| dBA | Sound | Safe Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Threshold of hearing | Safe |
| 20 | Rustling leaves | Safe |
| 30 | Whisper | Safe |
| 40 | Quiet library | Safe |
| 50 | Quiet office, moderate rain | Safe |
| 60 | Normal conversation | Safe |
| 70 | Vacuum cleaner, busy restaurant | Safe for most people |
| 80 | City traffic, alarm clock | Take care with long exposure |
| 85 | Heavy traffic, food blender | Limit: about 8 hours |
| 90 | Lawnmower, motorcycle | About 2.5 hours |
| 100 | Nightclub, hand drill | About 15 minutes |
| 110 | Rock concert, front row | About 1.5 minutes |
| 120 | Thunder, siren up close | Pain threshold, damage in seconds |
| 140–170 | Gunshot (peak level, see note) | Over NIOSH's 140 dB impulse limit |
Gunshot levels are peaks, not dBA averages. NIOSH studies measured about 144 dB for a .22 rifle to 172 dB for a .357 revolver, as reported in The Hearing Review. For muffs and plugs, see our shooting ear protection guide.
To measure how loud it is where you are, use the decibel meter. For a particular place, the concert decibel meter and the workplace noise meter show the safe listening time, the classroom noise meter shows a traffic light, and the neighbor noise meter tracks the average level over time.
Phone readings are estimates. For what a phone microphone can and can't measure, and how to calibrate it, see how accurate a phone decibel meter is. For exposure limits from NIOSH, OSHA, and WHO, see how loud is too loud.