250 Sqm Gym Solution: Equipment List, Layout and Power
A 250 sqm gym holds 18 equipment models: 23 machines plus one 10-pair dumbbell set. Ten of those machines are cardio. Thirteen are strength, and among the thirteen there is a flat bench press rack, a barbell rack, a Smith machine and a crossover.
The cardio count is the part buyers argue about. Ten machines on 250 sqm reads low if you are used to lists that fill the floor with treadmills. It is the right number for this floor, and the reason sits in the free weight block, which at 250 sqm can finally be laid out as a working circuit instead of a corner.
This is the configuration we build for 250 sqm. Model numbers are DORTE's, specifications come from the factory sheets, and the zones are listed with the clearances that decide the fit.
What changes between 100 and 250 sqm
It is not 2.5 times the equipment. Between 100 and 250 sqm the machine count goes from 18 to 23, which is 28 percent more hardware on 150 percent more floor.
What the extra floor buys is spacing, and three specific things become possible.
A bar can be loaded without asking anyone to move. On 100 sqm the bench press sits close to a wall and the lifter loads plates by leaning over the bench. At 250 sqm there is 0.9 m on the plate side instead of 0.6 m, and that 300 mm is the difference between a station used at 7pm and one used at 10am.
A second pressing plane exists. With a flat rack, a barbell rack and a Smith machine, three people can press at once without sharing a bar. On 100 sqm the Smith machine doubles as the second bench, which works until two members arrive together.
The circuit closes. Four machines with a weight stack plus a crossover plus the free weight block means a member can move from leg extension to lat pulldown to assisted dips without crossing the cardio row, and crossing the cardio row is what makes a small gym feel busy when it is not.
The cardio count stays at ten
Three treadmills, two spin bikes, two ellipticals, two recumbent bikes and one rower. Ten machines, five formats.
The temptation at 250 sqm is eight treadmills in a row, because a row of treadmills looks like a gym in a photograph. It also produces a floor where 40 percent of the area serves one movement pattern at the hours when nobody uses it, and where the free weight block shrinks back to something like the 100 sqm version.
Five formats is also what keeps the power side simple. Three DP71T treadmills at 4.0 HP draw roughly 9 kW at peak, which a single-phase 220V supply handles on a 63A breaker. Add five more treadmills and the same room needs a three-phase supply, a distribution board and an electrician's report before the machines arrive. On 250 sqm that is the most expensive decision nobody puts in the budget.
The rower is the machine most often cut and the one I would keep. DH71 is the only piece of cardio here that loads the posterior chain, and it is the machine a member uses on the day their knee is sore and the bike seat is uncomfortable.
Zone split on 250 sqm
These are the working areas for the L-shaped plate in the drawings. A different plate moves the boundaries. The proportions survive.
| Zone | Floor area | Equipment in it | Clearance that decides the fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardio row | 38 sqm | 3 treadmills, 2 spin bikes, 2 ellipticals, 2 recumbents, 1 rower | 1.2 m behind each treadmill deck, 1.0 m pitch in the row |
| Free weights | 52 sqm | Smith machine, flat bench press rack, barbell rack, 10-pair dumbbell rack, shoulder press chair, flat bench, adjustable bench, Roman chair, ab board | 0.9 m on the plate side of the bar, 1.5 m in front of the dumbbell rack |
| Cable and selectorized | 30 sqm | Cable crossover, leg extension, lat pulldown and low row, assisted dip and chin | 2.75 m across the crossover, 1.0 m in front of each stack |
| Open floor and stretch | 28 sqm | Mats, boxes, a stretch rail | 2.0 m clear for a barbell |
| Reception and entry | 20 sqm | Desk, two seats, retail wall | 1.8 m at the door swing |
| Storage and changing | 24 sqm | Cleaning store, lockers, two changing benches | 1.2 m in front of the benches |
| Circulation | 58 sqm | Routing between all of the above | 1.8 m main aisle |
Circulation is 58 sqm, 23 percent of the floor. On 250 sqm that number is not waste. It is what lets a member carry a loaded bar from the rack to the bench without walking through the cardio row, and it is the first thing that disappears when a plan is drawn to fill every square metre.
