Decibel Level (Loudness) Comparison Chart

To help you understand how loud a decibel is, we’ve put together this handy chart with data from Yale, NIH.gov and CDC.gov, ordered from quietest to loudest.

Environmental NoisedBA
Threshold of hearing0
Quiet natural area with no wind20
Whisper25
Suburban area at night40
Household refrigerator55
Business Office60-65
Normal conversation60-70
Prolonged exposure above this may cause hearing loss nih.gov71
Vacuum cleaner75
Chamber music, in a small
auditorium		75-85
Telephone dial tone80
City Traffic85
Level at which sustained
exposure may result in hearing
loss nih.gov		80-90
Walkman on 5/1094
Subway train at 200’95
Power mower107
Chain saw at 3’110
Pneumatic chipper at ear120
Pain Begins125
Jet engine at 100’140
dBA = Decibels, A weighted