How loud is a drum kit?
A collection of drums and cymbals arranged to be played by one seated drummer.
At the drummer position during normal play, compiled from occupational and musician hearing surveys. Drummers routinely exceed occupational exposure limits within an hour.
How that compares
Drum kit 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 drum kit
- How much does a drum kit weigh? 35–95 kg
- How much does a drum kit cost? 300–6,000 $
Common questions
- How loud is a drum kit?
- A drum kit reaches 95–115 dB. At the drummer position during normal play, compiled from occupational and musician hearing surveys. Drummers routinely exceed occupational exposure limits within an hour.
Related pages
- How much does a drum kit weigh? 35–95 kg
- How much does a drum kit cost? 300–6,000 $
- How loud is a church bell? 90–120 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))