The equipment list
Eighteen models, twenty-three machines, one dumbbell set. The cardio side is on the cardio page, with the treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and rowers broken out by model.
| # | Equipment | Model | Grade | Qty | Key specification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commercial treadmill | DP71T | Commercial | 3 | 4.0 HP AC, 0.5-25 km/h, 1600 × 580 mm running area, 23.8 inch touch screen, 185 kg user limit, 0-20% incline |
| 2 | Commercial spin bike | DD71 | Commercial | 2 | 18 kg two-way flywheel, belt drive, stepless knob resistance, 120 kg user limit, 1130 × 490 × 1160 mm |
| 3 | Self-powered elliptical | DT71E | Commercial | 2 | 14 kg two-way flywheel, 510 mm stride, 32 resistance levels, 180 kg user limit |
| 4 | Self-powered recumbent bike | DW51R | Commercial | 2 | 1-24 electromagnetic levels, 10 kg self-generating flywheel, 150 kg user limit |
| 5 | Commercial rower | DH71 | Commercial | 1 | Aluminium rail, air plus magnetic resistance, 8 levels, chain drive, 150 kg user limit |
| 6 | Shoulder press chair | DL742 | Premium commercial | 1 | Fixed 90 degree back, 25 kg net weight, 641 × 528 × 1059 mm |
| 7 | Flat bench | DL741 | Premium commercial | 1 | 25 kg net weight, 160 kg user limit, 1234 × 528 × 450 mm |
| 8 | Adjustable bench | DL740 | Premium commercial | 1 | Flat, incline and decline, 55 kg net weight, 1365 × 606 × 441 mm |
| 9 | Adjustable Roman chair | DL744 | Premium commercial | 1 | 60 kg net weight, 160 kg user limit, 1544 × 893 × 958 mm |
| 10 | Adjustable ab board | DL738 | Premium commercial | 1 | 55 kg net weight, 160 kg user limit, 1680 × 666 × 608 mm |
| 11 | Flat bench press rack | DL736 | Premium commercial | 1 | 90 kg net weight, 160 kg user limit, 1616 × 1523 × 1167 mm |
| 12 | Barbell rack | DL750 | Premium commercial | 1 | 350 kg load, closed design, 922 × 820 × 1363 mm |
| 13 | Smith machine | DL732 | Premium commercial | 1 | 320 kg max load, ø32 mm 60Mn bar, 225 kg net weight, 2500 × 1248 × 2341 mm |
| 14 | Cable crossover | DL730 | Premium commercial | 1 | 140 kg stack, 390 kg net weight, aluminium rails, 3933 × 746 × 2416 mm |
| 15 | Dumbbell rack, 10 pairs | DL748 | Premium commercial | 1 | 350 kg load, 2.5-25 kg pairs, 2366 × 750 × 815 mm |
| 16 | Leg extension | DL724 | Premium commercial | 1 | 80 kg stack, 220 kg net weight, 1322 × 1053 × 1660 mm |
| 17 | Lat pulldown and low row | DL7055 | Premium commercial | 1 | 100 kg stack, dual function, 1250 × 1750 × 2200 mm, 360 degree high pulley |
| 18 | Assisted dip and chin | DL716 | Premium commercial | 1 | 80 kg counterweight stack, 250 kg net weight, 2435 mm tall |
Ten cardio machines. Thirteen strength machines. Three pressing stations, one barbell rack, one crossover, a dumbbell wall to 25 kg, and four machines with a weight stack.
If you want the same logic at another size, the gym solutions page carries the 100, 500 and 1000 sqm versions. The 500 sqm version adds a cycling studio and two more bench stations, and it is a different business model rather than a bigger room.
Where the corner goes on an L-shaped floor
The plate in these drawings is an L, and the corner is the only part of the plan where a mistake is hard to fix later.
The corner takes the low-impact cardio: the two DT71E ellipticals and the two DW51R recumbents. Those four machines need 1.2 m of entry space and no rear clearance, because a member steps on from the side and never steps back off a moving deck. That makes them the only cardio machines that fit a corner without blocking it.
The treadmills go on the straight run, where the 1.2 m rear clearance has somewhere to go. Put a treadmill in the corner and the rear clearance becomes the walkway to the next zone, which means every member walking past walks behind a running deck.
The free weight block sits on the wide arm, against a solid wall, with the dumbbell rack on the short side so the walk from the rack to the bench is under 3 m. A dumbbell rack 8 m from the bench is a rack nobody re-racks.
The two gaps in this list
No leg curl, and no decline press. Both are deliberate, and both have a specific cost.
The leg curl gap is the more serious one. DL724 covers the quadriceps, and the posterior chain is served by the Roman chair and the barbell rack, but a hamstring curl is a machine people ask for by name after a knee injury. If the gym serves a physio partnership or an older membership, add DL725, the lying leg curl at 1470 × 1014 × 1660 mm, and take the 3.5 sqm from the second recumbent.
