D'Addario · XL Nickel · 10-13-17-30-42-52

D'Addario EXL140 (10-13-17-30-42-52) in Drop C on a 25.5" scale

10-52 Light Top/Heavy Bottom, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 25.5" scale, tuned to Drop C (D4 A3 F3 C3 G2 C2), pulls 91.6 lb41.5 kg407 N in total and 15.3 lb6.92 kg68 N per string on average. That is a loose feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 22.1%). String 5 (G2) deviates most: +33% from the set average.

Total tension: 91.6 lb41.5 kg407 N
Average per string: 15.3 lb6.92 kg68 N
Feel: loose; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: uneven; spread 22.1%

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	D4	293.7	.010	PL010	plain	12.9 lb5.84 kg57 N	−16%
2	A3	220.0	.013	PL013	plain	12.2 lb5.55 kg54 N	−20%
3	F3	174.6	.017	PL017	plain	13.2 lb5.98 kg59 N	−14%
4	C3	130.8	.030	NW030	wound	19.6 lb8.91 kg87 N	+29%
5	G2	98.0	.042	NW042	wound	20.3 lb9.22 kg90 N	+33%
6	C2	65.4	.052	NW052	wound	13.3 lb6.03 kg59 N	−13%
Total						91.6 lb41.5 kg407 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Drop C, 25.5"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario NYXL1149	11-14-18-28-38-49	14.9 lb6.78 kg66 N	89.7 lb40.7 kg399 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115	11-14-18-28-38-49	15.0 lb6.80 kg67 N	89.9 lb40.8 kg400 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario NYXL1052	10-13-17-30-42-52	15.2 lb6.90 kg68 N	91.3 lb41.4 kg406 N	loose	uneven
EXL140 (this page)	10-13-17-30-42-52	15.3 lb6.92 kg68 N	91.6 lb41.5 kg407 N	loose	uneven
D'Addario EPN115	11-14-18-27-37-48	15.6 lb7.07 kg69 N	93.5 lb42.4 kg416 N	loose	moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115BT	11-15-19-28-37-50	15.6 lb7.07 kg69 N	93.5 lb42.4 kg416 N	medium	moderately uneven

Best match for a medium feel in Drop C, 25.5"

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

D'Addario EXL115BT 11-15-19-28-37-50 deviation 12.3%, average 15.6 lb7.07 kg69 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EPN115 11-14-18-27-37-48 deviation 13.7%, average 15.6 lb7.07 kg69 N, moderately uneven
D'Addario EXL115 11-14-18-28-38-49 deviation 15.6%, average 15.0 lb6.80 kg67 N, moderately uneven; same gauges: NYXL1149

More for the EXL140

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

Drop C 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

D'Addario product page, tension chart for EXL140 (2026-10-31): unit weights derived from the published tensions, cross-checked across sets.