What is the Army deadlift standard?

Passing the AFT Maximum Deadlift takes 60 points: 150 lb for ages 17–31 or 140 lb for ages 32 and over on the M|C scale, and 120 lb at every age on the F scale — three repetitions on a 60 lb hex bar, per the official AFT scoring scales effective 2025-06-01.

What is the max deadlift on the AFT?

100 points peaks at 350 lb on the M|C scale (ages 22–46; 340 lb at 17–21 and 47–51, 330 lb at 52–56, then 250/230 lb in the two oldest bands) and 240 lb on the F scale (ages 27–31). Lifting more than the 100-point weight scores no additional points.

How much does the AFT hex bar weigh?

60 pounds. The Army's event description specifies "a 60-pound hex bar and plates", so a 340 lb MDL is the bar plus 140 lb per side — for example three 45s and a 5.

How many reps is the AFT deadlift?

Three. The MDL score is the heaviest weight lifted for three correct repetitions, not a one-rep max. Estimating a barbell 1RM from it requires assumptions this page deliberately does not make.

Is the AFT deadlift scored the same for combat and non-combat soldiers?

No. The 21 combat specialties are scored sex-neutral on the M|C column and must total at least 350 points across the five events with at least 60 per event. General Purpose soldiers are scored by age and sex and must reach 60 points per event.

What replaced the ACFT deadlift standards?

The Army Fitness Test, effective 2025-06-01 as the test of record. The MDL event carried over, but the scoring scales are a new document — the 2022 ACFT table on the historical page stopped governing after 2025-05-31.

AFT deadlift standards

The US Army Fitness Test Maximum Deadlift (MDL) score chart — three repetitions on a 60 lb hex bar — with the official max and passing weights by age and column, and the bar setup for each anchor load.

Published 2026-08-06 · LiftGauge research

The current standard: the AFT became the Army's test of record on 2025-06-01. Passing the Maximum Deadlift takes 60 points: 150 lb (M|C, ages 17–31), 140 lb (M|C, 32 and over) or 120 lb (F, all ages) for three repetitions. A perfect 100 points peaks at 350 lb (M|C, ages 22–46) and 240 lb (F, ages 27–31).

Max and passing weights by age official table · effective 2025-06-01

Transcribed from the official AFT scoring scales (approved 2025-05-15, effective 2025-06-01). The MDL is scored as three repetitions in pounds. M|C is the male scale, which is also the sex-neutral combat scale; F is the female scale for non-combat specialties.

Age	100 pts · M\|C	100 pts · F	60 pts (pass) · M\|C	60 pts (pass) · F
17–21	340 lb	220 lb	150 lb	120 lb
22–26	350 lb	230 lb	150 lb	120 lb
27–31	350 lb	240 lb	150 lb	120 lb
32–36	350 lb	230 lb	140 lb	120 lb
37–41	350 lb	220 lb	140 lb	120 lb
42–46	350 lb	210 lb	140 lb	120 lb
47–51	340 lb	200 lb	140 lb	120 lb
52–56	330 lb	190 lb	140 lb	120 lb
57–61	250 lb	170 lb	140 lb	120 lb
Over 62	230 lb	170 lb	140 lb	120 lb

These are the two fully populated anchor rows every score conversation is about: the event maximum and the passing floor. Intermediate point values (61–99) are sparse in the source table — read them from the official PDF rather than interpolating between the anchors here.

Below 60 points same values at every age

Under the passing floor the source table stops varying by age — each row below lists one M|C and one F value across all ten age bands.

Points	M\|C	F
50	130 lb	110 lb
40	120 lb	100 lb
30	110 lb	90 lb
20	100 lb	80 lb
10	90 lb	70 lb
0	80 lb	60 lb

Combat vs General Purpose scoring what the M|C column means

Combat specialties are scored sex-neutral. Soldiers in the Army's 21 designated combat specialties are scored on the M|C column regardless of sex, and must reach a minimum of 60 points per event and 350 total, per the Army's AFT policy page. Enforcement for combat specialties began 2026-01-01.
General Purpose is scored by age and sex. All other soldiers use the age-banded M|C or F column matching their sex, with a minimum of 60 points per event.
Failing one event fails the test. Under both standards the 60-point event floor is binding — a high total cannot buy back a sub-60 event.

