How loud are crickets?
Crickets heard at 5 m measured 40 dBA in Zion National Park, according to the National Park Service. Some species are far louder up close: the European mole cricket registers 96 dB at 50 cm, the highest level among the cricket and grasshopper candidates in the University of Florida Book of Insect Records.
- Level
- 40–96 dBAA-weighted sound level
- Distance
- 5 m5 m (Zion crickets); 50 cm (mole cricket)
- Daily limit
- 38 min a dayNIOSH, at the loud end
- Versus conversation
- 3.5× energyabout 1.5× as loud
What the numbers mean
How it was measured. Crickets chirping at 5 m in Zion National Park (40 dBA, NPS). The upper figure is the European mole cricket at 50 cm (96 dB, Bennet-Clark 1970, as cited by the University of Florida Book of Insect Records); its weighting is not stated.
Male crickets call by rubbing a scraper on one wing against a file on the other. The National Park Service lists crickets at 5 m in Zion National Park at 40 dBA, about the level of a library.
Species vary enormously. The University of Florida Book of Insect Records, in its chapter on the loudest insect, names the European mole cricket (Gryllotalpa vinae) at 96 dB at 50 cm, the highest recorded level among the crickets and grasshoppers it considered.
Even so, crickets are quieter than the loudest cicadas: the same chapter gives the African cicada Brevisana brevis a mean of 106.7 dB at 50 cm.
How long is safe?
NIOSH recommends no more than 38 min a day at 96 dBA (no limit at the quiet end, 40). OSHA's legal limit is 3 h 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 dBA | 38 min | 3 h 29 min | 12 min | 38 min |
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
No protection needed for crickets at normal distances. If a cricket chorus outside the window disturbs sleep, closing the window and using foam earplugs helps.
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).
- Washing machine (47–78 dBA): this has about 3.5× its sound energy and sounds about 1.5× as loud.
- Operating theatre (53–78.8 dBA): this has about 1.6× its sound energy and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Inside a car (65–77.2 dBA): it has about 2× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.2× as loud.
- Cinema (61–84 dBA): it has about 2.8× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.4× as loud.
- Normal conversation (55–70 dBA): this has about 3.5× its energy and sounds about 1.5× as loud.
Questions
How loud is a cricket?
The NPS measured crickets at 40 dBA from 5 m in Zion National Park. The loudest species recorded, the European mole cricket, reaches 96 dB at 50 cm.
Are crickets louder than cicadas?
No. The University of Florida Book of Insect Records puts the loudest cricket candidate at 96 dB and the loudest cicada at 106.7 dB, both at 50 cm.
Sources
- Understanding Sound - Natural Sounds, U.S. National Park Service. Supports: dB_low: 40 dBA at 5 m.
40 Crickets at 5 m (Zion National Park)
Checked 2026-11-02. - Chapter 24: Loudest (University of Florida Book of Insect Records, archived copy), University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology. Supports: dB_high: 96 dB at 50 cm.
the European mole cricket ( Gryllotalpa vinae ) registering 96 dB at a distance of 50cm
Checked 2026-11-02. - Chapter 24: Loudest (University of Florida Book of Insect Records, archived copy), University of Florida, Department of Entomology and Nematology. Supports: body/faq: cicada comparison.
The African cicada, Brevisana brevis (Homoptera: Cicadidae) produces a calling song with a mean sound pressure level of 106.7 decibels at a distance of 50cm.
Checked 2026-11-02. - Noise Comparisons (Noise Sources and Their Effects), Purdue University Department of Chemistry, Chemical Safety. Supports: body: library comparison.
Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound 40
Checked 2026-11-02.
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.