| dBA | Example | Home & Yard Appliances | Workshop & Construction |
| 0 | healthy hearing threshold | ||
| 10 | a pin dropping | ||
| 20 | rustling leaves | ||
| 30 | whisper | ||
| 40 | babbling brook | computer | |
| 50 | light traffic | refrigerator | |
| 60 | conversational speech | air conditioner | |
| 70 | shower | dishwasher | |
| 75 | toilet flushing | vacuum cleaner | |
| 80 | alarm clock | garbage disposal | |
| 85 | passing diesel truck | snow blower | |
| 90 | squeeze toy | lawn mower | arc welder |
| 95 | inside subway car | food processor | belt sander |
| 100 | motorcycle (riding) | handheld drill | |
| 105 | sporting event | table saw | |
| 110 | rock band | jackhammer | |
| 115 | emergency vehicle siren | riveter | |
| 120 | thunderclap | oxygen torch | |
| 125 | balloon popping | ||
| 130 | peak stadium crowd noise | ||
| 135 | air raid siren | ||
| 140 | jet engine at takeoff | ||
| 145 | firecracker | ||
| 150 | fighter jet launch | ||
| 155 | cap gun | ||
| 160 | shotgun | ||
| 165 | .357 magnum revolver | ||
| 170 | safety airbag | ||
| 175 | howitzer cannon | ||
| 180 | rocket launch | ||
| ... | |||
| 194 | sound waves become shock waves |
The list below gives you an idea of how noticeable a change in decibel level is:
1dB – Not noticable
3dB – Barely noticeable
5dB – Clearly noticeable change
10dB – About twice as loud
20dB – About four times as loud
