String tension is the most talked-about number in badminton and the most misunderstood. It is treated as a skill ranking — higher tension means better player — and that is not what it is. It is a trade between power and precision, and the correct setting depends on how consistently you hit the middle of the racket.
The short version: 20 to 24 lbs covers almost every club player, and copying the 30 lbs a professional uses will make your racket feel dead.
What Tension Actually Changes
A loosely strung bed acts like a trampoline. The strings deform further, hold the shuttle marginally longer and throw it back with added energy. That gives you more power for the same swing and a bigger effective sweet spot, because even an off-centre hit still gets some of that spring.
A tightly strung bed barely deforms. The shuttle leaves flatter and faster, and where it goes is determined almost entirely by the racket face angle rather than by string behaviour. That is precision — but it only helps if you are hitting the middle, because a tight bed gives an off-centre hit nothing at all.
So the question is not "how good am I" but "how often do I hit the sweet spot". If the answer is "most of the time", higher tension pays. If it is "I am working on it", lower tension gives you shots that still cross the net.
The Numbers
- 18-20 lbs — beginners, or anyone who wants maximum help with power. Very forgiving, mushy feel, strings last a long time.
- 20-23 lbs — the club default and where most people should be. Factory stringing lands here.
- 23-26 lbs — consistent players who want control. Noticeably flatter response, strings break sooner.
- 27 lbs+ — competitive players with fast swings and a stringer on call. Almost nobody reading this needs it.
One caveat that matters: many cheaper rackets are rated to a maximum tension, often around 24 lbs, and stringing above it can deform or crack the frame. Check before you ask for 26.
Strings Die Long Before They Break
This is the part almost everyone gets wrong, and it costs more performance than choosing the wrong tension does. A string bed starts losing tension the moment it is fitted — fastest in the first 48 hours, then slowly and continuously forever.
A racket strung eight months ago at 24 lbs is not at 24 lbs. It is soft, unresponsive, and produces the vague dead feeling people usually blame on the frame. Nothing has broken, so nothing looks wrong.
The rule of thumb is to restring as many times a year as you play hours per week. Twice a week means roughly every six months. Five times a week means every couple of months. If you cannot remember when it was last done, it is due.
Gauge: Thin Bites, Thick Lasts
String is sold by diameter, typically 0.61mm to 0.70mm. Thinner string cuts into the shuttle's cork more, which gives a sharper sound and slightly better control on slices and drops — and breaks much sooner, sometimes in a single session if you catch a frame hit.
Thicker string at 0.70mm survives mis-hits and lasts months. Start there. Find out how often you break strings. Only then decide whether the extra bite of a thinner gauge is worth the running cost, because for most club players it is not.
Yonex BG65 Badminton String 0.70mm
BG65 is the string most badminton players in the world currently have on their racket, and it earns that by sitting deliberately in the middle of everything. Durable enough for club play at 0.70mm, responsive enough that you are not fighting it, and happy anywhere between 20 and 26 lbs. If you have no opinion about string, this is the correct thing to have no opinion about.
Check Price on Amazon All strings and grips
Yonex BG65 Ti Badminton String (10m Set)
The same 0.70mm gauge with a titanium coating that makes it last longer still, which matters most for exactly the players who break strings most — people still finding the sweet spot. A 10m set is one racket's worth, so buying it yourself and handing it to a stringer avoids their markup on string. Not a performance upgrade over plain BG65; a longevity one.
Check Price on Amazon All strings and gripsShould You String It Yourself?
Only with a badminton-specific machine. Badminton frames are strung at roughly a third of tennis tension and are far more fragile — a clamp designed for a tennis racket will crush a badminton frame. Hand-stringing is not possible in any meaningful sense.
A club stringer typically charges $20 to $25 including string. If you restring twice a year, that is fine. If you or a group of you restring twenty times a year, a machine and a reel pays for itself quickly — a 200m reel is around twenty rackets' worth.
Yonex BG-65 Ti String Reel
The same titanium-coated BG65, bought by the reel. Two hundred metres is around twenty rackets, and the per-racket cost drops to a fraction of buying individual sets. Completely pointless if you take your racket to a shop, and obviously correct if you own a stringing machine or share one with a club.
Check Price on Amazon All strings and gripsString at 20 to 22 lbs if you are still learning, 22 to 24 if you hit the middle most of the time, and stop there unless you have a specific reason. Use 0.70mm BG65 or equivalent. Restring roughly as many times a year as you play hours per week, whether or not anything has broken — a dead string bed costs you more than a slightly wrong tension ever will.
Frequently Asked Questions
What string tension should a beginner use?
20 to 22 lbs, which is roughly what factory stringing gives you anyway. Lower tension deforms further and throws the shuttle back with added energy, so you get more power for the same swing and a bigger effective sweet spot. Higher tension only helps once you consistently hit the middle of the racket, because a tight string bed gives an off-centre hit nothing.
Does higher string tension give more power?
No — it gives less power and more control. The trampoline effect of a looser bed is what adds power. High tension flattens the response so the shuttle goes exactly where the racket face points, which is precision rather than power. The reason professionals use very high tension is that they generate their own power and want the control.
How often should I restring my badminton racket?
Roughly as many times per year as you play hours per week. Playing twice a week means about every six months, even if nothing has broken. String tension drops continuously from the day it is fitted, and a soft bed kills control long before a string snaps. If you cannot remember the last restring, it is overdue.
What string gauge should I use?
0.70mm to start. Thinner string bites into the cork more and gives a sharper feel on drops and slices, but it breaks much sooner — sometimes in one session after a frame hit. Thicker string survives mis-hits and lasts months. Start at 0.70mm, see how often you break strings, and only then decide whether thinner is worth the cost.
Can I string my badminton racket above the maximum tension?
Not safely. Many rackets, especially cheaper ones, are rated to around 24 lbs, and going above it can deform the frame or crack it at the joints — and it will void any warranty. The maximum is usually printed on the shaft or the frame near the throat. Check it before asking a stringer for a number.