--- title: "EBU R 128 — European Broadcast Loudness" description: "The European broadcast loudness standard as written: −23.0 LUFS target, ±1.0 LU live tolerance, ±0.2 LU for QC, true peak not above −1 dBTP measured to ±0.3 dB." canonical_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/ebu-r128" type: "Article" date_modified: "2026-09-18T12:50:55.813Z" publisher: "Elephant Audio" publisher_url: "https://elephantaudio.pk" source_kind: "published-standard" source_url: "https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf" source_fetched_at: "2026-09-18" entities: - name: "Lahore" type: "City" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11739" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore" - name: "Pakistan" type: "Country" same_as: - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q843" - "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan" author: name: "Abu Bakar Zahid" role: "Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio" url: "https://elephantaudio.pk/founder" same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" person: "Abu Bakar Zahid" person_same_as: - "https://www.linkedin.com/in/abubakarzahid94" - "https://www.youtube.com/@AbuBakarZahid" - "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12369947/" - "https://open.spotify.com/artist/1vsRY1hLmqEBXcx5xeKs0m" - "https://music.apple.com/us/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/1654787374" - "https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/190524117" - "https://on.soundcloud.com/EnpcD" - "https://www.instagram.com/abubakarzahid94/" - "https://www.facebook.com/abubakarzahid9400/" - "https://twitter.com/abubakarzahid94" - "https://soundsofpakistan.com/artist/abu-bakar-zahid/" --- # EBU R 128 — European Broadcast Loudness ## What does EBU R 128 actually require? EBU R 128 sets a Programme Loudness Level of −23.0 LUFS with true peak no higher than −1 dBTP. A tolerance of ±1.0 LU is permitted only where the target is not practically achievable, such as live programmes. Quality control may allow ±0.2 LU for measurement error. The current revision is R 128-2023. −23.0 LUFS Programme Loudness Level (the Target Level) · −1 dBTP maximum true peak (during production, linear audio) · ±1.0 LU tolerance (only where the target is impractical, e.g. live) · ±0.2 LU QC allowance (for measurement error only) The target, and what the tolerance is actually for: R 128 states that the Programme Loudness Level shall be normalised to a Target Level of −23.0 LUFS. The often-quoted ±1.0 LU is not a general allowance: the document permits it specifically where attaining the target is not achievable practically, giving live programmes as the example, and adds that a broadcaster should ensure a deviation towards the limits of the tolerance does not become standard practice. A separate and much tighter figure covers quality control. For the implementation of loudness workflows, a tolerance of ±0.2 LU is allowed in order to take account of measurement errors. That is the number a QC system is realistically working to on pre-recorded material, and it is the one most summaries omit entirely. The document also allows a Programme Loudness Level deliberately lower than −23.0 LUFS in special cases, but requires that the exception be clearly indicated. What the recommendation actually says: > "that the Programme Loudness Level shall be normalised to a Target Level of −23.0 LUFS. Where attaining the Target Level is not achievable practically (for example, live programmes), a tolerance of ±1.0 LU is permitted." — EBU R 128-2023. Audio loudness normalisation and permitted maximum level, clause h) True peak, as specified: The ceiling and the precision it is held to: - True Peak Level shall not exceed −1 dBTP during production, for linear audio. - Measured with a meter compliant with ITU-R BS.1770 and EBU Tech 3341. - The measurement tolerance is ±0.3 dB, for signals bandwidth-limited to 20 kHz. - ⚠️ Permitted maximum true peak levels may be LOWER for different distribution systems and data-reduction rates. −1 dBTP is the production ceiling, not a guarantee that a lossy-encoded delivery will pass. The measurement, exactly: R 128 does not simply name a number; it names how the number must be arrived at: - Loudness is measured to ITU-R BS.1770, including the level-gating method described in equation (7) — the gate is what makes it a foreground-loudness measure rather than a plain average. - The meter must also comply with EBU Tech 3341. - Loudness Range is measured per EBU Tech 3342. - Loudness metadata shall correctly indicate the actual Programme Loudness Level. Why Loudness Range does not apply to most advertising: R 128 notes that for programmes shorter than one minute, the use of Loudness Range is not recommended, because there are too few data points — LRA is built on short-term loudness values measured over a three-second window. Almost all advertising is shorter than one minute. So an LRA figure quoted on a thirty-second spot, or a QC system rejecting one on LRA grounds, is applying a measure the standard itself says not to use at that duration. This is worth knowing before arguing with a broadcaster's automated report. > "For programmes shorter than 1 minute, the use of the measure Loudness Range is not recommended due to too few data points (Loudness Range is based on the Short-term-Loudness values (3-seconds-window))." — EBU R 128-2023. footnote 2 Revision history: Which version a spec sheet is quoting matters, because the tolerances moved: - First published February 2010. - Revised August 2011. - June 2014 — V3. The tolerance changed to ±0.5 LU, except for live programmes. - August 2020 — V4. Tolerance updates, and references to R 128 s1 and s2 added. - Current: R 128-2023. The source: Every figure on this page came from the recommendation itself: - EBU R 128 — Audio loudness normalisation and permitted maximum level — The recommendation as published by the EBU. Read 2026-09-18.: https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf - EBU Tech 3341 — loudness metering — The meter specification R 128 requires compliance with.: https://tech.ebu.ch/publications/tech3341 ## Frequently asked questions ### Is EBU R 128 the same as −23 LUFS and nothing else? No. The −23.0 LUFS Target Level is the headline, but the recommendation also fixes the true-peak ceiling at −1 dBTP, requires ITU-R BS.1770 gated measurement including equation (7), requires meter compliance with EBU Tech 3341, and sets separate tolerances for live material and for quality control. A delivery can hit −23.0 LUFS and still fail on any of the others. ### Which tolerance applies to a pre-recorded commercial? Not the ±1.0 LU one. R 128 permits that only where attaining the target is not practically achievable, and names live programmes as the case. For pre-recorded material the relevant figure is the ±0.2 LU allowed in quality-control workflows to account for measurement error, and the document warns that drifting toward tolerance limits should not become standard practice. ### Why does a −1 dBTP master still get rejected sometimes? Because R 128 states that permitted maximum true peak levels may be lower for different distribution systems and data-reduction rates. −1 dBTP is the production ceiling for linear audio. A lossy encode can overshoot it, which is why many broadcasters and platforms ask for more headroom than the standard's own figure. ## Related - [How the broadcast and streaming targets differ](https://elephantaudio.pk/guides/broadcast-loudness-specs/raw) - [What Spotify normalises playback to](https://elephantaudio.pk/reference/spotify/raw) - [Mixing and mastering to a delivery spec](https://elephantaudio.pk/services/mix-master/raw) ## Studio - **Studio:** Elephant Audio — Lahore, Pakistan - **Founder:** Abu Bakar Zahid — Founder, Managing Director & Music Producer at Elephant Audio - **Website:** https://elephantaudio.pk - **Contact:** abubakar@elephantaudio.pk