String Tension Lab Calculator

D'Addario · XL Nickel Balanced Tension · 11-15-19-28-37-50

D'Addario EXL115BT (11-15-19-28-37-50) in Open D on a 25.5" scale

11-50 Medium Balanced Tension, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 25.5" scale, tuned to Open D (D4 A3 F#3 D3 A2 D2), pulls 107.3 lb48.7 kg477 N in total and 17.9 lb8.11 kg80 N per string on average. That is a medium feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 12.3%). String 4 (D3) deviates most: +18% from the set average.

Total tension
107.3 lb48.7 kg477 N
Average per string
17.9 lb8.11 kg80 N
Feel
medium
medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string
Set your own preferred feel
Balance
uneven
spread 12.3%

Tension per string

05101520lb025810kg0255075100Nmedium (10-46)set average1D4.01115.6 lb7.06 kg69 N2A3.01516.3 lb7.39 kg72 N3F#3.01918.4 lb8.36 kg82 N4D3.02821.1 lb9.58 kg94 N5A2.03720.2 lb9.17 kg90 N6D2.05015.6 lb7.10 kg70 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 .011PL011plain 15.6 lb7.06 kg69 N−13%
2A3220.0 .015PL015plain 16.3 lb7.39 kg72 N−9%
3F#3185.0 .019PL019plain 18.4 lb8.36 kg82 N+3%
4D3146.8 .028NW028wound 21.1 lb9.58 kg94 N+18%
5A2110.0 .037NW037wound 20.2 lb9.17 kg90 N+13%
6D273.4 .050NW050wound 15.6 lb7.10 kg70 N−12%
Total107.3 lb48.7 kg477 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Open D, 25.5"

SetGaugesAvg per stringTotalFeelBalance
D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-4917.2 lb7.80 kg77 N 103.2 lb46.8 kg459 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario EXL115 11-14-18-28-38-4917.3 lb7.83 kg77 N 103.5 lb47.0 kg461 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario NYXL1052 10-13-17-30-42-5217.8 lb8.07 kg79 N 106.7 lb48.4 kg475 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario EXL140 10-13-17-30-42-5217.8 lb8.09 kg79 N 107.0 lb48.5 kg476 Nmediumuneven
EXL115BT (this page) 11-15-19-28-37-5017.9 lb8.11 kg80 N 107.3 lb48.7 kg477 Nmediumuneven
D'Addario EPN115 11-14-18-27-37-4818.0 lb8.17 kg80 N 108.0 lb49.0 kg480 Nmediumuneven

Best match for a medium feel in Open D, 25.5"

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

  1. D'Addario EXL115BT 11-15-19-28-37-50 deviation 13.7%, average 17.9 lb8.11 kg80 N, uneven
  2. D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 16.1%, average 17.2 lb7.80 kg77 N, uneven; same gauges: EXL115
  3. D'Addario EXL110BT 10-13.5-17-25-34-46 deviation 17.2%, average 14.8 lb6.71 kg66 N, uneven

More for the EXL115BT

Other tunings on 25.5": E standard, Drop D, Eb standard, D standard, Drop C, C standard, Open G, DADGAD

Open D on other scales: 24.75", 25", 26.5", 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