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