71 decibels: how loud it is and how long is safe
Quick answer
71 dB is about as loud as a washing machine, and it is under the 85 dBA NIOSH recommended limit, so a full 8 hour day at 71 dBA is within it. No exposure time limit applies; at this level the number matters for comfort and for following speech rather than for hearing conservation.
How long is 71 decibels safe for?
Two different limits are quoted in the United States and they give very different answers. NIOSH recommends 85 dBA as an eight hour time weighted average with a 3 decibel exchange rate, meaning every 3 decibel increase halves the permissible time. OSHA enforces 90 dBA over eight hours with a 5 decibel exchange rate, which permits substantially longer at any given level.
NIOSH is a recommendation based on hearing conservation research. OSHA is the enforceable workplace rule. Quoting one as though it were the other is a common and consequential error.
NIOSH allows 203.2 hours at 71 dBA; OSHA allows 111.4 hours.
| Standard | Status | Reference | Exchange rate | Time at 71 dBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIOSH recommended exposure limit | Recommendation | 85 dBA / 8 h | 3 dB | 203.2 hours |
| OSHA permissible exposure limit | Enforceable | 90 dBA / 8 h | 5 dB | 111.4 hours |
Where this level shows up
Around 71 decibels is about the level of a washing machine. Levels near this one are listed below, which is usually more useful than the number on its own.
Sounds within a few decibels of 71 dBA.
| Sound | Typical level (dBA) |
|---|---|
| A washing machine | 70 |
| Highway traffic from inside a car | 70 |
| A vacuum cleaner | 75 |
The NIOSH ladder in full
Every 3 decibel increase halves the NIOSH permissible time, from 8 hours at 85 dBA down to about 1 second at 130 dBA.
| Level (dBA) | NIOSH allows | OSHA allows |
|---|---|---|
| 85 | 8 hours | 16 hours |
| 88 | 4 hours | 10.6 hours |
| 91 | 2 hours | 7 hours |
| 94 | 1 hour | 4.6 hours |
| 97 | 30 minutes | 3 hours |
| 100 | 15 minutes | 2 hours |
| 103 | 7.5 minutes | 1.3 hours |
| 106 | 3.8 minutes | 52.2 minutes |
| 109 | 1.9 minutes | 34.5 minutes |
| 112 | 56 seconds | 22.7 minutes |
| 115 | 28 seconds | 15 minutes |
| 118 | 14 seconds | 9.9 minutes |
| 121 | 7 seconds | 6.5 minutes |
| 124 | 4 seconds | 4.3 minutes |
| 127 | 2 seconds | 2.8 minutes |
| 130 | 1 second | 1.9 minutes |
Sources
- NIOSH, Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Noise Exposure, Revised Criteria 1998 (DHHS NIOSH Publication No. 98-126): 85 dBA over 8 hours, 3 dB exchange rate.
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure, Table G-16: 90 dBA over 8 hours, 5 dB exchange rate.
- Typical sound levels are representative figures from hearing conservation references at a usual listening distance, not measurements of a specific device.
Researched reference information, not medical or professional advice.
Common questions
- How loud is 71 decibels?
- 71 dB (written 71db, 71 dBA or 71 decibels) is about as loud as a washing machine. Because every 10 decibel rise sounds roughly twice as loud, 71 dB sounds about 2 times as loud as normal conversation at 60 dB. Real levels vary with distance: doubling your distance from a source lowers the level by about 6 dB.
- Is 71 decibels dangerous?
- 71 dBA is below the 85 decibel level at which the NIOSH recommended exposure limit begins. No exposure time limit applies at this level, so it is relevant to comfort rather than to hearing conservation.
- What does 71 dB sound like?
- A 71 dB sound is about as loud as a washing machine. You can hold a normal conversation over it without raising your voice. The everyday sounds table above lists sources measured near this level.
- How many decibels is safe?
- For hearing conservation, 85 dBA averaged over an eight hour day is the NIOSH recommended exposure limit, and every 3 decibel increase above it halves the time allowed. The US EPA identified 70 dB averaged over 24 hours as the level that protects against measurable hearing effects over a lifetime. Below about 70 dB the number matters for comfort and speech, not for hearing damage.
- Why do NIOSH and OSHA give different answers?
- They use different reference levels and different exchange rates. NIOSH recommends 85 dBA over eight hours with a 3 decibel exchange rate, which halves the time for every 3 decibel rise. OSHA enforces 90 dBA with a 5 decibel exchange rate. The OSHA limit is the legally enforceable one in United States workplaces; the NIOSH figure is the more protective recommendation.
- What is an exchange rate?
- It is the increase in level that halves the permissible exposure time. With the NIOSH 3 decibel exchange rate, 85 dBA allows 8 hours, 88 allows 4, 91 allows 2 and 94 allows 1. With the OSHA 5 decibel rate the same progression takes 5 decibels per halving, which is why OSHA permits considerably longer at any level above its reference.
- Does hearing protection subtract its rating from the noise?
- Not in practice. A noise reduction rating comes from a laboratory fit, and real world reduction is reliably lower, sometimes by half. Fit is what determines actual protection: a muff worn over glasses arms or long hair loses several decibels, and an earplug that is not sealed provides very little. Consistent wearing matters more than the number on the box.
- How do I measure the level where I am?
- A handheld sound level meter costs very little and gives a figure with a stated range and accuracy. A phone app is useful for deciding whether a space is obviously loud, but phone microphones are not calibrated and the reading should not be treated as a measurement. For workplace assessment the figure that matters is a time weighted average across the shift rather than a peak.
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Last updated 2026-10-07.
