String tension: how tight should you string your racket?
What tension changes, sensible ranges for your level, and the mistakes that cost control and strings.
Tension is how tightly the strings are pulled, measured in pounds (lbs). It changes the feel of a racket as much as anything else, and changing it costs only a restring.
What higher tension does
- More control, and a crisper, more precise feel.
- A smaller sweet spot: off-centre hits lose more.
- More shock to the arm, and strings that break sooner.
- Not more power, for most players. Looser strings give more back to the shuttle; only fast, clean swings make good use of a tight string bed.
Sensible starting points
These are the ranges our quiz starts from:
- New players: 20-22 lbs
- Social players: 22-24 lbs
- Regular players (twice a week): 23-25 lbs
- Club players: 25-27 lbs
- County and tournament players: 26-29 lbs
An injury, a slower swing or a cold hall all point towards the lower end.
Never go over the frame's maximum
Every racket has a maximum tension, printed on the frame or in its specs. In the rackets we track, most maximums sit between about 26 and 36 lbs, with 30 lbs the most typical. Stringing above it risks cracking the frame and can void the warranty.
Move gradually
To go tighter, go up 1-2 lbs per restring. A big jump changes your timing, and can hurt your arm.
Cold halls and plastic shuttles
In a cold hall the shuttle flies slower and strings feel firmer, so a pound or two lower helps. Plastic shuttles also suit a slightly lower tension than feathers.
Pre-strung rackets
Rackets sold already strung usually come at a moderate tension with a basic string. That's fine to start with: restring when it breaks, or once you know what you want.
The quiz gives a range for your own game, and the slider on our Learn page shows what tension does to the sweet spot.