IEC and ANSI Standards for Sound Level Meters

The performance of sound level meters and noise dosimeters are governed by the IEC and ANSI sound level meter standards. The following standards are applicable:

The standards defined two main grades of sound level meter: Type 1 and Type 2, or Class 1 and Class 2. The define the accuracy of the meter. Most of the meters offered here are available as either Type 1 or Type 2. The only exceptions are the noise dosimeters and the lowest cost meter, which are only available as Type 2 or Class 2.

The definitions of Type 1 and Type 2 are quite complex and convered in detail in the texts of the standards. In summary, they are often described in the following way:

For more information on Type selection, please see our notes on the What is a Sound Level Meter information page.

For copyright reasons the contents of these standards cannot be published here. However, you can purchase most online from the following sites: