Decibel Shield
Decibel chart › 20 dB
How loud is 20 decibels?
20 decibels is about as loud as a ticking watch. It is well under the 85 dB hearing-risk line, so it carries no hearing-damage risk at any length of exposure. Sleep is a separate question: the WHO night guideline is 45 dB. On the decibel scale, each 10 dB step sounds roughly twice as loud. Measure it yourself with Decibel Shield's free online decibel meter.
Last updated:
| Sound level | 20 dB |
|---|---|
| Hearing risk | No hearing risk |
| Safe exposure (NIOSH) | No limit — safe at any duration |
What is comparable to 20 decibels?
Everyday examples of sounds around 20 decibels, each sourced to CDC, NIOSH, NIDCD and ASHA. Open any one for its own breakdown, or see the full decibel levels chart.
- Ticking watch 20 dB
Is any city as quiet as 20 dB?
No mapped city averages 20 dB outdoors. The quietest cities in the official noise maps sit around 45–60 dB by day. These are the quietest mapped.
- Lehigh Acres, FL only 0.5% of residents at 60 dBA or more
- Torrejon de Ardoz 45–60 dB by day
- Newport 55–65 dB by day
What does 20 decibels sound like?
20 decibels is about as loud as a ticking watch. It is well under the 85 dB hearing-risk line, so it carries no hearing-damage risk at any length of exposure. Sleep is a separate question: the WHO night guideline is 45 dB. On the decibel scale, each 10 dB step sounds roughly twice as loud. Measure it yourself with Decibel Shield's free online decibel meter.
Is 20 decibels too loud?
20 decibels is moderate, about the loudness of a ticking watch, not what most people would call loud. It sits around everyday conversation and background sound, and is comfortable to hear for any length of time.
How long is 20 decibels safe to hear?
20 dB is below the 85 dB hearing-risk threshold, so there is no daily exposure limit for hearing.
How far away can you hear 20 dB?
In open air a small source measured at 20 dB from 1 m falls to about 0 dB at 10 m and -20 dB at 100 m, losing 6 dB each time the distance doubles. You keep hearing it while it stays above the background level around you: farther in a quiet field at night, much less on a 60 dB street. Walls, ground and wind change the figure.
Work out any distance, or a line source such as a road, with the sound distance calculator.
Measure 20 dB yourself
Want to know if where you are hits 20 dB? Check it live with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser, and nothing is recorded or uploaded.