What do LUFS, LKFS, LU, dBFS and dBTP mean, and how do they relate?
LKFS (ITU-R BS.1770) and LUFS (EBU R 128) are the same absolute unit, K-weighted loudness relative to full scale, and track level dB for dB. LU is the relative form (1 LU = 1 dB), used for differences such as distance from target or loudness range. dBFS is level relative to digital full scale. dBTP is a true-peak level estimated by oversampling (at least 192 kHz) to catch peaks between samples; R 128 caps production true peak at -1 dBTP. Loudness describes average perceived level, true peak describes clipping risk.
LKFS (ITU-R BS.1770) and LUFS (EBU R 128) are the same absolute unit, K-weighted loudness relative to full scale, and track level dB for dB. LU is the relative form (1 LU = 1 dB), used for differences such as distance from target or loudness range. dBFS is level relative to digital full scale. dBTP is a true-peak level estimated by oversampling (at least 192 kHz) to catch peaks between samples; R 128 caps production true peak at -1 dBTP. Loudness describes average perceived level, true peak describes clipping risk.
Curator qualifications: Standards read 2026-10-22; nothing measured.
Limitations: Standards read 2026-10-22; nothing measured.
Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.
Structured fields
{
"citations": [
{
"url": "https://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/bs/R-REC-BS.1770-5-202311-I!!PDF-E.pdf",
"note": "ITU-R BS.1770-5 (11/2023) Annex 1 after Eq. (7); Annex 2 true-peak description; EBU R 128 (2023) clauses e)-m) and footnote; EBU Tech 3341, LRA paragraph"
},
{
"url": "https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf",
"note": "ITU-R BS.1770-5 (11/2023) Annex 1 after Eq. (7); Annex 2 true-peak description; EBU R 128 (2023) clauses e)-m) and footnote; EBU Tech 3341, LRA paragraph"
},
{
"url": "https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/tech/tech3341.pdf",
"note": "ITU-R BS.1770-5 (11/2023) Annex 1 after Eq. (7); Annex 2 true-peak description; EBU R 128 (2023) clauses e)-m) and footnote; EBU Tech 3341, LRA paragraph"
}
]
}Evidence claims
- [sourced_fact] LKFS (ITU-R BS.1770) and LUFS (EBU R 128) are the same absolute unit, K-weighted loudness relative to full scale, and track level dB for dB. LU is the relative form (1 LU = 1 dB), used for differences such as distance from target or loudness range. dBFS is level relative to digital full scale. dBTP is a true-peak level estimated by oversampling (at least 192 kHz) to catch peaks between samples; R 128 caps production true peak at -1 dBTP. Loudness describes average perceived level, true peak describes clipping risk. · locator: ITU-R BS.1770-5 (11/2023) Annex 1 after Eq. (7); Annex 2 true-peak description; EBU R 128 (2023) clauses e)-m) and footnote; EBU Tech 3341, LRA paragraph source
Rights
| component | license | hosting | redistribution | modification | training | Evidence and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| documentation | unknown | permitted | permitted | unknown | unknown | Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources. |