Commercial Gym Equipment List UK (2026): What to Buy to Fit Out a Gym or Studio
Fitting out a commercial gym or studio means buying for zones, not for individual machines. A list that covers cardio, strength machines, a rig, free weights, functional kit, flooring and storage, sized to your floor area, is what stops a new gym opening with queues at one station and empty space at another.
The short answer: a small UK commercial gym needs cardio machines (rowers, a bike and a stair climber), a rig or racks with benches, a dumbbell run with a rack, Olympic bars and plates, commercial flooring in the free-weight zone and storage for everything else. As a preliminary planning figure, allow about 5m² of floor per piece of equipment. Using our live prices, an illustrative 12-station starter package with no quote-only items comes to £19,650.10.
Key takeaways
- Plan 5m² of floor per piece of equipment. Sport England's fitness space design guidance uses that figure, including circulation, to size a gym. Treat it as a first estimate, not a guaranteed capacity: the actual layout, each manufacturer's clearances and circulation routes must be checked.
- Split cardio and resistance roughly 40:60 either way. Sport England puts the cardiovascular share at approximately 40% to 60%, adjusted for local demand.
- Buy equipment rated for commercial use. ISO 20957-1:2024 separates domestic equipment (class H) from equipment for clubs, hotels and studios (classes S and I).
- An illustrative 12-station starter package costs about £19,650 at our live prices, before any quote-only Nautilus or Star Trac equipment.
- Opening the doors starts a legal duty. The HSE's PUWER guidance requires work equipment to be inspected after installation and at intervals set by risk assessment.
What equipment does a commercial gym need?
Seven zones, each with its own job. Missing one usually shows up within weeks, as members queue for the only rack or kit ends up on the floor.
| Zone | Core equipment | Quantity guide for a small floor |
|---|---|---|
| Cardio | Rowers, bikes, a stair climber, treadmills | 4–8 machines |
| Resistance machines | Selectorised or plate-loaded stations | Sport England suggests 8–10 pieces for most users |
| Racks and rigs | A multi-bay rig or power racks, plus benches | One bay per lifter at peak |
| Free weights | Dumbbells, Olympic bars, bumper plates | A full dumbbell run and one bar per rack bay |
| Functional | Kettlebells, slam balls, sandbags, boxes | Enough for your largest small-group session |
| Flooring | Rubber tiles or rolls | The whole free-weight and rig area as a minimum |
| Storage | Dumbbell racks, plate and ball storage | A home for every item that moves |
Most of this list can be built from our strength equipment range and our cardio range. The rest of this guide takes each zone in turn.
How much floor space does each zone need?
Size the room first, then the list. Sport England's Fitness and Exercise Spaces design guidance calculates gym capacity at 5m² per piece of equipment, including circulation, and gives a footprint for each type.
| Equipment type | Footprint per item | Added circulation |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular machine | 1.5–2.0m² | 1.75 × footprint |
| Resistance machine | 2m² | 1.75 × footprint |
| Free-weight station | 2.5–3.5m² | 2 × footprint |
| Indoor cycling bike | 1.0–1.5m² | 1.25 × footprint |
| Stretch area | 2.0–2.5m² per person | Included |
Free weights need the most room because bars and dumbbells move around the user. The same guidance recommends heavier weights at the back of the gym or in a separate area, and two mirrored walls in the free-weight zone.
Which cardio machines should a commercial gym buy first?
Rowers and a bike first, then a stair climber. Rowers and air-resistance bikes cover whole-body and lower-body conditioning in a small footprint, and a stair climber gives members the climbing session they cannot get on anything else.
"Stair climber" covers any machine that simulates climbing stairs. The StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet is a StepMill, with a revolving staircase of real moving steps, built for heavy shared use. It needs a 3.05m ceiling and a 12V/5A supply at its position, according to StairMaster's product sheet. Every option is compared in our guide to the best StairMaster for commercial gyms.
Treadmills, cross trainers and upright bikes come next on a larger floor. Our Star Trac commercial cardio is priced on request. Machine counts by member numbers are worked through in our guide to planning a commercial cardio floor.
Should you choose selectorised machines, plate-loaded machines or a rig?
Most commercial floors need some of each. Selectorised machines suit members who train alone without coaching, plate-loaded machines suit experienced lifters, and a rig suits coached sessions and barbell work.
| Selectorised | Plate-loaded | Rig or racks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | New and unsupervised members | Experienced lifters | PT, small-group and barbell training |
| Load change | Move a pin | Add or remove plates | Add or remove plates |
| Exercises per station | One movement | One movement | Many |
| Also needs | Nothing extra | Plates and plate storage | Bars, plates, benches, flooring |
| Our range | Nautilus, price on request | Nautilus, price on request | JORDAN J75 Rig from £1,804 |
The JORDAN J75 Rig with J-Hooks runs from 2 bays (£1,804) to 10 bays (£9,486), and each bay works as one lifting station. The trade-offs between machine types are covered in our selectorised vs plate-loaded guide and our Nautilus strength machines guide.
