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 DADGAD 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 DADGAD (D4 A3 G3 D3 A2 D2), pulls 101.5 lb46.0 kg451 N in total and 16.9 lb7.67 kg75 N per string on average. That is a medium feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 12.9%). String 1 (D4) deviates most: −15% from the set average.

Total tension
101.5 lb46.0 kg451 N
Average per string
16.9 lb7.67 kg75 N
Feel
medium
medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string
Set your own preferred feel
Balance
uneven
spread 12.9%

Tension per string

05101520lb02468kg020406080Nset averagemedium (10-46)1D4.01014.4 lb6.54 kg64 N2A3.013514.8 lb6.71 kg66 N3G3.01718.6 lb8.45 kg83 N4D3.02519.3 lb8.75 kg86 N5A2.03419.3 lb8.75 kg86 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−15%
2A3220.0 .0135PL0135plain 14.8 lb6.71 kg66 N−13%
3G3196.0 .017PL017plain 18.6 lb8.45 kg83 N+10%
4D3146.8 .025NW025wound 19.3 lb8.75 kg86 N+14%
5A2110.0 .034NW034wound 19.3 lb8.75 kg86 N+14%
6D273.4 .046NW046wound 15.1 lb6.83 kg67 N−11%
Total101.5 lb46.0 kg451 N

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Similar sets in DADGAD, 27"

SetGaugesAvg per stringTotalFeelBalance
D'Addario EPS510 10-13-17-26-36-4616.6 lb7.55 kg74 N 99.9 lb45.3 kg444 Nmediumuneven
EXL110BT (this page) 10-13.5-17-25-34-4616.9 lb7.67 kg75 N 101.5 lb46.0 kg451 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario NYXL1046 10-13-17-26-36-4617.3 lb7.83 kg77 N 103.6 lb47.0 kg461 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario XSE1046 10-13-17-26-36-4617.3 lb7.83 kg77 N 103.6 lb47.0 kg461 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario EXL110 10-13-17-26-36-4617.3 lb7.85 kg77 N 103.8 lb47.1 kg462 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-4919.7 lb8.92 kg87 N 118.0 lb53.5 kg525 Ntightuneven

Best match for a medium feel in DADGAD, 27"

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

  1. D'Addario EXL110BT 10-13.5-17-25-34-46 deviation 12.8%, average 16.9 lb7.67 kg75 N, uneven
  2. D'Addario EPS510 10-13-17-26-36-46 deviation 15.5%, average 16.6 lb7.55 kg74 N, uneven; same gauges: NYXL1046, XSE1046, EXL110
  3. D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 23.7%, average 19.7 lb8.92 kg87 N, uneven; same gauges: EXL115

More for the EXL110BT

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

DADGAD 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.

Sources