Tennis string patterns: mains, crosses and setup

A racket listing says 16x19, while a string packet says 16 gauge. Those numbers describe different things. The first is a count of strings running in two directions across the racket face; the second is a thickness designation. Keeping the headings with the numbers makes a restring conversation much clearer.

This guide explains how to read the pattern and record a string setup. It does not recommend a tension or predict how a particular racket will perform.

Read mains first, crosses second

With the racket upright and its handle pointing down, the mains run lengthways and the crosses run across the face. Wilson's string guide describes them as vertical mains and horizontal crosses. Turning the racket sideways does not change their names.

In 16x19, the first number counts 16 mains and the second counts 19 crosses. An 18x20 pattern has 18 mains and 20 crosses. The multiplication sign separates the two counts; it is not an instruction to calculate the number of strings to buy.

Babolat's March 2022 Pure Strike VS article gives 16-main/19-cross and 18-main/20-cross examples, alongside a 16/20 pattern. These are historical examples of the notation, not claims about today's stock or every racket carrying that family name.

Reading three string-pattern labels

Pattern	Mains	Crosses
16x19	16	19
18x20	18	20
16x20	16	20

Count the runs across the whole face

To check an intact racket, follow the mains from one side of the string bed to the other, counting each lengthwise run once. Then count the crosses from the top of the bed to the bottom. Include the shorter runs near the edges, rather than counting only the central rectangle.

The counts describe runs across the face, not individually cut pieces of string: a continuous length can form several runs. They also do not count holes around the rim. If a listing photograph crops out an edge or hides strings behind a label, use the exact model specification instead of guessing the missing count.

Keep pattern and string choice separate

Pattern does not identify the string material or thickness. For thickness, record the string's model and its stated millimetre measurement when available, alongside any gauge label. Avoid treating a bare number such as 16 as meaningful without its heading.

Wilson distinguishes a full bed, using the same string for mains and crosses, from a hybrid using different strings in those directions. A hybrid description therefore needs two entries: which string goes in the mains and which goes in the crosses. The word alone does not identify either product.

Tension is another field. Keep any requested or recorded value with its unit and identify whether it applies to the mains, crosses or both. A 16x19 pattern supplies none of those settings. Follow the instructions for the exact racket and discuss the setup with the person doing the restring.

Two matching counts can describe different setups

Consider a fictional pair of rackets with the same 16x19 pattern. One has a full bed of string A, labelled 1.25 mm. The other has string B in the mains and string C in the crosses, each labelled 1.30 mm. The pattern matches; the string models, thicknesses and full-bed or hybrid arrangement do not.

That comparison establishes a difference in the recorded setups, not which is better or how either will feel. Likewise, the two pattern numbers give no measurements for the gaps between strings. They cannot, by themselves, establish identical spacing on different frames.

Practical takeaway

Record the exact racket model, mains/crosses count, string names, thicknesses and tension units separately. Keep a restring receipt if you want to describe the setup again. Our guides to racket weight, balance and swingweight and grip sizes and overgrips explain the other specification fields without mixing them into the string pattern.