JORDAN J75 Rig with J-Hooks£1,804 – £9,486View product →
Nautilus strength machinesPrice on requestGet a quote →
What free weights and benches belong on the list?
A full dumbbell run, one Olympic bar and a plate set per rack bay, and an adjustable bench for each pressing station. Free weights are the zone members use most flexibly, so gaps in the run are noticed quickly.
- Dumbbells: JORDAN Rubber Dumbbells - Up to 50kg (Red) are sold as sets, from 1–10kg (£521) to 2.5–50kg in 20 pairs (£4,941). The 2.5–30kg set of 12 pairs costs £1,835.
- Bars: the JORDAN Steel Series Straight Olympic Bars With Bearings cost £264 for the 7ft bar, £174 for 6ft and £162 for 5ft.
- Plates: the 150kg Coloured Rubber Bumper Plate Set costs £672.
- Benches: the JORDAN HELIX Adjustable Weight Bench costs £356.
Starting weights by user are covered in our guide to how heavy your dumbbells should be, and plate quantities in how many weight plates you need.
JORDAN Rubber Dumbbells - Up to 50kg (Red)£521 – £4,941View product →
150kg Coloured Rubber Bumper Plate SetFrom £672View product →
JORDAN Steel Series Straight Olympic Bars With Bearings£162 – £264View product →
JORDAN HELIX Adjustable Weight BenchFrom £356View product →
Is functional and studio equipment worth including?
Yes, if you run small-group sessions or personal training. Kettlebells, slam balls, sandbags and plyo boxes turn open floor into a conditioning zone without permanent machines.
Our functional training equipment guide sets out a buying order, and our Jordan studio equipment guide prices full group-exercise and PT studio builds. The full range is in our functional collection.
What flooring and storage should a commercial gym budget for?
Rubber flooring under every rig, rack and free-weight station, and a rack for every set of dumbbells. Sport England's guidance specifies heavy-duty, shock-absorbing rubber matting in the free-weight area and floors that resist slips, stains and static.
The JORDAN ACTIV Gym Flooring tiles each cover 1m², from £56.50 for 10mm to £82.37 for 20mm. Use 20mm where weights are put down hard. For dumbbells, the JORDAN 12 Pair, 2 Tier Dumbbell Rack (Oval Frame) with Saddles costs £576; check each rack's product page for which dumbbells it suits.
Every flooring option is compared in our gym flooring guide, and racks in our gym storage guide.
JORDAN ACTIV Gym Flooring (Interlocking Tiles)From £56.50View product →
JORDAN 12 Pair, 2 Tier Dumbbell Rack (Oval Frame) with SaddlesFrom £576View product →
What does a fit-out checklist need beyond the equipment?
Headroom, air, light and the right use class. These are set by the building, so check them before ordering anything.
- Ceiling: Sport England gives an optimum gym height of 3.5–4m and says it should not be lower than 2.7m. Stair climbers need more: the StairMaster 8Gx needs 3.05m.
- Temperature and air: 16–18°C in the gym, humidity preferably below 60%, and at least 20 litres of fresh air per second per person at peak.
- Lighting: 200–300 lux, with an average minimum of 300 lux in the free-weight area.
- Floor loading: the structure must take equipment dead loads, moving users and dropped weights. Have an upper floor or mezzanine checked by a structural engineer.
- Use class: ISO 20957-1:2024 classes equipment for domestic use as class H, and equipment for clubs, hotels, rehabilitation centres and studios as classes S and I. Ask which class a machine is built for.
How much does it cost to equip a small commercial gym?
About £19,650 for an illustrative 12-station starter floor built from items with published prices, using our live prices. We count the 12 stations as 4 cardio machines (2 rowers, a bike and a stepmill), 4 rig bays, 2 adjustable benches, and the dumbbell run as 2 stations, since its 12 pairs can serve two lifters at once. The bars, plates, dumbbell rack and flooring support those stations rather than adding to the count. As a preliminary estimate, Sport England's 5m² planning figure puts that at roughly 60m² of floor; confirm the actual layout, manufacturers' clearances and circulation routes before ordering.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 2 × Concept 2 RowERG (Standard Legs) | £2,190.00 |
| 1 × Concept 2 BikeERG | £1,289.00 |
| 1 × StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet Stepmill (LED Display) | £4,995.00 |
| JORDAN J75 Rig with J-Hooks, 4 bays | £3,710.00 |
| 2 × JORDAN HELIX Adjustable Weight Bench | £712.00 |
| 2 × JORDAN Steel Series 7ft Olympic Bar with bearings | £528.00 |
| 2 × 150kg Coloured Rubber Bumper Plate Set | £1,344.00 |
| JORDAN Rubber Dumbbells, 2.5–30kg set (12 pairs) | £1,835.00 |
| JORDAN 12 Pair, 2 Tier Dumbbell Rack (Oval Frame) with Saddles | £576.00 |
| 30 × JORDAN ACTIV 20mm standard tiles (30m²) | £2,471.10 |
| Total | £19,650.10 |
This is an illustrative starter package to show typical costs, not a complete gym specification. A real fit-out needs its own layout plan and may need further equipment, storage or electrical work; edge and corner flooring tiles (£84.47 each in 20mm) would also add slightly to the flooring cost. Selectorised Nautilus machines and Star Trac treadmills are quoted separately. The total clears the £5,000 minimum for business finance through Vercas Financial, available to UK limited companies and partnerships of four or more partners.
