Silent compressor noise and neighbours
Updated: 21.10.2026
You have seen 49 dB or 60 dB in a title and you need to know whether a flat upstairs will treat that as silence. A silent compressor noise figure only helps once you know what was measured, and where. Hearing the machine is not, by itself, a statutory nuisance. The six listings are on the [silent compressor comparison](/hub/compressors/silent-compressor). Airflow and the plug are on the [quiet air compressor buying guide](/hub/compressors/silent-compressor/sub/silent-compressor-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have seen 49 dB or 60 dB in a title and you need to know whether a flat upstairs will treat that as silence. A silent compressor noise figure only helps once you know what was measured, and where.
You have seen 49 dB or 60 dB in a title and you need to know whether a flat upstairs will treat that as silence. A silent compressor noise figure only helps once you know what was measured, and where. Hearing the machine is not, by itself, a statutory nuisance. The six listings are on the silent compressor comparison. Airflow and the plug are on the quiet air compressor buying guide. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Claimed noise | Tank | Air delivery | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24 litre | 60 decibels | 24 litres | 5.2 CFM bullets; 2.65 CFM table | 8.4 | about £149.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  Hyundai Hyundai HY5508X 8 litre | 60 decibels | 8 litres | 4 CFM bullets; table cell unusable | 7.7 | about £129.99 | View offer |
 ABAC ABAC Ease-AIR 6 | 49 dB / 49 dBA | 6 litres | 110 L/min aspirated | 6.5 | about £155.99 | View offer |
On this page
The numbers on these listings
ABAC prints 49 decibels and 49 dBA. Both Hyundais print 60 decibels, with no LpA, LwA, or distance on amazon. HYCHIKA prints 62 decibels and 68 dB. ORAZIO prints 65 dB(A). Bimson prints no number. A missing number is not a quiet number.
Metro Sales states 60 dB at 7 metres for the HY7524X. That is across a garage, not at your ear. Job fit is on the best silent compressor page.
Sound pressure and sound power
Sound pressure (LpA) is the level at a place, and it needs a distance. Sound power (LwA or LWA) describes the whole machine and is usually higher.
The ABAC line is 49 dB / 49 dBA. A Belgian reviewer, not a United Kingdom review, says the machine is marked 67 dB Lwa. SIP’s 05478, not in this set, prints 62 dB(A) LpA and 84 dB(A) LwA. Rank two listings only when they share the quantity and the distance.
At work
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 apply to workers, not to DIY where you employ nobody. The lower action value is 80 dB(A) and 135 dB(C) peak. The upper is 85 dB(A) and 137 dB(C). The limit is 87 dB(A) and 140 dB(C). HSE says these rules do not cover the public’s own non-work noise.
Those figures are daily exposure, not a sticker. A 60 dB claim at 7 metres is not the level at your ear. If you employ someone, ask a competent person when exposure might approach 80 dB(A).
Next door, in England
In England and Wales, section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 can treat noise from premises as a statutory nuisance. Councils must investigate. An abatement notice follows only if they decide the noise is, or will be, an unreasonable and substantial interference, or harmful to health. Hearing a compressor is not that test by itself.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regimes. None of these six cells is a labelled LpA at the operator. Drain and regulator are on the how to use a silent compressor page.
Common questions
Is a silent compressor quiet enough for a garage under a flat?
It depends on the building, the hour, and how long the motor runs, not on the word silent. UK reviews call the ORAZIO quieter than an old hardware-store unit and still audible at night. One Hyundai 8 litre review says an upstairs neighbour could not hear that session. Neither anecdote is a measurement of your floor.
Why does 49 dB become 67 dB on the tank?
On the ABAC listing the table says 49 decibels and the bullets say 49 dBA. A Belgian reviewer says the machine is marked 67 dB Lwa. Sound power is a different quantity from an A-weighted sound pressure, and it is usually higher. SIP prints both on a different model: 62 dB(A) LpA and 84 dB(A) LwA.
Is 60 dB the level at my ear?
Not on the evidence in front of you. Amazon’s Hyundai cells say 60 decibels with no distance. Metro Sales states 60 dB at 7 metres for the HY7524X. Seven metres is not the operator position, and a garage with hard walls is not an open field. If you need the level at the ear, you need a measurement there, or a declared LpA that states the workstation.
Do the 80 and 85 dB work rules apply at home?
Not to your own non-work DIY. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 set 80 dB(A) and 85 dB(A) as action values for workers’ daily or weekly exposure, and 87 dB(A) as the exposure limit. HSE says those regulations do not apply to the public’s own non-work noise. They do apply if you employ someone to use the compressor.
Can my neighbour make the council stop a daytime compressor?
In England they can ask the council to investigate. The council must look into a complaint. A notice follows only if the council decides the noise is a statutory nuisance, or that a nuisance will occur. Simply hearing a compressor in the daytime is not that test by itself. This is the England and Wales path. Scotland and Northern Ireland use their own regimes.
Is there a national ban on Sunday DIY?
No national clock in the Environmental Protection Act says compressors must stop on Sunday. GOV.UK describes investigation and abatement for statutory nuisance in England, and a separate night-time warning notice. Individual councils sometimes advise weekday daytime hours for noisy hired tools. That advice is local. It is not a product rule for these listings.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the SIP product page below. amazon.co.uk listings checked on 19 October 2026.
- Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, Schedule 1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE INDG178: written schemes of examination (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE: noise advice for manufacturers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: noise nuisances and how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SIP: 24 litre low-noise compressor (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BS EN 1012-1:2010: compressor safety requirements (retrieved 19 October 2026)