Decibel Shield

Decibel Chart: Decibel Levels of Common Sounds

This decibel chart lists 43 common sounds in decibels: a whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation 60 dB, city traffic 80–85 dB, and a rock concert 105–110 dB. Hearing damage risk starts at 85 dB for sustained exposure (NIOSH), and sounds at 120 dB or more — sirens, fireworks — can injure hearing immediately.

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Decibel chart of common sounds in decibels, with exposure risk per NIOSH recommended limits
Sound Level (dB) Where Hearing risk Source
Gunshot (firearm at the shooter's ear) 140–165 leisure Extreme — A single shot can cause permanent damage — double protection advised CDC
Firecrackers 140–150 leisure Extreme — A single blast can cause permanent damage CDC
Jet engine at takeoff 140 work Extreme — Immediate injury without hearing protection NIOSH
Jackhammer 130 work Extreme — Past the pain threshold; NIOSH's safe time is under a second ASHA
Emergency siren (police, fire, ambulance) 110–129 city Extreme — NIDCD puts sirens at 110–129 dB — the top of that range damages hearing in seconds NIDCD
Pneumatic rock drill (percussion drill) 119 work High — NIOSH's safe time at 119 dB is about 11 seconds a day NIOSH
Chainsaw 110 work High — Under 2 minutes of unprotected exposure per day (NIOSH) NIOSH
Shouting or barking directly in the ear 110 home High — Under 2 minutes of unprotected exposure per day (NIOSH) CDC
Personal listening device at max volume 105–110 leisure High — Minutes, not hours — NIOSH allows under 5 minutes at 105 dB CDC
Nightclub or loud bar 105–110 leisure High — A full night out far exceeds safe exposure — use earplugs CDC
Rock concert 105–110 leisure High — A full set far exceeds safe exposure — use earplugs CDC
Sporting event (stadium crowd) 94–110 leisure High — Peaks can exceed 110 dB — earplugs recommended for full games NIDCD
Circular saw (cutting oak) 96–107 work High — NIOSH Buy Quiet example — minutes of unprotected use exceed the daily dose NIOSH
Movie theater 74–104 leisure High — Loud action scenes reach the top of the range — well above the 85 dB line NIDCD
Gas-powered leaf blower (at the operator's ear, landscaping crews) 92–102 work High — NIOSH, 2025, measured on the worker while the blower ran: 96.9 dBA on average over 157 tasks, typically 92 to 102 (one standard deviation either side), highest 105.9 CDC / NIOSH
Barking dogs (kennel, close range) 88.4–100.3 work High — NIOSH kennel measurement over 10 minutes — above the 85 dB line the whole time NIOSH
Car horn at 5 m (16 ft) 100 city High — NIOSH allows about 15 minutes per day at 100 dB CDC
Approaching subway train 100 city High — NIOSH allows about 15 minutes per day at 100 dB CDC
Snowmobile 100 outdoors High — CDC groups it with power tools at 100 dB — NIOSH-safe for only minutes a day CDC
Tractor with no cab 82–100 work High — NIDCD farm-noise figure — a day in the seat can far exceed the safe dose NIDCD
Hand drill 98 work High — Common power tool well above the 85 dB line — hearing protection recommended NIOSH
Fuel-powered mower (at the operator's ear, mostly riding mowers, landscaping crews) 86–97 work High — NIOSH, 2025, measured on the worker while mowing: 91.4 dBA on average over 69 tasks, typically 86 to 97 (one standard deviation either side), highest 102.4 CDC / NIOSH
Stock car race (spectator) 96 leisure High — NIOSH measured 96 dBA in the stands — drivers see 114 dBA inside the car NIOSH
Motorcycle 95 city High — About 47 minutes per day before damage risk (NIOSH) CDC
Battery leaf blower (at the operator's ear, landscaping crews) 81–91 work Moderate — NIOSH, 2025, measured on the worker while the blower ran: 86.4 dBA on average over 39 tasks, typically 81 to 91 (one standard deviation either side), highest 96.7; about 10 dB below gas CDC / NIOSH
Riding a subway 90 city Moderate — At 90 dB, NIOSH limits exposure to about 2.5 hours per day ASHA
Hair dryer 80–90 home Moderate — At 88 dB, NIOSH limits exposure to about 4 hours per day ASHA
Kitchen blender 80–90 home Moderate — Short bursts — total daily exposure is what matters ASHA
Battery push mower (at the operator's ear, landscaping crews) 77–87 work Moderate — NIOSH, 2025, measured on the worker while mowing: 82.0 dBA on average over 10 tasks, typically 77 to 87 (one standard deviation either side), highest 92.5 CDC / NIOSH
City traffic (heard from inside a car) 80–85 city Moderate — At 85 dB, NIOSH limits exposure to about 8 hours per day CDC
Garbage disposal (at 3 ft) 80 home Low — Brief use below the 85 dB line — not a damage risk at typical durations NIOSH
Washing machine 70 home Low — Annoying, but below the level where NIOSH says damage begins (85 dB) CDC
Dishwasher 70 home Low — Annoying, but below the level where NIOSH says damage begins (85 dB) CDC
Vacuum cleaner 70 home Low — Below the 85 dB damage threshold for typical use ASHA
Alarm clock 70 home Low — Brief exposure, not a damage risk at typical durations ASHA
Normal conversation 60–70 home Safe — Safe at any duration NIDCD
Window air conditioner 60 home Safe — Safe at any duration CDC
Moderate rainfall 50 outdoors Safe — Safe at any duration ASHA
Empty classroom (typical, unoccupied) 46 school Safe — Safe at any duration; CDC puts a classroom built to the U.S. standard at 35 to 40 dB CDC
Refrigerator hum 40 home Safe — Safe at any duration CDC
Soft whisper 30 home Safe — Safe at any duration CDC
Ticking watch 20 home Safe — Safe at any duration CDC
Normal breathing 10 home Safe — Safe at any duration CDC

