Wind Noise Levels Examples – Decibel Chart helping to visualize noise level data displayed in ‘dB’
For example, a pleasant, non-disturbing noise level of a conversation in a restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft – (30.5m) distance equals 60dB. In contrast, a decibel level of 150dB equals the noise of a Jet take-off (at 25 meters) distance and guarantees an Eardrum rupture!
| Decibel | Noise Source | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | Breathing | Barely audible |
| 20.0 | Whisper, rustling leaves | Slightly audible |
| 30.0 | Quiet rural area | One-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB. Very Quiet |
| 40.0 | Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound | One-eighth as loud as 70 dB. |
| 50.0 | Quiet suburb, conversation at home. Large electrical transformers at 100 ft - (30.5m) | One-fourth as loud as 70 dB. |
| 60.0 | Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft - (30.5m) | Half as loud as 70 dB. Fairly quiet |
| 70.0 | Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft - (7.6m) = (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft - (15.2m) from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB). Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB). | Arbitrary base of comparison. Upper 70s are annoyingly loud to some people. |
| 80.0 | Garbage disposal, dishwasher, average factory, freight train (at 15 meters). Car wash at 20 ft (89 dB); propeller plane flyover at 1000 ft - (305m) = (88 dB); diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft - (15.2m) = (84 dB); diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft - (30.5m) = (83 dB). Food blender (88 dB); milling machine (85 dB); garbage disposal (80 dB). | 2 times as loud as 70 dB. Possible damage in 8 h exposure. |
| 90.0 | Boeing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) - (1853m) before landing (97 dB); power mower (96 dB); motorcycle at 25 ft - (7.6m) = (90 dB). Newspaper press (97 dB). | 4 times as loud as 70 dB. Likely damage 8 hr exp |
| 100.0 | Jet take-off (at 305 meters), use of outboard motor, power lawn mower, motorcycle, farm tractor, j-hammer, garbage truck. Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) - (1853m) before landing (106 dB); jet flyover at 1000 feet - (1853m) = (103 dB); Bell J-2A helicopter at 100 ft - (30.5m) =(100 dB). | 8 times as loud as 70 dB. Serious damage possible in 8 hr exposure |
| 110.0 | Steel mill, auto horn at 1 meter. Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft - (60.9m) = (118 dB). Riveting machine (110 dB); live rock music (108 - 114 dB). | Average human pain threshold. 16 times as loud as 70 dB. |
| 120.0 | Thunderclap, chain saw. Oxygen torch (121 dB). | Painful. 32 times as loud as 70 dB. |
| 130.0 | Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft - (15.2m) = (130 dB). | Eardrum rupture |
| 140.0 | Aircraft carrier deck | Eardrum rupture |
| 150.0 | Jet take-off (at 25 meters) | Eardrum rupture |
