Abstract: The prevailing tension in an elongate strand, such as a textile yarn, is instantaneously measured, even at very low levels of tension and at fine incremental changes in tension, by a tension measuring apparatus utilizing a pair of fixed contact arms spaced from one another to define a strand contact line therebetween and an intermediate cantilevered sensing arm disposed at an equal spacing from each fixed contact arm and at a lateral spacing from the stand contact line. The fixed contact arms and the sensing arm are contacted with the strand simultaneously at the same common lateral side of the strand to cause the strand to deflect from the strand contact line at equivalent strand break angles between the respective strand contact points on the fixed contact arms and on the sensing arm.