HowLoudDecibel Chart: Common Sounds and Their dB Levels
Every 10 dB on the decibel scale is ten times the sound energy and roughly twice as loud to the ear. The chart below puts everyday sounds on that scale, colour-coded by risk, with the time you can safely spend at each level.
| Level | Example sound | How it feels | Safe exposure (NIOSH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 dB | Threshold of hearing | The quietest sound a healthy young ear can detect | Safe |
| 10 dB | Breathing, a leaf falling | Barely audible | Safe |
| 20 dB | Rustling leaves, a recording studio | Very faint | Safe |
| 30 dB | A whisper, a quiet bedroom at night | Very quiet | Safe |
| 40 dB | A quiet library, a fridge in the next room | Quiet | Safe |
| 45 dB | A quiet living room, moderate rain | Quiet; single sounds at 45 dB can wake sleepers | Safe |
| 50 dB | Moderate rainfall, a fridge up close | Comfortable background | Safe |
| 55 dB | An electric toothbrush, an average office | Noticeable background | Safe |
| 60 dB | Normal conversation at 1 m | The everyday reference level | Safe |
| 65 dB | A busy restaurant, a spinning washing machine | You raise your voice slightly | Safe |
| 70 dB | A vacuum cleaner, busy traffic, a loud TV | Loud, annoying over time | Safe (EPA 24-hour average ceiling) |
| 75 dB | A toilet flush, a dishwasher up close | Loud | Safe but tiring |
| 80 dB | An alarm clock, a garbage disposal | Very loud; EU workplace action level | Safe for 8 h, monitor above this |
| 85 dB | Heavy traffic, a lawn mower, a blender | Hearing-damage threshold | 8 hours |
| 90 dB | A lawn mower up close, a hair dryer, a motorcycle | Must shout to be heard | 2 h 30 min |
| 95 dB | A subway train, a circular saw, a loud bar | Uncomfortable | 47 minutes |
| 100 dB | A nightclub, a jackhammer at 15 m | Dangerous within minutes | 15 minutes |
| 105 dB | A concert at the mixing desk, a helicopter at 30 m | Approaching pain | 5 minutes |
| 110 dB | A rock concert near the stage, a chainsaw | Painful for some | 1 min 30 s |
| 115 dB | A loud car horn at 1 m, an emergency siren | Painful | 28 seconds |
| 120 dB | Thunder overhead, a siren at 3 m, fireworks | Pain threshold | 9 seconds |
| 130 dB | A jet takeoff at 30 m, a gunshot to a bystander | Beyond pain | Under 1 second |
| 140 dB | A gunshot at the shooter's ear, a firecracker | Immediate permanent damage | None — legal peak limit |
| 150 dB | A jet engine at 1 m, a rocket launch at 100 m | Eardrum damage possible | None |
| 160 dB | A rifle at the ear, an eardrum rupture | Physical injury | None |
Levels are typical values in dB(A) at the distances people normally hear each sound; real sources vary by ±5 dB or more. Safe exposure times follow the NIOSH recommended exposure limit: 85 dB for 8 hours, halved for every 3 dB above.
How to read the decibel scale
The decibel is a logarithmic unit, which is why the chart looks so compressed at the top. Three rules of thumb make it intuitive:
- +3 dB = double the sound energy. Two identical vacuum cleaners running side by side are 3 dB louder than one, not twice as many decibels.
- +10 dB = about twice as loud to a listener. A 70 dB vacuum sounds twice as loud as a 60 dB conversation, even though it has ten times the energy.
- +20 dB = ten times the sound pressure. Sound pressure and sound energy scale differently; decibels of sound pressure level (dB SPL), which is what meters show, use the 20 log rule.
The zones on this site follow the same thresholds as the HowLoud app: safe below 60 dB, moderate from 60 to 84 dB, and risk of damage from 85 dB up.
Safe decibel levels
Hearing damage depends on level and time. The widely used NIOSH limit is an average of 85 dB(A) over 8 hours. Every 3 dB above that halves the safe time, so 88 dB is safe for 4 hours, 91 dB for 2 hours, 94 dB for 1 hour and 100 dB for only 15 minutes. Below 70 dB there is no known risk to hearing at any duration, although sleep and concentration suffer well before that. The safe decibel levels guide has the full table and what it means for headphones, concerts and work.
Measure your own sounds
Where does your room sit on the chart?
The free online decibel meter shows the live level, average and peak using your phone or laptop microphone.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal decibel level for a home?
A quiet home in the daytime sits at 40–50 dB, rising to 60–65 dB with conversation, cooking or a TV. Bedrooms at night should stay under 30–35 dB for good sleep.
How many decibels is too loud?
Anything above 85 dB(A) averaged over a working day, or above 100 dB for more than 15 minutes, is too loud for unprotected ears. Peaks above 120 dB can cause immediate damage.
What is the loudest sound possible?
In air at sea level, sound pressure cannot exceed about 194 dB, where the pressure wave's trough reaches a vacuum. Above that the sound becomes a shock wave. The loudest sound in recorded history, the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, was estimated at 172 dB at 160 km.
How much louder is 100 dB than 50 dB?
50 dB more means 100,000 times the sound energy and, to the ear, roughly 32 times as loud (2 to the power of 5).