Hearing Frequency by Age Calculator
Estimate maximum hearing frequency from age and exposure history.
Shows how presbycusis reduces hearing from 20,000 Hz at birth to 8,000-12,000 Hz by age 60.
Hearing naturally declines with age — a process called presbycusis. High-frequency sounds are the first to go. By testing which frequencies you can still clearly hear, you can estimate your functional “hearing age” — which may differ significantly from your calendar age, especially if you’ve had significant noise exposure.
Frequency perception by age (approximate):
- Age 20: can hear up to ~20,000 Hz
- Age 30: up to ~18,000 Hz
- Age 40: up to ~14,000 Hz
- Age 50: up to ~12,000 Hz
- Age 60: up to ~10,000 Hz
- Age 70+: up to ~8,000 Hz (conversation range is 300–3,000 Hz, so speech is usually preserved)
Hearing age estimation: Hearing Age ≈ Estimated age that matches your highest clearly audible frequency
Audiogram interpretation: A full audiogram measures hearing thresholds (in dB) at standard frequencies: 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz. Normal hearing threshold is 0–25 dB across all frequencies.
Worked example: A 35-year-old can clearly hear up to 12,000 Hz but struggles with 14,000 Hz. Expected for age 35: ~16,000–17,000 Hz. Functional hearing age estimate: ~48–50 years — suggesting above-average hearing loss, possibly from noise exposure.
Noise exposure context:
- Threshold shift begins after ~85 dB sustained exposure
- A rock concert (110 dB) can cause temporary shift after 2 minutes
- Earbuds at 70% volume (~85 dB) can cause damage after 2 hours/day
Hearing protection guidelines:
- Under 70 dB: safe for unlimited exposure
- 85 dB: safe for 8 hours/day
- 95 dB: safe for 1 hour/day
- 105 dB: safe for ~5 minutes/day
- 115 dB+: immediate damage risk
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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