Netflix Subtitle Timing Guidelines

Subtitle Gap Between Cues: The 2-Frame Rule

Netflix requires a minimum 2-frame gap between consecutive subtitle events, at any frame rate. The rule exists to stop subtitles from appearing to flash or blur together when one event ends and the next begins immediately.

The base rule: 2 frames at any frame rate

The minimum gap is 2 frames regardless of frame rate. In seconds, that is 1/12 s at 24 fps, 1/15 s at 30 fps, and 1/30 s at 60 fps. When you need to reason in time, keep the frame-rate conversion in mind — a fixed “two frames” is a different duration on a 24 fps master than on a 60 fps one.

Closing 3–11 frame gaps at 24 fps

At 24 fps the rule tightens: any gap of 3–11 frames must be closed to 2 frames. No 3–11 frame gaps should appear between subtitles in 24 fps content. In practice, gaps should be either 2 frames or half a second or more — nothing in between.

Half a second, in frames

Netflix's timing guide is written for 24 fps, where “half a second” is 12 frames; the same half-second rule then means 15 frames at 30 fps and 30 frames at 60 fps.

Chaining: how gaps are closed

Closing a gap means extending the previous subtitle's out-time so the space to the next cue becomes exactly 2 frames — a technique Netflix calls “chaining”. It keeps the rhythm even, but you must still respect shot-change timing and stay in sync with the audio.

Check your cues for overlap

Overlapping cues are the opposite failure of a missing gap. The SRT CPS checker flags overlaps and invalid timings alongside reading speed, so a file that would flicker on playback is caught before export.