Finding good information about how much a weight bench costs is not that easy. So the Strong Home Gym team, including certified personal trainers, have spent hours researching and comparing over 70 of the best weight benches. Here’s what we found…
A good quality weight bench costs between $150-$300. It’s possible to buy an entry-level flat bench for around $50 or a budget adjustable bench for around $100. But these use weaker steel and shouldn’t be used to bench over 200lbs. The most expensive weight benches cost over $900 and are strong enough to take any weight that someone could lift.
You can learn more about what to look for when buying a weight bench here with some of our top recommendations.
Or you can carry on reading to find out…
Average weight bench cost
The average weight bench costs $207 using the numbers from 74 of the best benches on the market. The price ranges from $45-$935. It’s possible to get a high-quality flat bench for around $150 and a top-quality adjustable bench can cost about $250.
The quality of weight benches varies a lot. But it’s a vital piece of equipment to get one of the main benefits of performing a bench press.
You can see a quick overview of the benches prices in the table below…
Weight Bench | # Benches | Avg | Cheapest | Most Expensive |
Entry-level Flat | 23 | $81 | $45 | $140 |
High-end Flat | 14 | $179 | $120 | $275 |
Entry-level Adjustable | 23 | $173 | $85 | $299 |
High-end Adjustable | 14 | $487 | $249 | $935 |
Entry-level flat bench price range
A budget flat weight bench costs $81 on average. You can pick one up for $45 but also spend up to $140 for one of the 23 entry-level benches in this research.
One of these benches may be fine for you if you do not bench press over 250 lbs and you want to save some money.
You can check out our review of the Amazon Basics flat bench here as an example.
High-end flat bench price range
High-end flat weight benches range in price from $94 to $275. It costs an average of $179 for the 14 high-end benches used in this data.
You really should be using one of these weight benches if you lift over 350lbs for a bench press. The last thing you want is your bench to buckle or wobble with this kind of weight above you, especially if you ever plan to lift alone.
The REP FB-5000 is our top pick for an affordable high-end flat bench.
Entry-level adjustable bench price range
The average price out of the 23 budget adjustable weight benches in this research is $173. They range from $50 to $299.
This type of bench could be perfect for you if you do not plan on lifting anything very heavy. It’s ideal if you’re on a budget and you want to target smaller muscle groups with variations such as the incline bench press.
But these types of benches can be the most unstable and potentially dangerous if you are planning to do some heavy bench press lifts.
The Fitness Reality 1000 FID (flat, incline, decline) is an example of a decent entry-level adjustable bench.
High-end adjustable bench price range
High-end adjustable weight benches cost $487 on average. The 14 benches in this study range from $249 to $935.
These weight benches are the creme de la creme.
If money is no object you will probably want to choose one of these benches.
They provide the versatility of doing a range of additional movements like incline or decline bench press and different angled sit-ups. This helps to work smaller muscle groups that need more attention in the back, shoulders, chest or abs.
But they are also typically very sturdy and have a high weight capacity.
You can read more about our top pick here: REP AB-3000 FID bench.
Entry-level vs high-end weight bench features
You can see the main features in the table below that determine if a weight bench is entry-level or high-end…
Feature | Entry-level | High-end |
Guage steel | 12-14+ gauge steel | 11 gauge steel or better |
Weight | Less than 30lbs | Over 45lbs |
Front feet | Wide/ two feet | Single front post |
Height | 18” or taller | 17-17.5” |
Padding thickness | Less than 2” | 2” or more |
Gap for adjustable bench | Big gap | Small or no gap |
One of the best ways to tell the quality is to check how much the bench weighs. If it is under 30lbs it most likely does not use 11 gauge steel, which is ⅛” thick.
14 gauge steel is fine if you are not planning to lift over 250lbs on the bench.
But when they are lightweight they can be more prone to wobbling, which is never ideal.
What factors affect the price of a weightlifting bench?
When going through the spreadsheets it was clear to see that certain features of a weight bench have a big impact on the price.
Weight benches with 11 gauge steel or better increases the price
The REP FB-3000 is the cheapest bench with 11 gauge steel for around $120. Whereas flat benches using 12 gauge steel or 14 gauge steel can be found for under $50.
The thickness of the steel is one of the main factors you should consider when buying a bench. The lower the gauge steel rating, the thicker the steel is. This means a bench with 11 gauge steel or better will be able to support more weight on top of it and last a long time.
