What does 40 dB sound like?
30 dB: Whispering nearby. 40 dB: Quiet library sounds. 50 dB: Refrigerator. 60 dB: Electric toothbrush.
The WHO guidelines for night noise recommend less than 40 dB(A) of annual average (Lnight) outside of bedrooms to prevent adverse health effects from night noise.
A 40 dB sound is actually not that loud. It is softer than a normal conversation, which is typically around 60 dB. 40 dB is generally just enough to be heard over the background noise in a room. Some common sounds that are around 40 dB are a whisper, a refrigerator, and a light breeze.
0dB: the quietest sound a healthy human ear can hear. 40dB: a quiet library. 60dB: ordinary spoken conversation. 85dB: a food blender.
The normal noise range for modern fridge freezers is 32 to 47 dB. Anything quieter than 40 dB is considered a quiet model, as this is the noise level of a library.
Mild snoring = 1 (40–45 dB) Moderate snoring = 2 (45–55 dB) Severe snoring = 3 (55–60 dB) Very severe snoring = 4 (≥ 60 dB)
Decibel Level of Snoring
The mean peak levels of snoring recorded are between 50 and 65 decibels. Snoring could reach high noise-level in the range of 80-90 decibel that matches the decibel levels of a vacuum cleaner.
Try not to exceed 40 decibels so that you do not hear any disturbing noise. Above 60 decibels, your quality of life and sleep decreases considerably and it is important to take action.
The range of sounds measured on the decibel scale is from 0 dB (the quietest sound) to 140 dB (the threshold of pain). Sounds above 85 dB are considered by specialized organizations like NIOSH (the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) to be dangerous to human hearing.
That said, appliances with a dBA rating of 38-40 dBA are considered to be silent. Which means you won't hear it over your conversation and other background noise.
How much louder is 40 dB?
For the decibel scale, that number is 10. A 20 dB sound is 10 times louder than a 10 dB sound. The level of noise in a quiet bedroom, 30 dB, is 100 times louder than 10 dB. And 40 dB is 1,000 times louder than 10 dB.
We used the mean maximum decibel level to classify snoring as mild (40-50 db), moderate (50-60 db), or severe (> 60 db).

Firearms Are Loud
Almost all firearms create noise that is over the 140-dB level. A small . 22-caliber rifle can produce noise around 140 dB, while big-bore rifles and pistols can produce sound over 175 dB.
As you can see from the infographic below, a 9mm pistol typically produces around 160 decibels.
It gets a little confusing because decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale based on a power of 10. For those of you without math degrees, this simply means that every increase of 10 decibels doubles the intensity of the sound. So a 50-decibel dishwasher is actually twice as loud as a 40-decibel dishwasher.
The average noise volume at a concert or festival is around 100 decibels.
40dB is generally considers to be as loud as most people want to have a constant noise level .. as in background noise in home environment.
How Many Decibels is a Quiet Fridge? Thanks to modern technology, most refrigerators have a noise output of 32-47dB. A quiet refrigerator is any model that emits less than 42dB. In real terms, this is about the same as a library or a quiet office.
Most dishwashers are 46-60 dB, and anything under 45dB is considered to be very quiet. 39-45 dB dishwashers are very quiet, and they'll sound similar to rainfall when they're operating. Libraries offer a similar amount of noise, or early mornings in the suburbs.
Now you are wondering how loud you should play white noise to help you fall and stay asleep. As a general guideline: play white noise at a sound level of less than 50 decibels (dBA) if your bedroom is otherwise quiet. When it comes to adding white noise to your sleep routine, quieter is often, but not always better.
How many dB is uncomfortable?
Sounds above 90 dB can lead to chronic hearing damage if people are exposed to them every day or all the time. Hearing becomes uncomfortable if the sound pressure level is above 110 decibels (threshold of discomfort), and it becomes painful above 130 decibels (threshold of pain).
(50 decibels is the noise level considered safe for hospital nurseries, and 85 decibels is the noise level considered safe for adults. Above 85 decibels, earplugs are recommended to prevent hearing loss.)
