How Loud Are Fireworks? (Decibel Levels + Safety)
Firework loudness depends almost entirely on where the microphone is and which metric is used. A regulatory test at 15 metres and an injury measurement at 2 metres differ by 40 decibels or more.
Reviewed by our team against authoritative public-health sources. See our editorial standards.
Measurement context
Regulatory levels are A-weighted impulse maxima at 8–15 metres; injury-literature levels are unweighted peaks at about 2 metres. The gap between them is measurement geometry and weighting, not disagreement.
Personal exposure
Not determined by these published figures. No safe listening time can be inferred.
Quick Answer
Both numbers you will see are right, and they measure different things. UK regulatory testing of 72 consumer fireworks to BS EN 15947 — at 8 metres for category 2 and 15 metres for category 3 — found impulse maximum levels of 77–122 dB, with rockets at 107–115 dB and a 120 dB compliance limit that four articles exceeded. Measured close to the ear, unregulated firecrackers are far higher: peak overpressure of 140–165 dB at about 2 metres, and published measurements at the ear exceeding 160 dB peak at 2 metres, against a damage-risk criterion of 149 dB.
Regulatory levels are A-weighted impulse maxima at 8–15 metres; injury-literature levels are unweighted peaks at about 2 metres. The gap between them is measurement geometry and weighting, not disagreement.
Two different questions in one
"How loud are fireworks?" splits cleanly into two questions with two different answers. If you are standing at a public display, the relevant measurement is at a distance, and consumer fireworks are regulated to a ceiling at that kind of distance. If a firecracker goes off a metre or two from your head, the relevant measurement is a near-field peak, and it is in an entirely different regime.
The literature reflects this split: product-safety testing on one side, ear-nose-and-throat clinics on the other.
What regulators measure
The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards, with the HSE Science and Research Centre, tested 72 consumer firework articles to BS EN 15947. Microphones sit at 1 metre height at a standardised distance — 8 metres for category 2 fireworks and 15 metres for category 3 — with wind speed limited to 5 m/s and two meter positions relative to the wind.
The metric is AI Max: an A-weighted impulse maximum. The compliance limit is 120 dB, and four of the 72 articles exceeded it.
| Article type | Measured range |
|---|---|
| Category 3 rockets | 107–115 dB |
| Batteries (categories 2 and 3) | 91–122 dB |
| Battery of shot tubes | 92–121 dB |
| Roman candles | 78–112 dB |
| Fountains | 77–110 dB |
| Compliance limit | 120 dB (exceeded by 4 of 72 articles) |
A-weighted impulse maxima at the standardised regulatory distance — not unweighted peaks, and not levels at the distance a person actually stands when lighting one.
What happens close up
Move the microphone in to about 2 metres and the numbers change character. Research from the University of Ljubljana reports peak overpressure levels of 140–165 dB for firecracker explosions at around 2 metres, noting that levels above 175 dB essentially do not occur beyond a minimum radius, and that noise decays by roughly 6.6 dB per doubling of distance.
A hazard-assessment study of Chinese firecrackers reports peak levels measured at the ear sometimes exceeding 160 dB at 2 metres, against a damage-risk criterion that should not exceed 149 dB unweighted peak at the ear. That is the specific finding that connects fireworks to the injury literature.
| Measurement or limit | Level | Metric and distance |
|---|---|---|
| Firecracker explosions | 140–165 dB | Peak overpressure at about 2 m |
| Chinese firecrackers at the ear | over 160 dB | Unweighted peak at 2 m |
| Damage risk criterion cited | 149 dB | Unweighted peak at the ear |
| India regulatory limit | 125 dB AI / 145 dB C-peak | At 4 m from the point of bursting |
| UK regulatory limit | 120 dB | AI Max at the category test distance |
Weighting differs between rows: A-weighted impulse maxima, C-weighted peaks and unweighted peaks are three different quantities and cannot be ranked against each other on the number alone.
