New guitar strings, how to read label??!

New guitar strings, how to read label??

My mom bought me a set of guitar strings a long time ago and I've only used it that once but I don't remember how we decided which one to use. My G string has marks all over it and sounds muted because it barely vibrates. I've got some strings marked B54, B42 and B32 that are phosphor bronze wrap [B24 is what I used last time]. Then I've got one that is kind of bright gold and it is an 80/20 bronze guitar string with a big 30 on the front of the pack. I've also got an 016 but that's a plain stell-ball end and I need a bronze one.. so my question is, what the heck do all these letters & numbers mean and how do I figure out which one is for which string? Thanks..

all your numbers on the individual pack for each string is labeled with the gauge on it. The bigger the number, the bigger the gauge, the bigger the string. So, your low E, depending on brand name, and style, will be around 42-48. Then they go down to around 10 for the high E string. If I were you though, I'd get some new strings. If a set seems to have a defect, bring the whole set back and exchange it. All music stores should be able to exchange/refund with your sales receipt. What type of guitar do you have? Electrice/Acoustic?