Weider Vintage Weight Plates

Name: Weider Vintage Weight Plates
Brand: Weider
Rating: 4.7 (10 reviews)

Weider’s vintage weight plates trace back to a 1954 crosshub set – according to collector lore, Joe Weider approached foundry owner Andy Jackson about a collaboration, then released a nearly identical design under his own name. The set’s signature feature is its three-spoke crosshub, cast into every plate down to the 2.5 lb change plate, with “Weider International” lettering throughout. A related run was later produced in Canada (stamped “Canada” near the hub rather than “Made in China,” which marks newer reproductions), sold in both pound and kilogram markings into the 1980s-90s.

These are long discontinued and only available on the used/collector market today – Weider’s current catalog is an unrelated modern “Hammertone” cast iron line. Collectors and home-gym owners generally rate them as solid, accurate workhorse iron: independent scale testing found tested plates within about a tenth of a pound of their stated weight, and owners describe them as sturdy, trusty change plates that still perform decades on. The tradeoff is finish and dimensional consistency typical of 1950s-90s cast iron – a somewhat thinner deep-dish profile than premium vintage brands, an outer diameter that can run slightly large versus modern milled plates, and sharp, unfinished edges on some castings. Reddit’s r/homegym community treats them as plentiful, inexpensive “nothing special” iron that’s easy to find secondhand and popular to refinish and repaint rather than a premium collectible tier like York or Jackson-made sets.

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

Era	Originally advertised in 1954; a related Canadian-made run (stamped "Canada" near the hub) followed and was sold into the 1980s-90s
Design	Three-spoke crosshub design, cast down to the 2.5 lb change plate, with "Weider International" lettering
Material	Cast iron
Availability	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist) -- not manufactured or sold new
Diameter fit	Outer diameter runs slightly larger than a modern milled plate, causing noticeable play on standard barbell sleeves
Weight markings	Later Canadian-made runs carry both pound and kilogram markings
Weight tolerance	Tested plates ran within about 0.1 lb of stated weight (e.g. 45.3-45.35 lb on a labeled 45 lb plate)
Deep dish thickness	About 1.7 in on tested plates, thinner than premium deep-dish brands like York or Ivanko (closer to 2 in)

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

	Weider Vintage Weight Plates	International 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	Originally advertised in 1954; a related Canadian-made run (stamped "Canada" near the hub) followed and was sold into the 1980s-90s	Estimated production from the late 1970s through the 1990s, based on kg+lb dual markings and stamp style
Design	Three-spoke crosshub design, cast down to the 2.5 lb change plate, with "Weider International" lettering	Classic three-spoke deep-dish design with spokes finishing about 1 inch from the rim; distinctive three-ring "bullseye" cast into the back
Material	Cast iron	Cast iron	Cast iron
Availability	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist) -- not manufactured or sold new	Discontinued; sold only on the used/collector market (no manufacturer or retailer)
Diameter fit	Outer diameter runs slightly larger than a modern milled plate, causing noticeable play on standard barbell sleeves
Weight markings	Later Canadian-made runs carry both pound and kilogram markings
Weight tolerance	Tested plates ran within about 0.1 lb of stated weight (e.g. 45.3-45.35 lb on a labeled 45 lb plate)		+/-1% (25lb-45lb), +/-3% (2.5lb-10lb)
Deep dish thickness	About 1.7 in on tested plates, thinner than premium deep-dish brands like York or Ivanko (closer to 2 in)

4.7/5 · 10 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.7/5	10 reviews
Youtube	3.8/5	2 reviews
Reddit	3.6/5	13 reviews

Weider’s vintage crosshub plates trace back to a disputed 1954 deal with Andy Jackson’s foundry, and that history – plus a distinctive three-spoke crosshub cast down to the 2.5 lb change plates – is most of the appeal today. Functionality is the standout dimension: independent testing found individual plates weighing within a tenth of a pound of their stated weight, and the straight, un-sloped hub makes them a favorite for hub lifting. Value is the weakest dimension – an independent reviewer who has handled dozens of vintage sets calls this Weider/ International lineage “entry-level vintage iron” next to premium collector brands, and pricing lives entirely in the used-collector market (roughly $1.50-2/lb typically, though clean crosshub pairs with original paint have fetched close to $2,000). Since Weider no longer sells these new, condition and provenance – not a purchase decision – drive what you’d actually pay. Worth seeking out for the crosshub design and nostalgia; not a fit for anyone wanting a calibrated, warrantied modern plate.

+Functionality: independent scale testing found a tested pair within 0.1 lb of its stated 45 lb weight, tighter tolerance than the reviewer expected for the collectible tier (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Functionality: the straight, 90-degree hub (no slope) makes these a favorite among hub-lifters, a niche but real functional draw (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Build quality: casting quality is clean for an entry-level vintage plate -- few flaws, minimal pitting -- across multiple sets the reviewer examined (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
+Versatility: the crosshub pattern is cast all the way down to the 2.5 lb change plates with consistent Weider International labeling, unusual completeness for a vintage set (GymRadar)
+Value: owners describe them as "trusty and sturdy" workhorse plates that still do the job today, decades after production (GymRadar)

−Value: an independent reviewer with broad vintage-iron experience calls this lineage "entry-level vintage iron" that "lacks the precision of high-end competition brands" (GymRadar)
−Build quality: at roughly 1.7 inches thick, the deep-dish casting runs thinner than most deep-dish vintage plates (York and Ivanko both closer to 2 inches), on the low end for the category (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Build quality: outer diameter runs slightly larger than a modern milled plate, causing noticeable play on today's standard barbell sleeves (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Build quality: sharp, unfinished corners on the back edge make the plates less comfortable to grip and carry than plates with rounded edges (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
−Value: as a decades-out-of-production collectible, pricing and condition vary widely by seller -- one reviewer notes sets are frequently priced well above the ~$1.50-2/lb he considers fair (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)