How loud is 20 decibels?
20 dB is very quiet: about as loud as rustling leaves or a ticking watch held near your ear. Most rooms people live in never get this quiet, because fridges, ventilation and distant traffic keep the background higher.
- Sounds like
- Rustling leaves or a ticking watch
- Loudness
- Very quiet
- Safe per day (NIOSH)
- No limit
- OSHA workplace limit
- Below the limit
20 dB on the decibel scale
Tap another sound to compare- Safe · under 65 dB
- Caution · 65–85 dB
- Risk · over 85 dB
What 20 dB sounds like
- Rustling leaves
- A ticking watch close by
- A quiet recording studio
- A remote countryside at night with no wind
Recording studios, sound booths and remote places on a still night sit around 20 dB. A phone microphone usually cannot measure this low, so a meter app will show its own noise floor instead.
Is 20 dB safe?
Yes. 20 dB is well below the level where hearing damage starts, so you can be around it all day. This is a level most people find restful.
20 dB compared with other sounds
| Compared with | Difference | Sounds | Sound energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whisper (30 dB) | −10 dB | 2× quieter | 10× less |
| Conversation (60 dB) | −40 dB | 16× quieter | 10,000× less |
| Heavy traffic (85 dB) | −65 dB | 91× quieter | 3,162,278× less |
| Concert (110 dB) | −90 dB | 512× quieter | 1,000,000,000× less |
Rule of thumb: +10 dB sounds about twice as loud and carries ten times the energy. See what is a decibel.
How to check if a sound is 20 dB
Open the free online decibel meter on this site and allow the microphone. Hold your phone or laptop where your ears would be, wait a few seconds, and read the average rather than the momentary number. For a reliable, calibrated reading you can save or show to someone else, use the Decibel Meter app on iPhone.