Average Pull-up Bar Weight Limits (5 Types)

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Pull-up bars are powerful pieces of fitness equipment but their weight limits have to be high enough to deal with the pressure you put them under.

The first thing to note is that there are different pull-up bar types. These can vary a good amount in terms of average weight capacities.

For example, the 15 wall-mounted pull-up bars I looked at in this article have an average weight limit of 407.07 pounds (184.61 kg). These pull-up bars also have a median weight limit of 440 pounds (199.55 kg).

Since weight limit is such an important pull-up bar statistic, it can be smart to check the lists below for more in-depth numbers per type and model.

Pull-up bar weight limits

Before going into the details of each category, it is worth mentioning that power racks with a pull-up bar as an attachment are not included.

The number of combinations for this type is very big and will vary so much in weight limits that the average would not mean that much.

These tend to be able to hold a lot of weight, especially the commercial gym combinations.

Additionally, keep in mind that the weight limits below are for regular use.

If you plan to do pull-up bar exercises with a lot of swinging you want to play it safe and choose a weight limit that is higher than your body weight.

Additionally, individuals more experienced with resistance training may need to do weighted pull-ups. This again requires a higher pull-up bar weight limit than just your body weight.

Doorway pull-up bar weight limits

Doorway pull-ups bars work in a way that makes it so your weight presses one part of the bar against the wall and the other against the doorframe. A certain amount of weight also rests on the top of your doorframe.

The average weight limit of the doorway pull-up bars below was 359.33 pounds (162.96 kg). These same models had a median weight limit of 363.57 pounds (164.89 kg).

That being said, there are a good amount of examples with a weight limit of 440 pounds (199.55 kg).

Even if the weight limit allows it, you don’t want to swing too much when using a doorway pull-up bar. This can detach the pull-up bar.

Something else to keep in mind when talking about doorway pull-up bars is that the weight limit of the bar is not the only limit. The doorframe you intend to use also needs to be able to hold the weight.

Wall-mounted pull-up bar weight limits

When it comes to wall-mounted pull-up bars, their construction is again not the only thing that influences how much weight you can actually use.

The strength of your wall matters too.

That aside, the wall-mounted pull-up bars below have an average weight limit of 407.07 pounds (184.61 kg). Their median weight limit is 440 pounds (199.55 kg).

Some of the sturdiest options even have a weight limit of up to 500 pounds (226.76 kg).

It likely does not come as a surprise but wall-mounted pull-up bars are the type with the second-highest average weight limit in this article.

Some of the ceiling-mounted pull-up bars and power rack combinations do go even higher.

Power tower weight limits

The next category is freestanding pull-up bar stations. There are actual free-standing setups with only a pull-up bar but these are often more expensive than a similar piece of equipment called a power tower.

A power tower is a combination of a pull-up bar, a dip bar, and often a captain’s chair. If you plan to get a free-standing pull-up bar any way you may as well get the option to do additional exercises at a lower price.

The average weight limit of the power towers on this list is 340 pounds (154.20 kg). The median weight limit is 330 pounds (149.66 kg).

Potentially surprisingly, the average weight limit of power towers is the lowest of the pull-up bar types on this list. Even lower than the average of doorway pull-up bars.

Inside doorframe pull-up bar weight limits

The next type of pull-up bar is one you attach inside your doorframe.

Keep in mind that this relatively sturdy setup also requires a bit more work to install.

The inside doorframe pull-up bars I looked at had an average weight limit of 370.67 pounds (168.10 kg). Besides that, their median weight limit was 330 pounds (149.66 kg).

One of the models, the FLYBIRD Pull-up Bar, even claims a weight limit of 660 pounds (299.32 kg). This is the highest pull-up bar weight limit out of the 66 models in this article.

Ceiling-mounted pull-up bar weight limits

Lastly, there are pull-up bars that can be mounted on the ceiling.

Similar to the wall-mounted types, you want to make sure the ceiling you intend to use is suitable for this and has a good “weight limit” too.

The average weight limit of the ceiling-mounted pull-up bars below is 500 pounds (226.76 kg). The median option has a weight limit of 450 pounds (204.08 kg).

One thing to keep in mind is that the list of ceiling-mounted pull-up bars is relatively small.

This makes it so models like the Gronk Fitness Pull-up Bar, which claims to have an 800-pound (362.81 kg) weight limit, influence the average a lot.

That being said, even without the Gronk Fitness model, ceiling-mounted pull-up bars would have the highest average weight limit.