International Vintage Weight Plates

Name: International Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: International
Rating: 4.7 (11 reviews)

The International Deep Dish plate is a vintage cast-iron Olympic plate stamped “Made in Canada,” produced by an obscure manufacturer that collectors have never fully identified – likely active from the late 1970s through the 1990s. It’s built with a classic three-spoke deep-dish design, a straight, right-angle hub that’s easy to hub-lift, and a distinctive three-ring “bullseye” cast into the back, a detail VintageWeightsPGH’s teardown calls out as unusual among vintage plates.

Independent testing backs up the reputation: a tested 45 lb pair weighed in at 45.3 and 45.35 lb, and the casting shows few flaws for a plate the reviewer places on the lower end of the collectible scale. Community members on r/homegym echo the enthusiasm – several compare it favorably to modern deep-dish plates – though sleeve-hole tolerance isn’t perfectly consistent from plate to plate, and the roughly 1.7” profile runs thinner than some other deep-dish plates (closer to 2”). Later Chinese-made reissues carry the same “International” name but a different stamp and font, so buyers hunting the original Canadian-made version should check for the “Canada” stamp near the hub rather than a “Made in China” sticker. Production ended decades ago; it’s sold only on the used/vintage market today, at prices collectors say run anywhere from about $1.50 to $2.50 a pound depending on the seller.

Buying guide

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Era	Estimated production from the late 1970s through the 1990s, based on kg+lb dual markings and stamp style
Hub	Straight, right-angle hub (little to no slope), which makes hub-lifting easier than more tapered vintage hubs
Design	Classic three-spoke deep-dish design with spokes finishing about 1 inch from the rim; distinctive three-ring "bullseye" cast into the back
Origin	Made in Canada (stamped near the hub); later reissues under the same "International" name were made in China and use a different stamp/font
Material	Cast iron
Thickness	About 1.7 inches -- on the thinner end of deep dish (some rivals run closer to 2 inches)
Sleeve fit	Standard 2" Olympic sleeve; individual plates vary somewhat in bore tolerance -- some owners report a snug fit, others report up to ~3mm of play
Availability	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (no manufacturer or retailer)
Weight accuracy	A tested 45 lb pair weighed 45.3 lb and 45.35 lb -- close matched tolerance in independent testing

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

	International Vintage Weight Plates	Weider Vintage Weight Plates	6-Shooter Olympic Grip Plates	Le Master Deep dish barbell plates
GymRadar rating	4.7/5	4.7/5	4.71/5	4.72/5
Price			$207.00	$231.00
Era	Estimated production from the late 1970s through the 1990s, based on kg+lb dual markings and stamp style	Originally advertised in 1954; a related Canadian-made run (stamped "Canada" near the hub) followed and was sold into the 1980s-90s
Hub	Straight, right-angle hub (little to no slope), which makes hub-lifting easier than more tapered vintage hubs
Design	Classic three-spoke deep-dish design with spokes finishing about 1 inch from the rim; distinctive three-ring "bullseye" cast into the back	Three-spoke crosshub design, cast down to the 2.5 lb change plate, with "Weider International" lettering
Origin	Made in Canada (stamped near the hub); later reissues under the same "International" name were made in China and use a different stamp/font
Material	Cast iron	Cast iron	Cast iron
Thickness	About 1.7 inches -- on the thinner end of deep dish (some rivals run closer to 2 inches)
Sleeve fit	Standard 2" Olympic sleeve; individual plates vary somewhat in bore tolerance -- some owners report a snug fit, others report up to ~3mm of play
Availability	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (no manufacturer or retailer)	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist) -- not manufactured or sold new
Weight accuracy	A tested 45 lb pair weighed 45.3 lb and 45.35 lb -- close matched tolerance in independent testing

4.7/5 · 11 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.7/5	11 reviews
Youtube	4.2/5	1 reviews
Reddit	4.5/5	2 reviews

The International Deep Dish plate is a Canadian-made vintage cast-iron plate produced roughly from the late 1970s through the 1990s, best known among collectors for the three-ring “bullseye” casting on its back and a straight, right-angle hub that makes it easy to hub-lift. Independent testing and community reports converge on genuine build quality – clean, largely flaw-free casting and tight weight tolerance – putting it a step above typical used-market Olympic iron, though sharp, uncushioned back-edge corners and a profile on the thinner end of deep dish (about 1.7”) keep it short of top-tier vintage plates. Because production ended decades ago and no manufacturer or retailer carries it today, this is best evaluated as a collectible rather than new equipment: expect used-market pricing to vary widely and sleeve-hole tolerance to differ somewhat between individual plates.

+Build quality: clean, largely flaw-free casting with lathed/machined edges for tolerance, praised in independent teardown video (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Functionality: a tested pair weighed in at 45.3/45.35 lb against a 45 lb nominal target -- tight accuracy for a vintage plate (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Durability: decades-old examples from the 1970s-90s still see active use with minimal pitting or wear reported (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH, r/homegym)
+Versatility: distinctive three-ring bullseye back casting and a straight hub make it easy to hub-lift and to distinguish from later China-made reissues (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)

−Build quality: sharp, uncushioned corners on the back edge make it less comfortable to handle than rounder deep-dish designs (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Functionality: at about 1.7" thick it's on the thinner end of deep dish (vs. 2" on some rivals), and sleeve-hole tolerance seems inconsistent between individual plates -- one owner reports a snug fit, another a loose, 3mm-oversized fit (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH, r/homegym)
−Value: discontinued and only available on the used/vintage market, where sellers sometimes list them well above the roughly $1.50-1.80/lb a knowledgeable buyer would pay (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Versatility: long out of production with no manufacturer support and no current retail source (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH, vintageweightspgh.com)