Decibel levels: a reference for everyday sound
Decibels are logarithmic, which makes them deeply unintuitive. Here is the scale, a reference chart, and the exposure limits that actually matter.
Last reviewed on August 9, 2026
Decibels are logarithmic, which makes them deeply unintuitive. Here is the scale, a reference chart, and the exposure limits that actually matter.
Last reviewed on August 9, 2026
Decibel readings are easy to gather and easy to misread. The number on screen is logarithmic, weighted, and relative to a reference your meter chose for you. Knowing roughly where everyday sounds sit on the scale — and where the safety thresholds are — turns a vague reading into something you can act on. This guide walks through the basics, gives you a practical reference, and explains where the in-browser sound level meter earns trust and where it does not.
Not a calibrated instrument. The in-browser meter reads from an uncalibrated microphone with system-side gain control on top. Use it for relative comparisons, not for occupational, regulatory, or medical purposes.
A decibel is a logarithmic ratio between two values, typically a measured pressure and a reference pressure. Two implications matter for everyday use:
You will also see suffixes such as dB SPL, dBA, and dBC. SPL is sound pressure level relative to the standard 20 µPa reference. The A-weighted (dBA) version applies a curve that approximates how the ear responds at moderate levels and is the default for most safety guidance. C-weighting (dBC) is closer to flat and is used for peak readings.
The figures below are typical ranges, not specific measurements. Real values depend on distance, room, and source. Treat them as orientation when reading your meter.
| Approximate level | Example | How it feels |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 dB | Threshold of hearing | Almost silence |
| 20–30 dB | A quiet bedroom at night | Restful |
| 30–40 dB | A library, gentle rainfall | Relaxed |
| 40–50 dB | A quiet office, refrigerator hum | Background |
| 50–60 dB | Normal conversation, light traffic | Comfortable |
| 60–70 dB | Busy office, restaurant chatter | Lively |
| 70–80 dB | Vacuum cleaner, dense traffic | Loud, but limited exposure is fine |
| 80–90 dB | Hair dryer, lawn mower | Hearing-conservation territory |
| 90–100 dB | Motorbike, power tools | Risky beyond minutes |
| 100–110 dB | Concert, chainsaw | Risky within minutes |
| 120 dB+ | Jet engine close up, sirens at distance | Pain threshold |
Hearing-health authorities converge on broadly similar guidance: continuous exposure to high levels is what damages hearing, and the safe duration halves each time the level rises by a small amount. A reasonable lay summary:
For headphone listening, a useful proxy is the "60/60 rule": below 60% of your device's maximum volume for no more than about 60 minutes at a time, with rest breaks in between. Many devices now show a visual indicator when you cross into risky territory; these rely on internal modelling rather than calibrated measurement, but they are still a useful nudge.
The meter is a microphone reading distance plus electronics plus software. The absolute number is not trustworthy across devices. The difference between "my office now" and "my office with the printer running" is much more meaningful, because the same chain measures both.
Distance to the source matters more than most people expect. Halving the distance to a noise can raise its measured level by about 6 dB on its own. Repeat measurements from the same spot, with the device in the same orientation, before drawing conclusions.
Operating systems and browsers often enable AGC by default to make voices clearer. AGC compresses the very thing the dB meter is trying to read. Where your OS exposes a toggle, switch it off for measurement.
The meter integrates over a short window. Brief peaks may not show up, and very recent loud sounds can leave a bias on the reading.
You are deciding between two desks for video calls. One is by a window over a busy street, the other faces a quiet hallway. Open the dB meter from each desk, sit normally, and let it run for two minutes:
The window desk averages around the level of normal conversation; the hallway desk closer to a quiet office. The hallway desk is the better default for calls — not because the absolute numbers are exactly right, but because the same meter rated one consistently lower than the other.
If hearing risk is the concern: the most effective single step is reducing exposure time, not chasing exact numbers. When the meter sits high, leave the room or move the source.
For background on what the on-screen reading does and does not represent, see the disclaimer. To run the test, head back to the sound level meter. The hearing-range guide covers the related question of whether your high-frequency hearing has changed over time.
Hearing damage is a product of level and time, not level alone. The exchange rate used by most occupational standards is 3 dB: every additional 3 dB halves the time you can safely be exposed.
| Level | Rough safe exposure per day | Everyday equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 85 dB | 8 hours | Heavy traffic, noisy restaurant |
| 88 dB | 4 hours | Loud hairdryer at close range |
| 91 dB | 2 hours | Motorcycle, subway platform |
| 94 dB | 1 hour | Loud headphone listening |
| 97 dB | 30 minutes | Power tools |
| 100 dB | 15 minutes | Nightclub, chainsaw |
| 106 dB | Under 4 minutes | Front rows at a concert |
| 115 dB and above | Seconds | Siren at close range |
Two practical consequences. First, brief peaks matter far less than sustained exposure — one loud moment is not the risk, an afternoon at 95 dB is. Second, the same total exposure can be split across a day, which is why breaks in quiet genuinely help.
Headphone volume is where most avoidable exposure happens, because it is entirely under your control and there is no external cue that you are being loud.
You can measure your own room and listening environment with the browser sound level meter, and check where your high-frequency hearing currently stops with the hearing range test.
About the level of normal conversation at a metre, or a typical office with equipment running. It is comfortable for indefinite exposure.
Sustained exposure above about 85 dB carries risk. Safe exposure time roughly halves for every additional 3 dB, so 88 dB is safe for about four hours and 100 dB for about fifteen minutes.
Subjectively yes, roughly. In energy terms a 10 dB increase is ten times the sound power, which is why the scale is logarithmic.
No. Two identical sources add about 3 dB, which is barely perceptible — not double.
Around 60% of maximum for no more than 60 minutes at a stretch is a reasonable guideline. Noise-cancelling headphones help by removing the reason you turn the volume up.
Approximately. Uncalibrated meters are reliable for comparing two situations but not for absolute measurement, and never for legal or workplace-safety purposes.