String Tension Lab Calculator

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

D'Addario EXL110BT (10-13.5-17-25-34-46) in D standard on a 27" scale

10-46 Regular Light Balanced Tension, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 27" scale, tuned to D standard (D4 A3 F3 C3 G2 D2), pulls 89.7 lb40.7 kg399 N in total and 14.9 lb6.78 kg66 N per string on average. That is a loose feel for an electric guitar. The set is very even (spread 2.1%). String 1 (D4) deviates most: −3% from the set average.

Total tension
89.7 lb40.7 kg399 N
Average per string
14.9 lb6.78 kg66 N
Feel
loose
medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string
Set your own preferred feel
Balance
very even
spread 2.1%

Tension per string

051015lb02468kg020406080Nset averagemedium (10-46)1D4.01014.4 lb6.54 kg64 N2A3.013514.8 lb6.71 kg66 N3F3.01714.8 lb6.71 kg66 N4C3.02515.3 lb6.95 kg68 N5G2.03415.3 lb6.95 kg68 N6D2.04615.1 lb6.83 kg67 N
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.
#NoteHzGaugeItemType Tensionvs avg
1D4293.7 .010PL010plain 14.4 lb6.54 kg64 N−3%
2A3220.0 .0135PL0135plain 14.8 lb6.71 kg66 N−1%
3F3174.6 .017PL017plain 14.8 lb6.71 kg66 N−1%
4C3130.8 .025NW025wound 15.3 lb6.95 kg68 N+2%
5G298.0 .034NW034wound 15.3 lb6.95 kg68 N+2%
6D273.4 .046NW046wound 15.1 lb6.83 kg67 N+1%
Total89.7 lb40.7 kg399 N

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Similar sets in D standard, 27"

SetGaugesAvg per stringTotalFeelBalance
D'Addario EPS510 10-13-17-26-36-4614.7 lb6.65 kg65 N 88.0 lb39.9 kg391 Nlooseeven
EXL110BT (this page) 10-13.5-17-25-34-4614.9 lb6.78 kg66 N 89.7 lb40.7 kg399 Nloosevery even
D'Addario NYXL1046 10-13-17-26-36-4615.2 lb6.89 kg68 N 91.1 lb41.3 kg405 Nloosemoderately uneven
D'Addario XSE1046 10-13-17-26-36-4615.2 lb6.89 kg68 N 91.1 lb41.3 kg405 Nloosemoderately uneven
D'Addario EXL110 10-13-17-26-36-4615.2 lb6.90 kg68 N 91.3 lb41.4 kg406 Nloosemoderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-4917.3 lb7.86 kg77 N 104.0 lb47.2 kg463 Nmediumeven

Best match for a medium feel in D standard, 27"

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

  1. D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 6.3%, average 17.3 lb7.86 kg77 N, even; same gauges: EXL115
  2. D'Addario EXL115BT 11-15-19-28-37-50 deviation 6.4%, average 18.1 lb8.20 kg80 N, very even
  3. D'Addario EPN115 11-14-18-27-37-48 deviation 11.3%, average 18.1 lb8.21 kg81 N, moderately uneven

More for the EXL110BT

Other tunings on 27": E standard, Drop D, Eb standard, Drop C, C standard, Open G, Open D, DADGAD

D standard on other scales: 24.75", 25", 25.5", 26.5", 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.

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