D'Addario · XL Nickel · 11-14-18-30-42-52

D'Addario EXL116 (11-14-18-30-42-52) in Drop D on a 25" scale

11-52 Medium Top/Heavy Bottom, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 25" scale, tuned to Drop D (E4 B3 G3 D3 A2 D2), pulls 118.4 lb53.7 kg527 N in total and 19.7 lb8.95 kg88 N per string on average. That is a tight feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 16.6%). String 5 (A2) deviates most: +25% from the set average.

Total tension: 118.4 lb53.7 kg527 N
Average per string: 19.7 lb8.95 kg88 N
Feel: tight; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: uneven; spread 16.6%

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	18.9 lb8.55 kg84 N	−4%
2	B3	246.9	.014	PL014	plain	17.1 lb7.77 kg76 N	−13%
3	G3	196.0	.018	PL018	plain	17.9 lb8.12 kg80 N	−9%
4	D3	146.8	.030	NW030	wound	23.8 lb10.79 kg106 N	+21%
5	A2	110.0	.042	NW042	wound	24.6 lb11.17 kg110 N	+25%
6	D2	73.4	.052	NW052	wound	16.1 lb7.31 kg72 N	−18%
Total						118.4 lb53.7 kg527 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Drop D, 25"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario NYXL1052	10-13-17-30-42-52	18.4 lb8.36 kg82 N	110.6 lb50.2 kg492 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EXL140	10-13-17-30-42-52	18.5 lb8.38 kg82 N	110.9 lb50.3 kg493 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EPN115	11-14-18-27-37-48	18.9 lb8.56 kg84 N	113.2 lb51.3 kg503 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115BT	11-15-19-28-37-50	18.9 lb8.56 kg84 N	113.2 lb51.4 kg504 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1152	11-14-18-30-42-52	19.7 lb8.93 kg88 N	118.1 lb53.6 kg525 N	tight	uneven
EXL116 (this page)	11-14-18-30-42-52	19.7 lb8.95 kg88 N	118.4 lb53.7 kg527 N	tight	uneven

Best match for a medium feel in Drop D, 25"

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 11.5%, average 15.6 lb7.07 kg69 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL110 10-13-17-26-36-46 deviation 12.7%, average 15.9 lb7.20 kg71 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: NYXL1046, XSE1046, EPS510
D'Addario NYXL1149 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 13.0%, average 18.1 lb8.21 kg81 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: EXL115

More for the EXL116

Other tunings on 25": E standard, Eb standard, D standard, Drop C, Open G, Open D, DADGAD

Drop D on other scales: 24.75", 25.5", 26.5", 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 EXL116 (2026-10-31): unit weights derived from the published tensions, cross-checked across sets.