The clinical record
Fireworks injuries to hearing are documented rather than hypothetical. A 20-year case series in Audiology and Neurotology followed 30 patients with firecracker acoustic trauma and measured levels for six commercially available firecracker types, using audiometry and vestibular testing to characterise inner-ear damage. A German multicentre ENT case collection covering New Year 2021/2022 documents firework-associated acoustic trauma including tympanic membrane injury and noise-induced hearing loss.
We could not access the per-device decibel figures in either study, so we are reporting what they establish — that these exposures cause measurable middle- and inner-ear damage — without attaching numbers we have not read.
Why national limits look inconsistent
India's regulatory framework limits fireworks to 125 dB AI or 145 dB C-peak at 4 metres from the point of bursting. The UK limit is 120 dB AI Max at 8, 15 or 25 metres depending on category.
These are not in conflict. They use different weightings, different metrics and different test distances, and each is internally consistent. It does mean, however, that comparing a firework's compliance figure across jurisdictions tells you almost nothing without reading both test methods.
Measuring fireworks yourself
Fireworks are impulsive, which is the category of sound consumer measurement handles worst. Our meter reports A-weighted digital signal level in dBFS when uncalibrated — relative, not sound pressure — and an estimated dBA figure after a one-time local calibration. Neither output is a peak level, and a phone microphone near a firework will compress or clip the transient.
At a display, at a distance, watching how the level rises and falls is a reasonable and interesting use of the tool. Close to an exploding firework it is neither safe nor measurable.
Hearing Safety
Fireworks regularly exceed 120 dB — well beyond the threshold of pain. Always wear ear protection and maintain safe distance, especially for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many decibels are fireworks?
It depends entirely on distance and metric. UK regulatory testing of consumer fireworks found 77–122 dB impulse maximum at 8–15 metres. Measured close to the ear, firecrackers reach 140–165 dB peak at about 2 metres.
Why do published firework levels differ so much?
Because regulators measure an A-weighted impulse maximum at 8–15 metres and injury researchers measure an unweighted peak at about 2 metres. Both are correct for their own question; the gap is geometry and weighting.
Are firework noise limits actually met?
Mostly, but not always. In the UK test of 72 consumer articles, four exceeded the 120 dB compliance limit, including one battery measured at 120.3 and 121.4–121.6 dB.
Can fireworks damage hearing?
Yes, and it is documented clinically. A hazard assessment found firecracker peaks at the ear exceeding 160 dB at 2 metres against a 149 dB damage-risk criterion, and ENT case series document tympanic membrane injury and noise-induced hearing loss from firework exposure.
Which fireworks are loudest?
In the UK test data, batteries and battery-of-shot-tube articles reached the highest levels (91–122 dB and 92–121 dB), above rockets at 107–115 dB. Fountains were the quietest category at 77–110 dB.
Explore More
Related Noise Guides
How Loud Is a Gunshot? — Decibel Levels by Firearm Type
Gunfire is the clearest case on this site of a sound that consumer measurement cannot touch — and the research literature explains precisely why, with numbers.
7 min readMeasurement TipsHow Accurate Are Phone Decibel Meters?
Two research groups have tested phone sound meters properly — one at NIOSH, one across 100 handsets in a reverberation room. Their findings are more specific, and more useful, than "phones are inaccurate".
8 min readVehicle NoiseHow Loud Is a Police Siren? Decibel Levels Explained
Emergency sirens are built to a specification, not a habit. Three different standards define how loud one must be, at 3 metres, on axis — and they disagree by several decibels.
5 min readEvidence behind the levels on this page
Every sound level quoted above comes from one of the publications below. For each one we record what was actually measured, the microphone position or distance where that is stated, the metric used, and what the figure can and cannot tell you. Where a source did not state a condition, we say so rather than filling the gap.