I cough (87dB), then I get up and nip to the loo. Flushing the toilet registers 84dB.
Decibel Level
Sounds at or below 70 dBA are generally considered safe. Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage your hearing over time. Researchers have found that people who are exposed over long periods of time to noise levels at 85 dBA or higher are at a much greater risk for hearing loss.
Fifty babies, 24–48 h old, heard one of five sounds: human heart beats at 75 or 45 dB, a regularly intermittent tone of 55 cps at 75 or 45 dB, and ambient noise.
ROOM / SPACE | DBA | NC/NCB |
---|---|---|
Theaters, Concert Halls, Recording Studios | 25-30 | 10-20 |
Bedrooms, Libraries, Religious Prayer Rooms | 25-30 | 20-25 |
Living Rooms, Classrooms, Lecture Halls, Conference Rooms | 30-35 | 30-40 |
Offices, Courtrooms, Private Work Rooms | 40-45 | 30-40 |
While your TV audio fluctuates with the control of your remote, the average television reaches up to 70 decibels (dB), making it generally safe for listening.
Most rooms will be between 39 and 42 dB when measured with a smartphone sound pressure reading app.
The db scale is not linear. 40db is 100 times as loud as 20db. This sounds like a lot but 20db is whispering from 5 feet away, while 40db is the sound of a library.
Any noise exceeding 70 dB is considered disturbing. Residential limits usually start at 60 or 55 dB (the equivalent noise of a regular vacuum cleaner). Time limits usually apply after 10 pm and until 7 am.
How many dB is a car horn?
Car horn: 110 decibels. Nightclub: 110 decibels. Ambulance siren: 112 decibels.
The outside of aircraft engines (around 140 dB at takeoff) and conditions on other aircraft may have higher or lower noise levels.
A rifle shot can be upwards of 160dB. Keep in mind, the decibel scale is logarithmic. 160 isn't just 40 “units” louder than 120, it's actually 10^4 or 10,000 times louder.
The video from 230 yards away shows that the sound of a 9mm gunshot is much louder than a firecracker igniting. Because firecrackers use black powder and not modern smokeless gunpowder, there is a significant amount of smoke associated with their discharge.
Shotgun gunshot: 155 dB.
22 rifle. The . 22 rifle is often used for hunting small game and is common among recreational shooters. .22 caliber firearms produce noise levels ranging from 120 to 140 dB (decibels), meaning they're louder than everyday conversations, which emit about 60 decibels of sound.
1. A mosquito's buzz is often rated with a decibel rating of 40 dB. Normal conversation is often rated at 60 dB.
40dB is generally considers to be as loud as most people want to have a constant noise level .. as in background noise in home environment.
Decibel Level
Sounds at or below 70 dBA are generally considered safe. Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage your hearing over time.
Sounds at or below 70 dB are considered safe for our hearing. That's the sound of a normal conversation between two people. Sounds at 80 or 85 dB will damage hearing over time. That's the sound of heavy traffic—from inside a car.
How loud is snoring in dB?
Decibel Level of Snoring
The mean peak levels of snoring recorded are between 50 and 65 decibels. Snoring could reach high noise-level in the range of 80-90 decibel that matches the decibel levels of a vacuum cleaner.
Noise Source | Decibel Level |
---|---|
Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB). Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB). | 70 |
Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft | 60 |
Car horn: 110 decibels. Nightclub: 110 decibels. Ambulance siren: 112 decibels.
Q: How many decibels is a quiet fan? The quietest fans produce approximately 15 decibels on low settings and 40 to 50 decibels on high settings.
In another study by Seetharaman and Tarzia [33], the handclap averaged 26.4 dB above the background level (in a concert hall with typical background noise levels) with a standard deviation of 4.4 dB across measurements.
As you may see in the Fig 1.1, ceiling fans on an average generate between 60dB to 70dB of loudness which has been suggested as good enough noise by many studies.
The decibel level of a quiet dishwasher can be as low as 38 dBA, but any dishwasher with a decibel level of 44 dBA or lower may be considered quiet. A decibel level of 50 dBA or above tends to be thought of as average.
Whisper: 30 dB. Normal conversation: 60 dB.