Power tools and garden machines, rankedHow loud are power tools?

Drills, saws, grinders, nail guns, blowers, mowers and a jackhammer, ranked by the loudest level measured, mostly at the operator, with how long NIOSH says you can use each without hearing protection.

Loudest: 130 dBAJackhammer
Last on the list: 78–81 dBA maxAir compressor
At a hearing-risk level: 13 of 1885 dBA or a 140 dB peak, at the loud end

Bars run from the quietest to the loudest figure measured; the dashed line marks 85 dB, the NIOSH 8-hour limit. The tag is the NIOSH daily limit at the loud end.

Power tools, loudest first

1
Jackhammer
About 130 dB(A) for the person on the handles; still near 89 dB(A) at 50 feet.

130 dBAat the operator (typical chart figure)
under 1 s
2
Chainsaw
A two-stroke chainsaw at full throttle reaches 105 to 109 dB(A) at the operator.

98.5–112 dBAat the operator
56 s
3
Circular saw
Declared at about 90 dB(A); cutting steel studs on site averaged 110 dB(A) at the worker's shoulder.

89–110.4 dBAat the operator
1 min 21 s
4
Table saw
Declared at 86 to 91 dB(A); cutting paving blocks on site averaged 107.7 dB(A).

86–107.7 dBAat the operator
2 min 32 s
5
Wood chipper
Feeding a wood chipper: about 96 dB(A) on average and up to 106 at the operator.

96.2–106 dBAat the operator
3 min 45 s
6
Leaf blower
A petrol backpack blower peaks near 106 dB(A) at the operator; battery models average about 86.

86.4–106 dBAat the operator
3 min 45 s
7
Angle grinder
Typically 90 to 95 dB(A) at the operator; cutting steel studs averaged 104.7 dB(A).

83–104.7 dBAat the operator
5 min 4 s
8
Strimmer (string trimmer)
A petrol strimmer averages about 93 dB(A) at the operator and peaks over 100 at full throttle.

87.9–101.5 dBAat the operator
11 min
9
Impact driver
Each screw is a burst of impacts: about 94 to 99 dB(A) at a framer's ear, with peaks near 118 dB(C).

88–98.5 dBAat the operator
21 min
10
Impact wrench
A cordless impact wrench is declared at 96 to 97 dB(A) at the operator: the hammering is the noise.

96–97 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
30 min
11
Petrol lawn mower
Push mowers 86 to 92 dB(A), ride-on mowers up to 96 dB(A) at the seat.

85.5–95.9 dBAat the operator
39 min
12
Power drill
A cordless drill is declared at 73 to 94 dB(A) at the operator, depending on the model.

73–94 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
1 h
13
Hammer drill
SDS hammer drills are declared at 86 to 89 dB(A), with peaks near 118 dB(C) when drilling concrete.

86–89 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
3 h 10 min
14
Reciprocating saw
A cordless sabre saw is declared at 84 dB(A) at the operator, give or take 5 dB.

84 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
no limit
15
Nail gun
A battery finish nailer is declared at 83 dB(A); powder-actuated nailers spike past 130 dB(C).

83 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
no limit
16
Router
A compact plunge router is declared at 83 dB(A) at the operator in the standard test.

83 dBAoperator position (manufacturer's standard test)
no limit
17
Electric lawn mower
A battery push mower averaged about 82 dB(A) at the operator, roughly 9 dB under petrol mowers.

82 dBAat the operator
no limit
18
Air compressor
A site compressor measures 78 to 81 dB(A) at 50 feet.

78–81 dBA max50 ft (15 m)
no limit

Reading these numbers

Two kinds of figure are mixed here, and each page says which it is. Manufacturer-declared levels (LpA, from the standard EN 62841 or older EN 60745 test) are measured under set conditions and are good for comparing one model with another. Field measurements of people cutting, grinding and blowing on real jobs are often well above the figure in the manual. Where a range is wide, the top is usually the real job. Ranges also cover different models. Reading earplug and earmuff ratings.

Questions

What is the loudest power tool?

Of the 18 tools on this list, the jackhammer reaches the highest level: 130 dBA, at the operator (typical chart figure). About 130 dB(A) for the person on the handles; still near 89 dB(A) at 50 feet.

Which power tools need hearing protection?

At the loud end of their measured ranges, 13 of the 18 reach a hearing-risk level (85 dBA or more, or a peak of 140 dB or more): jackhammer (130 dBA, under 1 s a day), chainsaw (98.5–112 dBA, 56 s a day), circular saw (89–110.4 dBA, 1 min 21 s a day), table saw (86–107.7 dBA, 2 min 32 s a day), wood chipper (96.2–106 dBA, 3 min 45 s a day), leaf blower (86.4–106 dBA, 3 min 45 s a day), angle grinder (83–104.7 dBA, 5 min 4 s a day), strimmer (87.9–101.5 dBA, 11 min a day), impact driver (88–98.5 dBA, 21 min a day), impact wrench (96–97 dBA, 30 min a day), petrol lawn mower (85.5–95.9 dBA, 39 min a day), power drill (73–94 dBA, 1 h a day), hammer drill (86–89 dBA, 3 h 10 min a day). Times are the NIOSH daily limit at the loud end of each range.

Every figure links through to its own page, with the measurement conditions and verbatim quotes from each source. General information, not medical advice.