D'Addario · XL Nickel · 12-16-20-32-42-54

D'Addario EXL145 (12-16-20-32-42-54) in Open D on a 25.5" scale

12-54 Heavy Plain Third, 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 129.6 lb58.8 kg576 N in total and 21.6 lb9.79 kg96 N per string on average. That is a tight feel for an electric guitar. The set is uneven (spread 17.0%). String 4 (D3) deviates most: +28% from the set average.

Total tension: 129.6 lb58.8 kg576 N
Average per string: 21.6 lb9.79 kg96 N
Feel: tight; medium ≈ 17.1 lb7.76 kg76 N per string; Set your own preferred feel
Balance: uneven; spread 17.0%

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	.012	PL012	plain	18.6 lb8.42 kg83 N	−14%
2	A3	220.0	.016	PL016	plain	18.5 lb8.41 kg82 N	−14%
3	F#3	185.0	.020	PL020	plain	20.5 lb9.29 kg91 N	−5%
4	D3	146.8	.032	NW032	wound	27.6 lb12.53 kg123 N	+28%
5	A2	110.0	.042	NW042	wound	25.6 lb11.62 kg114 N	+19%
6	D2	73.4	.054	NW054	wound	18.8 lb8.51 kg83 N	−13%
Total						129.6 lb58.8 kg576 N

Open in the calculator

Similar sets in Open D, 25.5"

Set	Gauges	Avg per string	Total	Feel	Balance
D'Addario EXL116	11-14-18-30-42-52	18.9 lb8.57 kg84 N	113.4 lb51.4 kg505 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario NYXL1156	11-14-19-32-44-56	20.5 lb9.32 kg91 N	123.2 lb55.9 kg548 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario EXL117	11-14-19-32-44-56	20.6 lb9.35 kg92 N	123.7 lb56.1 kg550 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario ECG24	11-15-22-30-40-50	21.5 lb9.73 kg95 N	128.7 lb58.4 kg573 N	tight	uneven
D'Addario NYXL1254	12-16-20-32-42-54	21.5 lb9.77 kg96 N	129.2 lb58.6 kg575 N	tight	uneven
EXL145 (this page)	12-16-20-32-42-54	21.6 lb9.79 kg96 N	129.6 lb58.8 kg576 N	tight	uneven

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).

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

More for the EXL145

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

Open D on other scales: 24.75", 25"

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 EXL145 (2026-10-31): unit weights derived from the published tensions, cross-checked across sets.