UK Office for Product Safety and Standards with the HSE Science and Research Centre · 2023 · UK government product-safety test report
- What was measured
- Standardised noise testing of 72 consumer firework articles in categories 2 and 3 to BS EN 15947
- Reported level
- Category 3 rockets 107–115 dB; batteries 91–122 dB; battery of shot tubes 92–121 dB; roman candles 78–112 dB; fountains 77–110 dB; 4 of 72 articles above the 120 dB limit
- Distance / position
- 8 m for category 2 and 15 m for category 3, microphones at 1 m height
- Frequency weighting
- AI Max (A-weighted impulse maximum)
- Conditions
- Standardised outdoor protocol, wind speed at or below 5 m/s, two meter positions
- Supports on this page
- The regulatory table and the compliance discussion
- Limitations
- A-weighted impulse maxima at the regulatory distance, which are not comparable with unweighted near-field peaks.
Firecracker explosion noise measurements, Strojniški vestnik and Proceedings of the IMechE Part C
Čudina, M. and Prezelj, J. — University of Ljubljana · 2005 and 2009 · Peer-reviewed journal
- What was measured
- Peak overpressure levels from firecracker explosions and their decay with distance
- Reported level
- Peak overpressure 140–165 dB at about 2 m; levels above 175 dB essentially do not occur beyond a minimum radius; decay of about 6.6 dB per doubling of distance
- Distance / position
- About 2 m from the explosion
- Frequency weighting
- Peak; weighting not stated in the text available to us
- Conditions
- Outdoor firecracker explosions
- Supports on this page
- The near-field peak row of the comparison table and the decay figure
- Limitations
- The weighting convention is not explicit in the text we could read, so it is reported as not stated.
Risk of noise-induced hearing loss following exposure to Chinese firecrackers
Ward and Colman · 1993 · Peer-reviewed journal
- What was measured
- Peak levels measured at the ear from firecrackers fired at 2 m, against damage-risk criteria
- Reported level
- Peak levels at the ear sometimes exceeding 160 dB at 2 m; the cited criterion is that levels should not exceed 149 dB unweighted peak at the ear
- Distance / position
- At the ear, 2 m from the firecracker
- Frequency weighting
- Unweighted peak
- Conditions
- Firecracker exposure hazard assessment
- Supports on this page
- The at-the-ear row of the table and the damage-risk comparison
- Limitations
- Confirmed at abstract level; the full measurement methodology was not available to us.
Firecracker-related acoustic trauma case series, Audiology and Neurotology
Yang, Chen and colleagues · 2018 · Peer-reviewed clinical case series
- What was measured
- Thirty patients with firecracker acoustic trauma over 20 years, with noise levels measured for six commercially available firecracker types
- Reported level
- Not quoted: the per-device decibel figures were not accessible to us, so only the clinical finding is reported
- Distance / position
- Not confirmed
- Frequency weighting
- Not confirmed
- Conditions
- Clinical case series in Taiwan with audiometry and vestibular testing
- Supports on this page
- The clinical section's statement that these exposures cause measurable inner-ear damage
- Limitations
- A case series rather than an exposure-response study, and its measured levels are not reproduced here because we could not read them.
Report on testing of firecrackers
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board · 2008 · Government regulatory test report
- What was measured
- Compliance testing of firecrackers against Indian noise standards
- Reported level
- Legal limit of 125 dB AI or 145 dB C-peak at 4 m from the point of bursting
- Distance / position
- 4 m from the point of bursting
- Frequency weighting
- A-weighted impulse and C-weighted peak
- Conditions
- Regulatory compliance testing
- Supports on this page
- The cross-jurisdiction comparison row
- Limitations
- A regulatory limit rather than a distribution of measured levels.
Levels on this page are published measurements, quoted with the position and conditions their source states. See our editorial standards for how we source and review noise data.
Test Your Environment
Use Snap Decibel Meter to measure sound levels around you — free, private, and instant.
Start Noise Measurement