Declaration of Product Noise Levels—A Primer

For decades noise control engineers have urged manufacturers to publish the acoustical noise levels of the products they develop and sell. Yet, it is fair to say that typical consumers walking into a retail store today filled with noise-making products (leaf blowers, hair dryers, power tools, humidifiers, exhaust fans, portable fans and heaters, and hundreds of other product types) will find very little information about the noise levels of these products. Nor will they find much information when shopping online. Yes, they may see terms like “whisper quiet” or “noise only 35 dB,” but these are essentially meaningless for comparing one product to another objectively or for making informed purchasing decisions with respect to noise. The availability of noise level information will ultimately help drive demand for quieter products, not only from consumers but also from large organizations, corporate purchasing groups, and regulatory agencies. With the recent publication of ASA/ANSI S12.3-2023, “Declaration of Product Noise Emission Values” and ASA/ANSI S12.61-2024, “Declaration and Verification of Noise Emission Values of Machinery, Equipment, and Products,” product manufacturers now have clear instructions and procedures for how to go about publishing meaningful and uniform noise level information to the general public for the products they put on the market. This paper will provide background for the technical aspects and underlying statistics of these standards.