What Is LUFS? Loudness Units and Streaming Targets Explained
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) measures perceived loudness over time. It is how streaming services and broadcasters keep programmes at similar volume.
LUFS vs peak and RMS
Peak level shows the highest sample; RMS shows average power. LUFS adds frequency weighting and gating defined in ITU-R BS.1770, so it tracks how loud audio actually sounds.
Integrated, short-term and momentary
Integrated loudness covers the whole programme; short-term uses a 3-second window and momentary 400 ms. Loudness range (LRA) shows how much loudness varies.
Targets
See our loudness standards table for EBU R128 (−23 LUFS), ATSC A/85 (−24 LKFS) and commonly cited streaming references around −14 to −16 LUFS. Platforms change their normalisation from time to time, so check their current documentation.
Measure it
Use the live loudness meter or upload a file to the file loudness meter.
Related tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Is −14 LUFS required?
No; platforms normalise louder tracks down, so extreme loudness brings no benefit.
Q.LUFS vs LKFS?
Same measurement, different names.