The decline press gap is smaller. A decline bench press is a specialist station, and on 250 sqm the adjustable bench DL740 covers decline work with dumbbells. If your membership includes competitive lifters, DL737 is the piece to add, and it wants the wall space next to the flat rack.
Three treadmills is also worth a second look depending on the building. For a residential club or a corporate floor, three is right. For a gym with street frontage or a hotel with international guests, four is safer, and the fourth machine should replace the barbell rack rather than eat the free weight clearance.
What moves the price
We quote this configuration per project rather than publish a list price, because the variables that move the number are not the ones buyers track.
Frame tube. The DL series runs 120 × 75 × 3.0 mm Q235 tube on the main frame and 120 × 50 × 3.0 mm flat oval on the secondary. A 3.0 mm wall on a 120 mm profile behaves differently from a 1.8 mm wall on the same profile, and the difference is invisible in a photo.
Weight stacks. Cast iron on a steel guide rod holds up to 200 daily pulls for years. Steel-sand plates feel the same on day one and feel different in year three. The stack is also where a light machine hides behind a shroud.
Electrical work. Three treadmills need one 63A single-phase circuit and a spur to the cardio row. Ten treadmills need a three-phase supply and a board. On a leased floor the second option is a landlord conversation, a permit and a month, and it belongs in the budget before the machine list is signed.
Packing and freight. A 250 sqm order is 18 models, and the crossover crate at 3.9 m is the one that decides the container plan. Mixed loads run 8 to 12 percent of equipment value in freight, and the difference between 8 and 12 is how the base frames are nested.
If you are weighing a private-label route, the ODM process page covers what changes when the frame, colour and console graphics are yours.
Five mistakes that waste 250 sqm
Filling the cardio row first. Eight treadmills look right in a render and take 23 sqm from the free weight block, which is the zone that keeps members past month three.
Putting a treadmill in the corner. The rear clearance becomes a corridor. Put the ellipticals and recumbents in the corner instead.
Dumbbell rack far from the benches. Over 3 m and the weights stay on the floor.
Crossover on a wall under 4 m. DL730 is 3933 mm long and the pulleys need travel at both ends. It is the one machine that cannot be squeezed.
Skipping the power check. Three treadmills are easy. Ten are a construction project, and the decision is made at the machine list, not at installation.
FAQ
How many people can use a 250 sqm gym at once?
Around 30 to 35 at peak. Twenty-three machines suggests more, but the real constraints are the three pressing stations and the four selectorized stations, where people stay for several sets. A 250 sqm floor with this list suits a residential club of 400 to 600 members or a corporate site of 400 to 600 staff.
Is ten cardio machines enough for 250 sqm?
For a residential or corporate club, yes, because five formats spread demand across the peak. For a commercial gym selling day passes or a hotel with international guests, ten is thin and the correct version runs fourteen, with four treadmills and two more bikes. The trade is two selectorized stations and part of the open floor.
Does this layout need three-phase power?
No. Three DP71T treadmills at 4.0 HP draw about 9 kW at peak, which fits a single-phase 220V supply on a 63A breaker. You need three-phase at roughly six treadmills and above, or if you add heavy air conditioning on the same board. Confirm the supply before the order, not after.
What ceiling height does this equipment need?
2.5 m clears everything. The tallest items are the assisted dip and chin at 2435 mm and the crossover at 2416 mm. Between 2.3 and 2.4 m the crossover has to be checked against beams and ductwork, which is common in converted retail space.
Can the list be cut to fit a smaller budget?
Yes, in a fixed order. Drop the second recumbent, then the ab board, then the shoulder press chair. Do not cut the barbell rack or the dumbbell rack; those two carry the free weight zone, and a 250 sqm gym that cannot serve a barbell lifter loses the members who train six days a week.
How long does delivery take?
Eighteen models means eighteen set-up changes, so a 250 sqm order runs longer than a single-model container. The date depends on the machines, the colour and the month. Chinese New Year and the September to November export peak both add weeks, and we confirm the date in writing once the list is fixed.
Get this list as a floor plan
Send your room dimensions, ceiling height, the electrical supply and how many people will use the gym. We come back with a layout drawn to your columns and your L, plus the list priced as a package.
If you already have a plan, send it. Most 250 sqm projects start from a sketch that is 90 percent right, and the 10 percent is almost always a treadmill in the corner.
