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

D'Addario EXL140 (10-13-17-30-42-52) in C standard on a 28" scale

10-52 Light Top/Heavy Bottom, XL Nickel Electric Guitar Strings on an electric guitar with a 28" scale, tuned to C standard (C4 G3 Eb3 Bb2 F2 C2), pulls 90.9 lb41.2 kg404 N in total and 15.2 lb6.87 kg67 N per string on average. That is a loose feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 20.7%). String 5 (F2) deviates most: +28% from the set average.

Total tension: 90.9 lb41.2 kg404 N
Average per string: 15.2 lb6.87 kg67 N
Feel: loose; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: uneven; spread 20.7%

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	C4	261.6	.010	PL010	plain	12.3 lb5.59 kg55 N	−19%
2	G3	196.0	.013	PL013	plain	11.7 lb5.31 kg52 N	−23%
3	Eb3	155.6	.017	PL017	plain	12.6 lb5.72 kg56 N	−17%
4	Bb2	116.5	.030	NW030	wound	18.8 lb8.52 kg84 N	+24%
5	F2	87.3	.042	NW042	wound	19.5 lb8.83 kg87 N	+28%
6	C2	65.4	.052	NW052	wound	16.0 lb7.28 kg71 N	+6%
Total						90.9 lb41.2 kg404 N

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Similar sets in C standard, 28"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario NYXL1149	11-14-18-28-38-49	14.8 lb6.71 kg66 N	88.8 lb40.3 kg395 N	loose	even
D'Addario EXL115	11-14-18-28-38-49	14.8 lb6.73 kg66 N	89.0 lb40.4 kg396 N	loose	even
D'Addario NYXL1052	10-13-17-30-42-52	15.1 lb6.86 kg67 N	90.7 lb41.1 kg403 N	loose	uneven
EXL140 (this page)	10-13-17-30-42-52	15.2 lb6.87 kg67 N	90.9 lb41.2 kg404 N	loose	uneven
D'Addario EXL115BT	11-15-19-28-37-50	15.4 lb7.00 kg69 N	92.6 lb42.0 kg412 N	loose	very even
D'Addario EPN115	11-14-18-27-37-48	15.5 lb7.01 kg69 N	92.7 lb42.1 kg413 N	loose	moderately uneven

Best match for a medium feel in C standard, 28"

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 10.0%, average 15.4 lb7.00 kg69 N, very even
D'Addario NYXL1254 12-16-20-32-42-54 deviation 11.0%, average 18.5 lb8.40 kg82 N, even; same gauges: EXL145
D'Addario EPN115 11-14-18-27-37-48 deviation 12.6%, average 15.5 lb7.01 kg69 N, moderately uneven

More for the EXL140

Other tunings on 28": Eb standard, D standard, Drop C

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.