HowLoudHow Loud Is… Every Decibel Level With Examples
Pick a level to see what it sounds like, whether it can hurt your hearing and how long you can be around it. Levels are in dB(A), the weighting used by sound level meters and noise regulations.
A whisper
Whispering, a quiet bedroom at night, rustling leaves.
40 dBA quiet library
A library, a quiet office or a refrigerator humming in the next room.
45 dBA quiet home
A calm living room, a whisper-quiet dishwasher or moderate rainfall.
50 dBModerate rainfall
A quiet conversation, a fridge up close, moderate rain or a residential street.
55 dBA busy home
An electric toothbrush, a coffee maker, an air conditioner or a normal office.
60 dBNormal conversation
Two people talking at a normal volume from a metre away.
65 dBA busy restaurant
A lively restaurant, a loud conversation or a washing machine spinning.
70 dBA vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, a busy street, a shower running or a loud TV.
75 dBA washing machine
A dishwasher up close, a toilet flushing, a loud vacuum or a busy road.
80 dBAn alarm clock
An alarm clock at the bedside, a garbage disposal, a loud restaurant or a busy motorway.
85 dBHeavy city traffic
Heavy traffic, a lawn mower, a food blender or a noisy factory floor.
90 dBA lawn mower
A lawn mower up close, a motorcycle passing, a hair dryer or a shouted conversation.
95 dBA subway train
A subway train arriving, a motorcycle, a power saw or a loud bar.
100 dBA nightclub
A nightclub, a jackhammer at 15 m, a snowmobile or a loud handheld drill.
110 dBA rock concert
A rock concert near the stage, a chainsaw, a leaf blower or a car horn up close.
120 dBA thunderclap
Thunder overhead, a siren nearby, a jet at 100 m or fireworks at close range.
130 dBA jet taking off
A jet taking off at 30 m, a gunshot, an air-raid siren or a jackhammer up close.
140 dBA gunshot
A gunshot at the shooter's ear, a jet engine at 30 m, a firecracker at arm's length.
The three zones
Safe, below 60 dB. Whispers, libraries, quiet homes, rain. No effect on hearing; the only concern is sleep and concentration.
Moderate, 60 to 84 dB. Conversation, traffic, vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks. Still safe for hearing at any duration, but tiring, and above 70 dB it interferes with speech and sleep.
Risk of damage, 85 dB and above. Lawn mowers, concerts, power tools, sirens. Safe time shrinks from 8 hours at 85 dB to 15 minutes at 100 dB and seconds at 120 dB.
See the full decibel chart for a single table, or measure the level around you right now.