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How loud is an elephant?

112–120dB max1 m

An elephant's loudest calls reach about 112 to 120 dB at 1 m: Microsoft gives 112 dB for trumpeting at 1 m, and a 2021 review lists the African elephant at a peak source level of 120 dB at 1 m. Everyday rumbles are much quieter close up, about 52 to 74 dB at 8 m in a study of captive African elephants.

Level
112–120 dB maxunweighted maximum sound level
Distance
1 m1 m
Daily limit
About 9 s a dayNIOSH, at the loud end

What the numbers mean

How it was measured. Elephant trumpeting at 1 m (112 dB, Microsoft) and a peak source level of 120 dB re 20 µPa at 1 m for the African elephant (Poole et al. 1988, as tabulated by Jakobsen et al. 2021). Rumbles from captive African elephants measured at about 8 m averaged 51.9 dB (nasal) and 74.45 dB (oral) (Stoeger et al. 2012). Weighting not stated.

Elephants have two very different kinds of call. Trumpets, blasted through the trunk, are the loud ones: Microsoft's Building 87 sound scale puts elephant trumpeting at 112 dB at 1 m, and Jakobsen and colleagues (2021) list the African elephant at a peak source level of 120 dB re 20 µPa at 1 m, from Poole and colleagues (1988).

Rumbles are very low-pitched calls used to keep in contact. In a study of five captive African elephants in South Africa, with microphones about 8 m away, Stoeger and colleagues (2012) found that rumbles emitted through the trunk averaged 51.9 dB and those through the mouth 74.45 dB, with average fundamental frequencies of 19.7 Hz and 26.9 Hz.

Microsoft notes that elephants' calls can be detected and identified by other elephants from 1.5 km away.

How long is safe?

NIOSH recommends no more than 9 s a day at 120 dBA (56 s at 112). OSHA's legal limit is 7 min 30 s. This is a maximum, so a time limit based on it is a worst case. This level is not A-weighted, so the times are approximate: low-pitched sound measures lower in dBA.

LevelNIOSH limit (85 dBA, 3 dB rule)OSHA limit (90 dBA, 5 dB rule)UK/EU 80 dB(A) action value reached afterUK/EU 85 dB(A) action value reached after
112 dB max56 s23 min18 s57 s
120 dB max9 s7 min 30 s3 s9 s

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

At normal viewing distances on safari or at a zoo, elephant calls are not a hearing risk.

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).

  • Rooster crowing (100–108 dB max): this has about 16× its sound energy and sounds about 2.3× as loud.
  • Fighter jet (103–113 dB max): this has about 6.3× its sound energy and sounds about 1.7× as loud.
  • White bellbird (125 dB max): it has about 7.9× the sound energy of this and sounds about 1.9× as loud.
  • SLS rocket launch (Artemis I) (127–136 dB max): it has about 35× the sound energy of this and sounds about 2.9× as loud.

Questions

How loud is an elephant trumpet?

About 112 dB at 1 m according to Microsoft, with a peak source level of 120 dB at 1 m listed in a 2021 scientific review.

How loud is an elephant rumble?

Much quieter up close: captive African elephants' rumbles averaged 51.9 dB (through the trunk) and 74.45 dB (through the mouth) measured about 8 m away.

Sources

  1. Audio Lab | Microsoft: Inside B87, Microsoft. Supports: dB_low: 112 dB at 1 m.Elephant Trumpeting 112dB at 1 meterChecked 2026-11-02.
  2. How Loud Can you go? Physical and Physiological Constraints to Producing High Sound Pressures in Animal Vocalizations, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Jakobsen et al., 2021). Supports: dB_high: 120 dB peak at 1 m.Loxodonta africana 120 127 Poole et al., 1988Checked 2026-11-02.
  3. Visualizing Sound Emission of Elephant Vocalizations: Evidence for Two Rumble Production Types, PLoS ONE (Stoeger et al., 2012), via PMC. Supports: body: rumbles 51.9 and 74.45 dB.was significantly lower in nasal rumbles (mean SPL ± SD = 51.9±6.22 dB) than it was in oral rumbles (mean SPL ± SD = 74.45±7.49 dBChecked 2026-11-02.
  4. Visualizing Sound Emission of Elephant Vocalizations: Evidence for Two Rumble Production Types, PLoS ONE (Stoeger et al., 2012), via PMC. Supports: body: 8 m distance.the microphone array was positioned approximately 8 m (using a laser rangefinder) from the elephantsChecked 2026-11-02.
  5. Audio Lab | Microsoft: Inside B87, Microsoft. Supports: body: 1.5 km detection.Their calls can be detected and identified by other elephants from 1.5 kilometers away.Checked 2026-11-02.
  6. Visualizing Sound Emission of Elephant Vocalizations: Evidence for Two Rumble Production Types, PLoS ONE (Stoeger et al., 2012), via PMC. Supports: body: rumble fundamental frequencies.lower in nasal rumbles (mean ± SD = 19.7±2.7 Hz) than in oral rumbles (mean ± SD = 26.9±4.6 HzChecked 2026-11-02.
  7. Visualizing Sound Emission of Elephant Vocalizations: Evidence for Two Rumble Production Types, PLoS ONE (Stoeger et al., 2012), via PMC. Supports: body: captive elephants in South Africa.located at Adventures with Elephants, Bela Bela, South AfricaChecked 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.