Bells of Steel All-Black Bumper Plates
60% virgin rubber on a stainless insert with a 2-year warranty on the heavy plates — the middle of the bumper range.
Specs
| Plate material | 60% virgin, 40% recycled rubber |
|---|---|
| Insert material | Stainless steel |
| Bounce | Medium |
| Durometer | 90 (10 lb), 85 (15 to 55 lb) |
| Weight tolerance | 1% |
| Sizes | 10, 15, 25, 35 and 45 lb pairs |
| Warranty | 90 days on 10 and 15 lb, 2 years on 25 to 55 lb |
These figures are copied from Bells of Steel’s own published specs and were last checked on 2026-08-31. Manufacturers revise products without notice, and variants differ. Confirm anything your decision depends on with Bells of Steel before you buy.
Choose this one if
- You drop the bar and want more virgin rubber than crumb plates offer
- You want a stainless insert without paying urethane prices
- You are buying the heavy plates and using small ones only on the outside
The detail
Bells of Steel runs four bumper ranges, and this one sits in the middle: 60% virgin rubber against the crumb plates' 50%, and below the coloured plates' 100%. More virgin rubber means less shedding, better shape retention and a longer life; less means a lower price.
The warranty tracks the material exactly, and it is the most useful thing on the spec sheet: 90 days on the 10 and 15 lb, two years on everything from 25 up. Compare the crumb plates at one year on the heavy sizes and the urethane plates at limited lifetime. That ladder tells you what you are actually buying.
The 90-day term on small plates is not a hedge, it is physics. A 10 lb bumper has very little rubber around its insert, so a drop concentrates the whole force into a thin ring. Never drop 10s or 15s alone on the bar — load 45s first and put the small plates outside.
A stainless steel insert is the upgrade that matters most here. The insert takes every impact and every slide on and off a sleeve, and stainless will not rust when a garage plate spends a winter next to a damp wall.
Durometer 90 on the 10 lb and 85 on the rest puts these harder than the crumb plates, which is why the bounce is medium rather than higher. A harder plate deforms less on landing and gives less back.
One percent tolerance is good and consistent across the range.