Bar setup per anchor load 60 lb hex bar · plates per side

The MDL is performed on a hex bar the Army specifies at 60 lb ("a 60-pound hex bar and plates"). Per-side weight is therefore (total − 60) ÷ 2. One valid loading from 45/35/25/10/5/2.5 lb plates is shown; equivalent combinations load the same total. This column is arithmetic, not Army doctrine.

Total	Per side	One loading (lb plates)
350 lb	145 lb	45 + 45 + 45 + 10
340 lb	140 lb	45 + 45 + 45 + 5
330 lb	135 lb	45 + 45 + 45
250 lb	95 lb	45 + 45 + 5
240 lb	90 lb	45 + 45
230 lb	85 lb	45 + 35 + 5
220 lb	80 lb	45 + 35
150 lb	45 lb	45
140 lb	40 lb	35 + 5
120 lb	30 lb	25 + 5

For any other target, the plate calculator solves per-side loading against your actual plate inventory — set the bar field to 60 lb.

How to interpret the numbers score anchors, not strength percentiles

They score a three-repetition hex-bar event. They are not conventional-barbell one-rep-max standards, and LiftGauge does not convert them into squat, bench press, or barbell-deadlift equivalents.
They are Army test rows. They do not describe the percentage of soldiers, civilians, or powerlifters who can lift the weight. For population percentiles from meet results, see deadlift standards by bodyweight or the percentile calculator.
They are current as of the 2025-06-01 scoring scales. A score should cite that edition; the Army revises scoring documents, so check the AFT site for the governing version.

The predecessor test ACFT · through 2025-05-31

The AFT replaced the Army Combat Fitness Test on 2025-06-01, dropping the Standing Power Throw and adopting new scoring scales. Scores recorded under the 2022 ACFT table belong to that edition — see the historical ACFT deadlift scoring page for the bounded 2022 table and its validity window.

FAQ Army Fitness Test deadlift

What is the Army deadlift standard?: Passing the AFT Maximum Deadlift takes 60 points: 150 lb for ages 17–31 or 140 lb for ages 32 and over on the M|C scale, and 120 lb at every age on the F scale — three repetitions on a 60 lb hex bar, per the official AFT scoring scales effective 2025-06-01.
What is the max deadlift on the AFT?: 100 points peaks at 350 lb on the M|C scale (ages 22–46; 340 lb at 17–21 and 47–51, 330 lb at 52–56, then 250/230 lb in the two oldest bands) and 240 lb on the F scale (ages 27–31). Lifting more than the 100-point weight scores no additional points.
How much does the AFT hex bar weigh?: 60 pounds. The Army's event description specifies "a 60-pound hex bar and plates", so a 340 lb MDL is the bar plus 140 lb per side — for example three 45s and a 5.
How many reps is the AFT deadlift?: Three. The MDL score is the heaviest weight lifted for three correct repetitions, not a one-rep max. Estimating a barbell 1RM from it requires assumptions this page deliberately does not make.
Is the AFT deadlift scored the same for combat and non-combat soldiers?: No. The 21 combat specialties are scored sex-neutral on the M|C column and must total at least 350 points across the five events with at least 60 per event. General Purpose soldiers are scored by age and sex and must reach 60 points per event.
What replaced the ACFT deadlift standards?: The Army Fitness Test, effective 2025-06-01 as the test of record. The MDL event carried over, but the scoring scales are a new document — the 2022 ACFT table on the historical page stopped governing after 2025-05-31.

Primary sources

AFT scoring scales · approved 2025-05-15, effective 2025-06-01: Official US Army score tables for all five AFT events, including the Maximum Deadlift anchors transcribed above. Army PDF
Army Fitness Test policy page: Combat vs General Purpose standards, the 21 combat specialties, and governing documents. army.mil/aft
MDL event description: Official event page: equipment, execution, and scoring floor. goarmy.com