dB Calculator: Decibels, Sound Pressure and Intensity

Your details

Choose what physical quantity you are converting to or from decibels.
Root-mean-square sound pressure in pascals. The threshold of hearing is 0.00002 Pa.
Pa
Reference pressure. The standard value for air is 20 microPascals (0.00002 Pa), the threshold of human hearing.
Pa
LevelLoud
80dB

Decibel level computed from your inputs

Linear ratio10,000
Sound pressure0.2Pa
Sound intensity0.0001W/m2
80 dB
Very quiet<30Moderate30-60Loud60-85Hearing risk85-120Extreme120+

80.0 dB - loud.

  • 60-85 dB includes busy traffic and a lawnmower. The WHO recommends limiting daily exposure at these levels.
  • The amplitude (pressure or voltage) ratio is 10000.0000. Note that +6 dB doubles amplitude while +20 dB multiplies it by 10.
  • Every 10 dB increase represents a 10-fold increase in acoustic power, but humans perceive it as roughly twice as loud (due to the nonlinear response of the ear).

Next stepTo find how a sound level changes with distance, use the inverse-square law: doubling the distance reduces the level by approximately 6 dB.

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