D'Addario · XL Nickel · 11-14-18-28-38-49

D'Addario EXL115 (11-14-18-28-38-49) in Drop D on a 27" scale

11-49 Medium, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 27" scale, tuned to Drop D (E4 B3 G3 D3 A2 D2), pulls 127.0 lb57.6 kg565 N in total and 21.2 lb9.60 kg94 N per string on average. That is a tight feel for an electric guitar. The set is moderately uneven (spread 11.0%). String 6 (D2) deviates most: −20% from the set average.

Total tension: 127.0 lb57.6 kg565 N
Average per string: 21.2 lb9.60 kg94 N
Feel: tight; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: moderately uneven; spread 11.0%

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	E4	329.6	.011	PL011	plain	22.0 lb9.98 kg98 N	+4%
2	B3	246.9	.014	PL014	plain	20.0 lb9.06 kg89 N	−6%
3	G3	196.0	.018	PL018	plain	20.9 lb9.47 kg93 N	−1%
4	D3	146.8	.028	NW028	wound	23.7 lb10.74 kg105 N	+12%
5	A2	110.0	.038	NW038	wound	23.6 lb10.69 kg105 N	+11%
6	D2	73.4	.049	NW049	wound	16.9 lb7.67 kg75 N	−20%
Total						127.0 lb57.6 kg565 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Drop D, 27"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario NYXL1149	11-14-18-28-38-49	21.1 lb9.58 kg94 N	126.7 lb57.5 kg563 N	tight	moderately uneven
EXL115 (this page)	11-14-18-28-38-49	21.2 lb9.60 kg94 N	127.0 lb57.6 kg565 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1052	10-13-17-30-42-52	21.5 lb9.75 kg96 N	129.0 lb58.5 kg574 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EPN115	11-14-18-27-37-48	22.0 lb9.98 kg98 N	132.0 lb59.9 kg587 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115BT	11-15-19-28-37-50	22.0 lb9.99 kg98 N	132.1 lb59.9 kg588 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1152	11-14-18-30-42-52	23.0 lb10.41 kg102 N	137.7 lb62.5 kg613 N	tight	uneven

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

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

D'Addario EXL110BT 10-13.5-17-25-34-46 deviation 10.6%, average 18.2 lb8.25 kg81 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EPS510 10-13-17-26-36-46 deviation 11.9%, average 17.9 lb8.10 kg79 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: NYXL1046, XSE1046, EXL110
D'Addario EXL120 9-11-16-24-32-42 deviation 16.5%, average 15.2 lb6.90 kg68 N, uneven; same gauges: NYXL0942

More for the EXL115

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

Drop D 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

D'Addario product page, tension chart for EXL115 (2026-10-31): unit weights derived from the published tensions, cross-checked across sets.