GIANT Cast Iron Plates

Name: GIANT Cast Iron Plates
Brand: Giant Lifting
Rating: 3.78 (3 reviews)

Giant Lifting’s Iron Grip Olympic Plates are a budget-friendly cast iron plate line built around a standard 2” Olympic bore, running from a 2.5 lb warm-up plate up to a 45 lb full working plate. The 10, 25, and 45 lb sizes add a four-hole grip design, making them easy to pick up and load and useful beyond straight barbell work – carries, lunges, overhead presses, and other functional movements. Each plate carries a durable black powder coating meant to resist rust and everyday wear; the manufacturer is upfront that these are “economy style” plates that can pick up paint chips and cosmetic blemishes over time, and recommends rubber or bumper plates to buyers who prioritize a pristine finish. In an independent YouTube comparison testing 100+ Olympic plate sets, these were named the reviewer’s top pick among grip-style cast iron plates for price-to-quality, with the only real trade-off being a thicker profile per pound than thin-profile competitors – worth knowing if bar sleeve space is tight.

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

Sold as	Individual plates, pairs, or multi-weight sets
Diameter	6.3" (2.5 lb) up to 17.5" (45 lb)
Material	Cast iron, black powder coating
Warranty	1 year, home and commercial use
Tolerance	+/- 5% (10/25/35/45 lb plates)
Grip design	Four-hole grip handles (10/25/45 lb sizes)
Sleeve size	2" (50.4mm) Olympic standard
Manufacturer	Giant Lifting
Available weights	2.5 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb, 25 lb, 45 lb

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

	GIANT Cast Iron Plates	Rubber Olympic Bumper Plate	Ethos Bumper Plates	Cast Iron Weight Plates
GymRadar rating	3.78/5	3.81/5	3.73/5	3.72/5
Price	$11.98	$46.99	$29.98	$49.99
Sold as	Individual plates, pairs, or multi-weight sets	Pairs (10/15/25 lb) or individual plates (35/45/55 lb)
Diameter	6.3" (2.5 lb) up to 17.5" (45 lb)
Material	Cast iron, black powder coating	Virgin and recycled rubber with reinforced steel hub	Vulcanized recycled rubber with a stainless steel insert
Warranty	1 year, home and commercial use
Tolerance	+/- 5% (10/25/35/45 lb plates)
Grip design	Four-hole grip handles (10/25/45 lb sizes)
Sleeve size	2" (50.4mm) Olympic standard	2" Olympic standard
Manufacturer	Giant Lifting	CAP Barbell
Available weights	2.5 lb, 5 lb, 10 lb, 25 lb, 45 lb	10 lb pair, 15 lb pair, 25 lb pair, 35 lb single, 45 lb single, 55 lb single	10 lb, 15 lb, 25 lb, 35 lb, 45 lb

3.8/5 · 3 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	3.78/5	3 reviews
Youtube	4.7/5	1 reviews

Giant Lifting’s cast iron grip plates are a budget-friendly Olympic (2” bore) iron plate line running 2.5-45 lb, with four-hole grip handles on the larger 10/25/45 lb sizes for carries, lunges, and other non-barbell work. Their standout dimension is value: a YouTube comparison spanning 100+ tested plate sets names them the reviewer’s “top choice for grip plates,” saying “you will not find a better coated grip plate for the money.” Their weakest dimension is build quality confidence – the manufacturer itself flags these as “economy style” plates prone to paint chips and cosmetic blemishes over time, and no independent editorial outlet has published a hands-on review to corroborate durability under repeated use. Coverage overall is thin: one manufacturer page, one third-party video, and no community discussion.

+Value: singled out as the reviewer's "top choice for grip plates" among 100+ tested sets, calling out a better quality-to-price ratio than most competitors (YouTube: Gluck's Gym)
+Functionality: four-hole grip design on 10/25/45 lb plates makes them easy to pick up and load, and usable for carries, lunges, and overhead work beyond the barbell (Giant Lifting)
+Versatility: five weight options (2.5-45 lb) span warm-up plates through full working weights on a single 2" Olympic bore (Giant Lifting)
+Build quality: black powder coating is described as durable and rust-resistant, with a "good and consistent build quality" per independent video testing (Giant Lifting; YouTube: Gluck's Gym)

−Build quality: the manufacturer itself describes these as "economy style" plates prone to paint chips and cosmetic blemishes with use (Giant Lifting)
−Durability: no independent editorial review (Garage Gym Reviews, Garage Gym Lab) covers this specific line, so long-term wear evidence beyond one video and the manufacturer's own claims is limited
−Functionality: the grip handles make these noticeably thicker per pound than thin-profile competitors, meaning less weight fits on a given bar sleeve length (YouTube: Gluck's Gym)
−Value: GymRadar's 3.78/5 rating is based on only 3 reviews, a thin sample for confidence (GymRadar)

$11.98

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