Is a 250 kg deadlift good?
Weighted across 96,871 OpenPowerlifting raw male meet results, fewer than 30% record 250 kg (550 lb) or more. This is not a population-prevalence estimate: the denominator is competition entries, n is not a unique-person count, and repeat competitors may contribute more than one result. Bodyweight changes the percentile sharply, so the tables below keep each men's and women's class separate, flag loads beyond the cube's highest breakpoint, and show kilograms beside pounds. Use your class as the answer, then open the percentile calculator for age, equipment, and exact-bodyweight controls.
In OpenPowerlifting, fewer than 30% of 96,871 raw male meet results record 250 kg or more after bodyweight-class percentiles are weighted by entry count.
250 kg deadlift for men
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 53 kg 117 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 59 kg 130 lb | 99th | top 1% of raw meet results |
| 66 kg 146 lb | 95th | top 5% of raw meet results |
| 74 kg 163 lb | 90th | top 10% of raw meet results |
| 83 kg 183 lb | 78th | top 22% of raw meet results |
| 93 kg 205 lb | 67th | stronger than 67% of raw meet results |
| 105 kg 231 lb | 58th | stronger than 58% of raw meet results |
| 120 kg 265 lb | 50th | stronger than 50% of raw meet results |
| 140 kg+ 309 lb | 50th | stronger than 50% of raw meet results |
250 kg deadlift for women
OpenPowerlifting raw meet-result percentile by bodyweight class:
| Bodyweight | Percentile | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 43 kg 95 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 47 kg 104 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 52 kg 115 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 57 kg 126 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 63 kg 139 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 69 kg 152 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 76 kg 168 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 84 kg 185 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
| 120 kg+ 265 lb | 99th+ | top 1% of raw meet results or stronger |
Where 250 kg stands in the field
For men, a 250 kg deadlift is a top-10% lift up to the 74 kg class, top-quartile through 83 kg, at or below the field median from 120 kg up.
For women, a 250 kg deadlift is past the 99th percentile at every recorded bodyweight — beyond the top 1% of the raw competitive field wherever it is lifted.
Weighted across 96,871 raw male meet results, fewer than 30% record 250 kg or more. Weighted across 53,248 raw female meet results, fewer than 2% record 250 kg or more.
These are dead-stop pulls; raw competition allows both conventional and sumo stance on the same scoreboard, so the standard pools them. Dead-stop is the meet standard — touch-and-go reps use the stretch reflex off the floor and read higher than a competition pull. Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999 is why the deadlift standard climbs with bodyweight while strength-per-kilo falls (PMID 10613442).
FAQ
- Is a 250 kg deadlift good?
- It depends on bodyweight. A 250 kg deadlift ranks much higher in lighter classes than heavier classes. The tables on this page give the percentile at every qualifying bodyweight class in OpenPowerlifting raw meet results.
- 250 kg deadlift — what bodyweight makes it impressive?
- Read down the bodyweight column: the lighter you are, the higher the percentile a fixed 250 kg deadlift represents, because Strength scales sub-linearly with bodyweight — heavier lifters lift more in absolute terms but less per kilo of bodyweight (Vanderburgh & Batterham 1999, PMID 10613442). The same bar is a top-tier lift at one bodyweight and a working set at another.
- What population does this comparison represent?
- OpenPowerlifting raw meet results, separated by sex and bodyweight class. It describes recorded competition entries rather than population prevalence, and n is a meet-result count rather than a unique-person count.
- How rare is a 250 kg deadlift?
- Among 96,871 raw male OpenPowerlifting meet-result entries, fewer than 30% record 250 kg or more after bodyweight-class weighting. Among 53,248 female entries, fewer than 2% do. The denominator is competition entries, not the general population — prevalence among all gym-goers is lower than either figure.
- Is deadlifting 250 kg impressive?
- It depends on bodyweight. In raw male meet results 250 kg reads around the 99th percentile in the 53 kg class and the 50th in the 140 kg+ class. The tables above give every class in between, for men and women.
- What percentage of meet results record 250 kg?
- Weighted across 96,871 raw male meet results, fewer than 30% record 250 kg or more. Weighted across 53,248 raw female meet results, fewer than 2% record 250 kg or more. The share is computed from per-bodyweight-class percentiles weighted by each class's meet-result count in the OpenPowerlifting raw dataset. n counts entries, not unique people, and the result is not a population survey estimate.
Figures: OpenPowerlifting (public competition meet data (CC0), dataset date 2026-05-10). Cell n is a meet-result count, not a unique-person count. Full method at /method. Check your own lift on the percentile calculator.