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

D'Addario EXL116 (11-14-18-30-42-52) in Drop D on a 26.5" scale

11-52 Medium Top/Heavy Bottom, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 26.5" scale, tuned to Drop D (E4 B3 G3 D3 A2 D2), pulls 133.0 lb60.3 kg592 N in total and 22.2 lb10.06 kg99 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: 133.0 lb60.3 kg592 N
Average per string: 22.2 lb10.06 kg99 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	21.2 lb9.61 kg94 N	−4%
2	B3	246.9	.014	PL014	plain	19.2 lb8.73 kg86 N	−13%
3	G3	196.0	.018	PL018	plain	20.1 lb9.12 kg89 N	−9%
4	D3	146.8	.030	NW030	wound	26.7 lb12.12 kg119 N	+21%
5	A2	110.0	.042	NW042	wound	27.7 lb12.55 kg123 N	+25%
6	D2	73.4	.052	NW052	wound	18.1 lb8.21 kg81 N	−18%
Total						133.0 lb60.3 kg592 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Drop D, 26.5"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario NYXL1052	10-13-17-30-42-52	20.7 lb9.39 kg92 N	124.3 lb56.4 kg553 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EXL140	10-13-17-30-42-52	20.8 lb9.42 kg92 N	124.6 lb56.5 kg554 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EPN115	11-14-18-27-37-48	21.2 lb9.61 kg94 N	127.2 lb57.7 kg566 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115BT	11-15-19-28-37-50	21.2 lb9.62 kg94 N	127.2 lb57.7 kg566 N	tight	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1152	11-14-18-30-42-52	22.1 lb10.03 kg98 N	132.7 lb60.2 kg590 N	tight	uneven
EXL116 (this page)	11-14-18-30-42-52	22.2 lb10.06 kg99 N	133.0 lb60.3 kg592 N	tight	uneven

Best match for a medium feel in Drop D, 26.5"

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 8.5%, average 17.5 lb7.94 kg78 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EPS510 10-13-17-26-36-46 deviation 10.6%, average 17.2 lb7.81 kg77 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: NYXL1046, XSE1046, EXL110
D'Addario EXL120 9-11-16-24-32-42 deviation 18.5%, average 14.7 lb6.65 kg65 N, uneven; same gauges: NYXL0942

More for the EXL116

Other tunings on 26.5": E standard, Eb standard, D standard, Drop C, C standard, Open G, Open D, DADGAD

Drop D on other scales: 24.75", 25", 25.5", 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.