Calculate the physical tension of your strings. Optimize your setup for playability and neck health. Balance tension for custom tunings and gauges to ensure your instrument remains structurally sound while providing a consistent and comfortable playing experience.
Select the string material (Nickel, Steel, Phosphor Bronze) and enter the gauge (diameter) and target pitch (e.g., E2, A2).
The calculator determines the static pull in lbs or kg. Total tension for a set of light gauge strings is typically around 160 lbs.
Use this data to check if a neck can handle a switch to heavier strings or to balance tension across a custom multi-scale 'fanned fret' instrument.
Most modern acoustics are designed for about 160-180 lbs of total pull (standard light or medium sets). Exceeding 200 lbs risks bridge lift or soundboard warping.
Standard sets often have uneven tension between strings. Balanced sets ensure a consistent 'feel' and even volume across all strings, which is preferred by many modern players.
Yes. Different alloys have different unit weights. For example, stainless steel strings are slightly lighter than nickel-plated steel and require different tension for the same pitch.
It applies the vibrating-string law: tension (lbs) = unit weight × (2 × scale × frequency)², divided by 386.4, and then reports newtons as lbs × 4.44822. Unit weight is the mass per inch of the specific gauge, frequency is the open-string pitch in hertz, and scale length is in inches. Squaring the (2·L·f) term is why both longer scales and higher pitches raise tension steeply.
On a 25.5" scale, a .010" plain-steel high E tuned to E4 (329.63 Hz) pulls about 16.2 lbs, while a .046" wound low E at E2 (82.41 Hz) sits near 29.9 lbs. A full light set lands close to the 160 lbs of total pull mentioned in the guide. The reference figures assume high-tension nickel-plated steel; standard-tension nickel-wound sets typically read 30–35% lower.
Tension rises with the square of scale length at a fixed pitch, so a longer scale feels tighter. That same .010" high E that pulls about 16.2 lbs at 25.5" drops to roughly 15.3 lbs on a 24.75" Gibson scale — a small but real reason shorter-scale guitars feel slinkier and bend more easily.