17.5” height or lower increases the price of a weight bench
The cheapest bench under 17.5” high is the Titan Fitness flat workout bench for around $135. You can pick up a bench over 17.5” high for $45 just to compare!
Powerlifting competition weight benches must be under 17.5” high. Anything around 17” tall is ideal for being able to reach the floor and push up from your legs during a bench press.
It becomes harder to use your legs as they have further to reach the ground if the bench is over 18” high.
Weight benches with one front leg are more expensive than two legs
The REP FB-4000 is about $140 and is the cheapest bench with only one leg at the front of the bench.
It’s ideal to use this “3-post” design as it provides ample space for lifters to place their feet when doing a bench press. You can get a lot of power from your legs for a bench press, but only if you can position them properly.
The legs can get in the way of putting your feet in the ideal position if the front legs of the bench are too wide. This is the main reason one front leg bumps up the price of a bench.
Adjustable weight benches are more expensive than flat benches
The Aerlang adjustable weight bench is one of the cheapest available on Amazon at around $85 (this can and likely will change!)
An adjustable weight bench is one of the most obvious differences for a bench. But as you can see from the previous features it doesn’t necessarily impact the price of a bench as much as some other factors.
However, when you compare the high-end models the cheapest flat bench is $120 compared to $249 for an adjustable bench.
No gap on FID weight benches are pricey
The last noticeable finding was that “no-gap” adjustable benches are considerably more expensive than other adjustable benches.
The Ironmaster Super Bench Utility Bench FID costs around $350 and is one of the cheapest “no-gap” adjustable benches around. It’s pretty unique compared to most designs out there as it doesn’t have a smaller front seat pad.
It’s become a bit of a fad to get an adjustable weight bench without a big gap between the two pads when the bench is flat. For most people, you won’t even notice it. But some people claim the gap is annoying as their bum falls into the gap when lifting.
Weight bench brands pricing
Eleiko is still the most well recognised high-end brand for weight benches. They are often used at powerlifting competitions.
However, most people simply do not need to spend the money on one of these benches.
You can see the price range for the weight benches used in this research below.
Brand | Pricing |
Eleiko | $600+ |
Prime | $600-$900 |
Rogue | $150-$935 |
Ironmaster | $350-$450 |
Vulcan | $200-$450 |
REP Fitness | $95-$500 |
Titan Fitness | $130-$450 |
Bowflex | $200-$300 |
York | $100-$200 |
Flybird | $100-$150 |
Fitness Reality | $80-$150 |
Weider | under $100 |
CAP Fitness | under $100 |
Bear in mind that prices do change and you will need to check their website to find the up to date prices.
How to choose the right weight bench for you
Most people do not need to buy a $900 weight bench. You can buy a high-end flat bench for around $170 or an adjustable one for about $270.
You can pick up an entry-level 14 gauge steel bench for between $50-$150. This may be more than enough for you if you know you won’t bench press more than 200lbs.
Our team of certified personal trainers have used their own experience and put a lot of research into over 70 weight benches.
You can find the full buying guide and best weight bench recommendations here.
This is the weight bench we recommend for ‘most people’.
We compared over 70 benches against 12 criteria. This is our highest-ranked flat, incline & decline (FID) bench.
Some adjustable benches can be a bit wobbly when on the incline. But the AB-3000 is very sturdy.
With a height 18mm it’s comparable to benches that cost twice as much.
Hi Mike,this is Laurence Sharp.Mike,i am a real fitness fanatic and i am wondering if you could help me with some advice on purchasing a good bench press bench.(The kind that has supports on it to hold a barbell in place after you do bench presses as an example.) The bench should also have on it a leg exerciser for doing leg extensions,as well as, also for doing lying leg curls.It will be nice to have the pad on the bench adjust to flat,incline,and decline positions.There are holes on the sides of the supports to make those adjustments.If it is all possible should you have this type of bench as one of your own for sale, please let me know and I will gladly pay you for it.Thankyou.
Hi Laurence, I would recommend checkout out our best weight bench article here.
From what you have said I would recommend the Rogue AB 3 bench. There are ton of other great benches out there but this is a bench that does all you’re asking for.
When you say has supports to hold a barbell in place when you bench press- I would personally recommend getting a good power rack with spotter arms for this.
Focus on getting a great bench and a great power rack and you get a ton more versatility from that and also it will prob cost less overall!
Check out our best squat rack article to find a rack that suits you!
A ton of research and testing has gone into all of these articles so I hope it helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions!