Pascals vs Decibels

Pascals vs Decibels – what’s the difference? Sound pressure itself is measured in Pascals — a unit of physical pressure. But because the range of pressures we can hear is so huge, from 20 micropascals to over 100 Pascals, acoustics uses a logarithmic scale to make those numbers more practical. That’s where decibels (dB) come in. Decibels express the ratio of a measured sound pressure to a reference value of 20 micropascals — the quietest sound the average human ear can hear. This lets us describe sound levels in manageable numbers, from 30 dB in a quiet room to 120 dB near a jet engine.

In this video, we explain how Pascals relate to decibels, why the conversion is needed, and how the dB scale makes it easier to compare sounds across environments. Want to learn more about sound measurement terms?

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