates cast to tolerance)			Gray hammertone enamel
Markings	Dual-marked in pounds and kilograms
Material	Cast iron	Crumb rubber (recycled)		Ductile iron
Hole type	Olympic (2") deep-dish; a standard 1" hole version was also produced
Thickness	Roughly 1.7" for made-in-USA castings (about 1.686" on overseas-made examples)
Variant caveat	An overseas-made "Billard Universal" version exists, stamped "Taiwan" on the spoke, with a smaller diameter and different rim/spoke proportions than the made-in-USA original
Manufacturer status	Billard Barbell (Reading, PA) closed in the early 1990s; no longer manufactured -- used-market only

4.9/5 · 10 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.9/5	10 reviews
Youtube	4.5/5	2 reviews

Billard Barbell’s deep-dish Olympic plate is a well-regarded piece of made-in-USA iron from a company that closed in the early 1990s, so what you’re evaluating is a decades-old collectible rather than a currently sold product. Build quality is the standout dimension: an independent scale check found the plates landing right on their stated weight, the three-spoke design carries all the way down to the smallest 2.5 lb change plates (many manufacturers drop spokes below 25 lb), and the made-in-USA castings are lathed on the back for accuracy. Value is the weakest dimension, though not for quality reasons – there is no live manufacturer or retailer to buy from, prices are whatever the used market bears (one reviewer pegs USA-made examples at roughly $1.50-2/lb and calls them undervalued at that price), and a buyer has to watch for an overseas-made “Billard Universal” look-alike with a noticeably smaller diameter and looser tolerances. Worth seeking out on the used market for a lifter who wants genuine vintage American iron, with the caveat that “buying” here means hunting listings, not clicking “add to cart.”

+Build quality: independent scale check found the plates landing right on their stated weight, consistent with the made-in-USA plates being lathed on the back for accuracy (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Build quality: the three-spoke design is carried all the way down to the smallest 2.5 lb change plates, with full lettering and spokes where many manufacturers drop them below 25 lb (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Functionality: deep-dish design balances on its own on the floor, and plates are dual-marked in both pounds and kilograms (GymRadar; YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Durability: cast iron construction that has stayed in circulation and usable condition for six-plus decades since the company's 1960s heyday (VintageWeightsPGH.com; oldtimestrongman.com)
+Value: an independent reviewer considers made-in-USA examples undervalued at the typical used-market price of roughly $1.50-2/lb, given the accuracy and made-in-USA construction (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)

−Value: Billard Barbell closed in the early 1990s, so there is no current manufacturer or retail listing -- every purchase is a used-market hunt with variable pricing and condition (VintageWeightsPGH.com)
−Value: an overseas-made "Billard Universal" version exists with a noticeably smaller diameter and thinner rim/thicker spokes than the made-in-USA original, and a careless buyer can end up with the wrong one (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Functionality: about 1/8 inch of play between the sleeve and plate on the bar, described by the reviewer as "nothing egregious but not exactly snug" (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Durability: no long-term modern independent wear data -- the coverage here is a collector's condition assessment of decades-old stock, not a fresh multi-year test (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−GymRadar's 10 reviews carry no published individual review text, so the 4.9/5 aggregate can't be cross-checked against specific owner complaints (GymRadar)