It can seem confusing because it is a nonlinear scale. Unlike the lengths, weights and temperatures with which we are more familiar, twice the number of decibels is a lot more than twice the amount of noise. In fact, every ten addtional dB means twice the amount of noise. The table below should give some idea of what different values mean.
| Sound Level, dB | Example |
| 140 | Threshold of pain |
| 135 | Jet engine at 25m |
| 125 | Jet takeoff at 100m |
| 110 | Rock group |
| 100 | Pneumatic drill |
| 85 | Busy street traffic |
| 60 | Normal speech |
| 43 | ETSU-R-97 statutory outdoor nighttime maximum |
| 40 | Living room, ETSU daytime outdoor maximum |
| 35 | ETSU single turbine limit and normal maximum |
| 30 | WHO bedroom limit |
| 25 | Recommended bedroom level |
| 20 | Typical rural nighttime |
| 10 | Practical limit of hearing |
| 0 | Theoretical limit of hearing |