Hz (frequency)
Hz is hertz, the unit of frequency: the setting or button that reads the frequency of a signal. A % beside it is duty cycle.
How to read it
Fluke’s dial guide lists a button for frequency (Hz) and duty cycle measurement, Klein Tools lists Hz as frequency and % as duty cycle, and Extech gives Hz as hertz and % as percent duty ratio. On Fluke’s 115 and 117, Hz is a button on the AC voltage and AC current positions: it reads from 5 Hz to 50 kHz on volts and from 45 Hz to 5 kHz on amps. Klein’s MM400 reads up to 50 kHz and Extech’s EX330 up to 10 MHz. Both read duty cycle from 0.1 % to 99.9 %, and Klein’s SEL button switches between Hz and %.
Also searched as: %, duty cycle, frequency setting, hertz, Hz on a multimeter.
These pages describe what each setting, marking and reading means. They are not instructions for measuring anything. Meters differ between makers and models: the meter’s own manual says what each of its symbols means, which measurements it is rated for, and how to use it safely.
Look-alikes
Hz and % often share a position with each other or with AC voltage. A frequency reading on a meter is in Hz, kHz or MHz; the same k and M multipliers appear on the resistance setting.
Read next
- Next in Multimeter symbolsTemperature setting (°C and °F)The temperature setting: the meter reads a temperature probe plugged into it, in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F).
- The same shape in OBD-II trouble codesP0191: Fuel rail pressure sensor circuit range/performanceAn OBD-II trouble code meaning the fuel rail pressure sensor’s reading is outside the range the engine computer expects, or doesn’t behave as it should.
More multimeter symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with letters and numbers.
Sources
- Multimeter Symbols, Buttons, Dials, and Display, Fluke learning centre article, Fluke Corporation, Digital multimeter buttons
- 114, 115, and 117 True-rms Multimeters: Users Manual, PN 2572573, July 2006, Rev. 1, 2/07, Fluke Corporation (copy hosted by UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering), Rotary switch positions
- MM400 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter: Instruction Manual, MM400 instruction manual, Klein Tools (copy hosted by UBC Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences), Symbols on meter; Electrical specifications; Function buttons
- Mini Multimeter with Non-Contact Voltage Detector, Model EX330: User’s Guide, EX330-EU-ENG V4.2 1/08, Extech Instruments (copy hosted by Core Electronics), Display symbols; Specifications
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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