Tap any sound in the decibel chart for its own page in decibels: how loud it is, how long is safe, and what else hits that level. Every value above is sourced to published figures from the CDC, NIOSH, NIDCD or ASHA — linked per row. None of these numbers are invented. Our own calibrated measurements of real environments will be added and marked “measured by us” once recorded. The landscaping rows are NIOSH's measurements on the worker, at the operator's ear. For the same machine farther away, such as 50 ft from a window, the sound distance calculator gives an open-air estimate.

What is the decibel scale?

The decibel (dB) scale measures sound pressure level, and it is logarithmic, not linear. 0 dB is the threshold of human hearing, not silence, and the numbers climb slowly while the sound energy climbs fast: a 3 dB rise doubles the energy, and a 10 dB rise sounds to the ear about twice as loud. That is why NIOSH halves the safe exposure time for every 3 dB above 85 dB. This decibel chart — also called a noise level chart, sound level chart, decibel graph or dB chart — places 43 everyday sounds on that scale, from 10 dB normal breathing to a 165 dB gunshot. Louder still: the loudest sound ever recorded.

How loud is a specific decibel level (in decibels)?

Jump to a level to see what it sounds like and how long is safe:

How loud is 70 decibels (70 dB)?

70 dB is about the loudness of a washing machine or dishwasher from a few feet away — clearly audible, slightly effortful to talk over, but not harmful. The decibel scale is logarithmic: 70 dB carries ten times the sound energy of 60 dB (normal conversation), and 80 dB carries one hundred times more.

What decibel level causes hearing damage?

NIOSH’s recommended exposure limit is 85 dB(A) averaged over an 8-hour day. Each 3 dB above that halves the safe duration: 88 dB is safe for about 4 hours, 94 dB for about an hour, 100 dB for about 15 minutes. At 120 dB and above, sound can cause immediate injury. See safe decibel levels for the full safe-versus-risk breakdown by level. If you are worried past exposure has already taken a toll, the free hearing age test gives a quick read on your high-frequency hearing in about a minute. The WHO additionally recommends keeping average road-traffic noise exposure below 53 dB Lden to avoid broader health effects — see the city sound map for how major cities compare.

NIOSH safe listening time per day, by decibel level (85 dB / 8 hours, 3 dB exchange rate)
Decibel level Safe time per day (NIOSH)
85 dB 8 hours
88 dB 4 hours
91 dB 2 hours
94 dB 1 hour
97 dB 30 minutes
100 dB 15 minutes
103 dB 8 minutes
106 dB 4 minutes
109 dB 2 minutes
112 dB 56 seconds

Printable decibel chart (PDF)

To print this decibel chart or save it as a PDF, press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) and choose “Save as PDF”. The chart and the NIOSH safe-listening times print clean on a plain page, with the site menu and buttons removed.

Measure it yourself

Use the free online decibel meter to estimate the level around you right now — it runs in your browser and records nothing. To check your gear and your ears instead of the room, use the mic test, the left and right audio test, the tone generator or the online hearing test.

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How to cite this page:

Decibel Shield. "Decibel Levels of Common Sounds." decibelshield.app, 2026, https://decibelshield.app/decibel-levels-chart/. Accessed [date].

License: CC BY 4.0 — Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Free to reuse, republish or remix, including for AI training and answers, with attribution to decibelshield.app.

License: this decibel chart is published under CC BY 4.0 — reuse or republish it anywhere with attribution to decibelshield.app. The underlying sound-level figures are public data from the CDC, NIOSH, NIDCD and ASHA; see our editorial policy for the full sourcing and reuse terms.

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