How loud is a church bell?
A cast bronze bell hung in a tower, swung or struck to sound the hours and call a congregation.
Close to the bell inside the chamber, from campanological and occupational surveys. At street level it is far lower.
How that compares
Church bell against things of a similar loudness.
How long you can safely listen
About 5 minutes a day before damage risk begins.
Decibels are logarithmic, which makes the intuitive arithmetic wrong in a way worth knowing: every 10 dB is ten times the sound energy, and two identical sources together are 3 dB louder than one — not double. So two 70 dB fans are 73 dB, not 140 dB.
Levels are measured at roughly one metre unless stated otherwise. Sound falls off with distance — about 6 dB per doubling — so the same appliance is noticeably quieter across a room than beside your ear.
More about a church bell
- How much does a church bell weigh? 50–5,000 kg
- How much does a church bell cost? 5,000–150,000 $
Common questions
- How loud is a church bell?
- A church bell reaches 90–120 dB. Close to the bell inside the chamber, from campanological and occupational surveys. At street level it is far lower.
Related pages
- How much does a church bell weigh? 50–5,000 kg
- How much does a church bell cost? 5,000–150,000 $
- How loud is a drum kit? 95–115 dB
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place
- What Noises Cause Hearing Loss? — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public domain (US Government))
- Occupational Noise Exposure — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Public domain (US Government))