How loud is a blender?
A kitchen blender is about 88 to 94 dB. Purdue University's noise chart lists a food blender at 88 dB, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) puts a kitchen blender at 94 dBA, alongside hair dryers and food processors. On the same ASHA chart a vacuum cleaner is 70 dBA.
- Level
- 88–94 dBAA-weighted sound level
- Daily limit
- 1 h a dayNIOSH, at the loud end
- Versus conversation
- 708× energyabout 7.2× as loud
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. Countertop kitchen blender running. Two public noise charts: 88 dB on Purdue University's chart (weighting not stated) and 94 dBA on ASHA's, listed with hair dryers and food processors. Neither gives a distance, a model or what was being blended.
A blender's noise comes from a small motor spinning the blade very fast, the blade and its contents hitting the jug, and the jug itself ringing. Crushing ice or frozen fruit is louder than blending liquid. Neither chart says how far away its figure was taken, so treat the numbers as what you hear standing at the counter.
ASHA files 94 dBA under “extremely loud”, the band where it advises ear protection, and NIOSH would allow only about an hour a day at that level. A smoothie takes well under a minute, so occasional use at home adds very little to anyone's daily dose. The level matters more for people who run blenders all shift, such as staff in juice and smoothie bars.
How long is safe?
NIOSH recommends no more than 1 h a day at 94 dBA (4 h at 88). OSHA's legal limit is 4 h 36 min.
| Level | NIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule) | OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule) | UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached after | UK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 dBA | 4 h | No limit | 1 h 16 min | 4 h 1 min |
| 94 dBA | 1 h | 4 h 36 min | 19 min | 1 h |
Times are for a whole day’s exposure, with the rest of the day quiet. The workplace limits were written for adults at work, not for children. Work out a mixed day with the noise dose calculator.
Protecting your hearing
Occasional use needs no protection: keep your head back from the jug and blend in short bursts. If you run blenders for hours at work, foam earplugs help, and some commercial blenders come with a sound enclosure.
Earplug and earmuff ratings (NRR in the US, SNR in the UK and EU) are lab figures; real-world protection is usually lower. How to read the ratings.
Compared with sounds nearby
Using midpoints of each range. Energy multiplies by 10 every 10 dB; perceived loudness roughly doubles (why).
- Hammer drill (86–89 dBA): this has about 2.2× its sound energy and sounds about 1.3× as loud.
- Jet take-off (76.8–100.5 dBA max): this has about 1.7× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Impact driver (88–98.5 dBA): it has about 1.7× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Angle grinder (83–104.7 dBA): it has about 1.9× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): this has about 708× its energy and sounds about 7.2× as loud.
Questions
How many decibels is a blender?
About 88 to 94 dB: 88 dB for a food blender on Purdue University's noise chart and 94 dBA for a kitchen blender on ASHA's.
Can a blender damage your hearing?
Not in the seconds it takes to make a smoothie. At 94 dBA NIOSH allows about an hour a day, so occasional home use is a tiny dose, but people who run blenders all shift should check their exposure.
Is a blender louder than a vacuum cleaner?
On ASHA's chart, yes: 94 dBA for a kitchen blender against 70 dBA for a vacuum cleaner, a 24 dB gap that is about 250 times the sound energy.
Sources
- Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: dB_low: 88 dB (weighting not stated).
Food blender (88 dB)
Checked 2026-11-04. - Loud Noise Dangers (noise chart), asha.org public information page (credited to the Communication Health Support Association). Supports: dB_high: 94 dBA.
94 dBA = hair dryer, kitchen blender, food processor
Checked 2026-11-04. - Loud Noise Dangers (noise chart), asha.org public information page (credited to the Communication Health Support Association). Supports: ASHA's band for 94 to 112 dBA.
Extremely loud—Dangerous to hearing; wear ear protection
Checked 2026-11-04. - Loud Noise Dangers (noise chart), asha.org public information page (credited to the Communication Health Support Association). Supports: vacuum cleaner comparison: 70 dBA.
70 dBA = group conversation, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock
Checked 2026-11-04.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have ringing in your ears, muffled hearing or any change in your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.