Demand for this kind of space is growing. LeisureDB's State of the UK Fitness Industry Report 2025, as reported by Leisure Opportunities, counted 7,202 UK gyms and a 16.6% population penetration rate. Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey for November 2024–25 recorded 15.3 million adults in England taking part in fitness activities, up 921,000 on the year before.
What are your legal duties once the gym is open?
Equipment provided for use at work falls under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). It has to be suitable, maintained and, where safety depends on it, inspected.
The HSE's guidance on inspecting work equipment requires inspection after installation and before first use where safety depends on installation conditions. It also requires inspection at suitable intervals where equipment deteriorates, and after exceptional events such as serious damage. The employer sets the frequency by risk assessment, taking account of the manufacturer's recommendations, and keeps the results at least until the next inspection.
On a commercial floor, the items to schedule are cables and pins on machines, J-hooks and safety bars on rigs, bench adjusters and stair-climber drives.
How is commercial gym equipment delivered?
Free UK delivery on every item in the worked example above. Orders are dispatched within 5 working days, with tracking emailed within 24 hours of dispatch, and delivered across UK mainland by our delivery partners. Smaller items are £20 delivery on orders below £250 and free on orders of £250 or more.
Delivery and assembly options vary by product, so confirm them for each item on your list before you order. Assembly or installation help may be possible on some larger items, but it is not available on every product and is quoted separately. We deliver to UK mainland only.
Fitting out a gym or studio?
Send us your floor plan, ceiling height and expected members at peak, and we'll put together an equipment list for your space. Free UK delivery on orders of £250 or more. Business finance available on orders from £5,000.
Shop strength equipment → Call 0333 880 3211on orders of £250 or more Commercial-grade kit
StairMaster, Concept2, Star Trac, Jordan Finance available
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Frequently asked questions
How many pieces of equipment does a small gym need? Divide the usable floor area by 5m², the figure Sport England's design guidance uses per piece of equipment including circulation. As a rough first estimate, a 60m² room holds about 12 pieces; check the actual layout, each manufacturer's clearances and circulation routes before ordering. Split those roughly 40:60 between cardio and resistance, adjusting for who will train there, and keep free weights toward the back of the room.
Can I use home gym equipment in a commercial gym? It is not recommended. ISO 20957-1:2024 classes equipment for domestic use as class H and equipment for clubs, hotels and studios as classes S and I. Manufacturers' warranties are usually written around the intended use, so check each product page's warranty terms before buying for a business.
What ceiling height does a commercial gym need? Sport England's guidance gives an optimum of 3.5–4m and says a gym should not be lower than 2.7m. Some machines need more than the minimum: the StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet Stepmill needs 3.05m at its position, because the user stands well above the floor on the top step.
Should a new gym buy selectorised machines or a rig first? It depends on who you serve. Unsupervised members and beginners are best served by selectorised machines, which only need a pin moved. A coached PT or small-group business gets more from a rig, because each bay supports dozens of barbell exercises. Many floors combine a short selectorised line with a 2–4 bay rig.
Can I buy a full gym fit-out on finance? Possibly, if the business is eligible. On orders of £5,000 or more we can introduce UK limited companies and partnerships of four or more partners to Vercas Financial, which handles quotes and applications. The decision rests with Vercas and its lenders. The worked example in this guide clears the minimum several times over.
Do you deliver commercial gym equipment to Northern Ireland? No. We deliver to UK mainland only. Delivery is free on orders of £250 or more and £20 on orders below £250. Tell us about stairs, lifts or narrow access when you order, so delivery can be planned around your building.
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Pro Gym Essentials — premium home and commercial gym equipment, delivered across UK mainland. Prices taken from our live product pages, 23 October 2026; StairMaster 8Gx ceiling and power requirements from StairMaster's current product sheet, checked 4 October 2026; space, ceiling, environment and flooring guidance from Sport England's Fitness and Exercise Spaces design guidance note (2008); inspection duties from the HSE; use classes from ISO 20957-1:2024; industry figures from LeisureDB and Sport England, checked 23 October 2026.
