D'Addario · XL Nickel Balanced Tension · 10-13.5-17-25-34-46

D'Addario EXL110BT (10-13.5-17-25-34-46) in Drop C on a 26.5" scale

10-46 Regular Light Balanced Tension, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 26.5" scale, tuned to Drop C (D4 A3 F3 C3 G2 C2), pulls 83.4 lb37.8 kg371 N in total and 13.9 lb6.30 kg62 N per string on average. That is a loose feel for an electric guitar. The set is moderately uneven (spread 8.0%). String 6 (C2) deviates most: −17% from the set average.

Total tension: 83.4 lb37.8 kg371 N
Average per string: 13.9 lb6.30 kg62 N
Feel: loose; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: moderately uneven; spread 8.0%

Tension per string

The bronze dashed line is the medium-feel target: the average per-string tension of a 10-46 set on a 25.5" scale in E standard (17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N). Loose and tight are measured against it.Line thickness follows the string gauge; textured lines are wound strings. Hover, tap or tab to a string for details.

#	Note	Hz	Gauge	Item	Type	Tension	vs avg
1	D4	293.7	.010	PL010	plain	13.9 lb6.30 kg62 N	−0%
2	A3	220.0	.0135	PL0135	plain	14.2 lb6.46 kg63 N	+2%
3	F3	174.6	.017	PL017	plain	14.2 lb6.46 kg63 N	+2%
4	C3	130.8	.025	NW025	wound	14.8 lb6.69 kg66 N	+6%
5	G2	98.0	.034	NW034	wound	14.8 lb6.69 kg66 N	+6%
6	C2	65.4	.046	NW046	wound	11.5 lb5.22 kg51 N	−17%
Total						83.4 lb37.8 kg371 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Drop C, 26.5"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
EXL110BT (this page)	10-13.5-17-25-34-46	13.9 lb6.30 kg62 N	83.4 lb37.8 kg371 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1046	10-13-17-26-36-46	14.1 lb6.41 kg63 N	84.8 lb38.5 kg377 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario XSE1046	10-13-17-26-36-46	14.1 lb6.41 kg63 N	84.8 lb38.5 kg377 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL110	10-13-17-26-36-46	14.2 lb6.42 kg63 N	84.9 lb38.5 kg378 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1149	11-14-18-28-38-49	16.1 lb7.32 kg72 N	96.9 lb43.9 kg431 N	medium	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115	11-14-18-28-38-49	16.2 lb7.34 kg72 N	97.1 lb44.0 kg432 N	medium	moderately uneven

Best match for a medium feel in Drop C, 26.5"

Ranked by how close every string is to 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N (lower deviation is better).

D'Addario EXL115BT 11-15-19-28-37-50 deviation 9.4%, average 16.8 lb7.63 kg75 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EPN115 11-14-18-27-37-48 deviation 11.4%, average 16.8 lb7.63 kg75 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 11.7%, average 16.2 lb7.34 kg72 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: NYXL1149

More for the EXL110BT

Other tunings on 26.5": E standard, Drop D, Eb standard, D standard, C standard, Open G, Open D, DADGAD

Drop C on other scales: 27", 28", 25.5"–27" multiscale

About these numbers

Tension is calculated, not measured: T = μ · (2 · L · f)², where μ is the string's mass per unit length (unit weight), L the vibrating length (scale) and f the pitch (A4 = 440 Hz, equal temperament). kg means kilogram-force: 1 kg ≈ 9.81 N ≈ 2.205 lb.

How a set feels also depends on the guitar's setup: action height, break angle over the nut and saddle, string length behind the nut and bridge, and your playing style. Plain strings feel stiffer than wound strings at the same tension. Use these figures to compare sets, not as an absolute measure of feel.

Sources

D'Addario product page, tension chart for EXL110BT (2026-10-31): unit weights derived from the published tensions, cross-checked across sets.