Measure the level
- Click Start and allow the microphone when the browser asks.
- Stay quiet for a few seconds if you want the room’s background level.
- Watch the current reading, and the minimum, average, and maximum since you started.
- Stop when you are done. The microphone is released.
Rough levels, for scale
- About 30 dB: a quiet room at night.
- About 50 to 60 dB: a normal conversation.
- About 70 dB: a vacuum cleaner or a busy street.
- About 80 to 85 dB: heavy traffic or a lawn mower. Hearing protection is worth it if you stay in it.
- About 100 dB and up: a concert or a siren nearby. It gets painful around 120 dB.
Why this is an estimate
A real sound level meter is calibrated against a known tone and states its accuracy. A laptop or phone microphone is not. Readings from this page are often off by 5 to 10 decibels, sometimes more, depending on the device, the case, and whether the browser turns on automatic gain. Use the calibration slider if you can compare the page with a reference meter: move it until the two agree, and that offset is remembered in this browser.
The average is a rough equivalent level over the time you have been measuring, not a formal workplace dose. Do not use this page to decide whether a job site meets a legal noise limit. It is useful for comparing rooms, spotting a loud fan, or seeing whether a call is picking up a noisy background.