Proudly Made in the USA

Founded in 1967 by Tom Lincir , is a world leader of professional and
commercial grade plates, bars, barbell and dumbbell products worldwide. In fact , if you've ever competed, you've probably used their equipment.

Starting with the invention of the now industry standard compression ring collar, Ivanko contines to innovate in all areas of competitive lifting. Our innovations in urethane coatings have resulted in unsurpassed quality and durability in our bumper line

Bar None, the Best Bars

Because bars are made of solid steel, and steel is generally regarded as “strong”, few are aware that the bar can have defects on the surface or in the microstructure that may be a starting point for the bar to snap. To protect against this risk, we use ultrasonic testing to detect internal defects, and eddy current or magnetic particle tested (“mag tested”) to detect external cracks. How accurate are these test? Ivanko rejects about 6% of finished Olympic bars through these tests. Bars that would have made it to market if we only relied on the naked eye.

At Ivanko, we straighten the bars to tolerances of less than 15 thousandths of an inch curvature over the length of the bar. To understand how tight this is, many so-called “competition” bars typically fall in the 60 - 100 thousandths of an inch range. It takes expensive machinery and a skilled operator to achieve this tolerance, but we feel the cost is well worth the quality difference that you will sense and appreciate.

Chrome looks great on a plate but chroming a bar can make it brittle. So for Ivanko there are only two acceptable materials for a professional competition powerlifting bar: black oxide and stainless steel. Black oxide is applied in heat conditions under 400° F (190° C), which will not alter the chemistry of the bar, or weaken its tensile strength. Stainless steel is the most expensive material, but it requires no coating process that can degrade the bar’s microstructure.

All Plates Are NOT Created Equal

There is no reason to accept plates with holes that are oversized, undersized, egg shaped, or off center. The correct size range is 50.2 mm (1.976”) to 50.8 mm (1.999”) in diameter. Ivanko’s competition calibrated powerlifting plates are certified and approved by the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) for use in international competition. Each plate is calibrated within grams of the exact weight and always fit properly with no tightness or wiggle.

When you consider that anything made of iron will last a thousand years, a small price difference to get the best quality weight plates works out to almost nothing per year. Price is not a significant consideration. Quality is, and it is important in four areas: Casting Quality, Weight Accuracy, Hole Accuracy and Consistency, Workmanship, and Painting.

All iron weight plates are “sand casted”. Like footprints at the beach, an impression in the shape of the weight plate is made in damp sand, and molten iron is poured into the cavity. A number of factors influence the quality of the finished product: the fineness of the sand; the cleaning of the sand between castings; the moisture control of the sand, the grade and purity of the iron; the temperature control of the molten iron; the length of time the casting is left in the mold (the longer, the better)

Most manufacturers claim accuracy within +/- 2% of declared weight. For a 45 pound weight plate, this means a range of 44.1 to 45.9 pounds. This is acceptable for non-calibrated Olympic plates. If you were to load three 45’s on each side of the bar, one side could weigh 132.3 pounds and the other 137.7 pounds — a 5.4 pound or 3% difference. From our experience, this difference is too small to be noticed. That’s why +/- 2% makes< sense for Olympic training plates. However Ivanko calibrated plates take accuracy to a level almost unimaginable. Our calibrated tolerances are with 10 grams and often time within two grams for a 45 pound plate. How much is a gram?, Try the weight of a paper clip. Do you think that if someone place 10 paperclips on one side of your bar you could notice? Not possible.

So trust Ivanko to deliver bars and plates so accurate and durable that you may need to put your beloved weightlifting set in your will.

Check out our complete line of Ivanko powerlifting and weightlifting products