Sones dBA Sones dBA 1.3-4.0 32-48 Private Homes (Rural and Suburban) 5.0-15.0 51-67 Corridors and Halls, Cocktail Lounges, Washrooms, Toilets 1.7-5.0 36-51 Conference Rooms 7.0-21.0 56-72 Hotel Kitchens and Laundries, Supermarkets 2.0-6.0 38-54 Hotel Rooms, Libraries, Movie Theaters, Executive Offices 12.0-36 64-80 Light Machinery, Assembly Lines 2.5-8.0 41-58 Schools and Classrooms, Hospital Wards, Operating Rooms 15.0-50 67-84 Machine Shops 3.0-9.0 44-60 Courtrooms, Museums, Apartments, Private Homes 25-60 74-87 Heavy Machinery 4.0-12.0 48-64 Restaurants, Lobbies, General Open Offices, Banks From AMCA Publication 302 (Application of Sone Ratings for Non-Ducted Air Moving Devices with Room-Sone-dBA Correlations).

Sone—An internationally recognized unit of loudness. Sones signify, in a single number, the total sound output of the unit being tested. One sone is approximately equal to the sound of a modern refrigerator in a kitchen. A 6-sone fan, for example, sounds twice as loud to the human ear as a 3-sone fan.

dB (Decibel)—A measure of the sound produced by an air moving device. dB(A)—Sound level reading on the A-weighted scale of a sound meter. This A-weighting adjusts response of the meter to approximate that of the human ear.