At One Place

How loud is a lawn mower?

Typical loudness
80–85 dB

A machine with rotating blades that cuts grass to a set height.

CDC lists gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers at 80-85 dB, enough to risk hearing damage after about two hours.

By type

Lawn mowers vary by type, so a single figure would be misleading.
Type Typical loudness
robot mower 52–65 dB

How that compares

Lawn mower against things of a similar loudness.

Motorcycle 80–110 dB
Blender 80–95 dB
Hair dryer 75–95 dB
Pressure washer 75–95 dB
Lawn mower 80–85 dB
Leaf blower 65–92 dB
Air compressor 60–92 dB
Vacuum cleaner 62–85 dB

How long you can safely listen

Safe for a full day, though prolonged exposure is tiring.

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 lawn mower

Common questions

How loud is a lawn mower?
A lawn mower reaches 80–85 dB. CDC lists gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers at 80-85 dB, enough to risk hearing damage after about two hours.
Which type of lawn mower is the loudest?
Of the types listed here, robot mower is the largest at 52–65 dB.

Related pages

Sources

  1. What Noises Cause Hearing Loss? — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public domain (US Government))
  2. Occupational Noise Exposure — Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Public domain (US Government))
  3. Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked