EN 62841-2-4 asks for two numbers and an uncertainty
Sander makers declare noise for the European market under EN 62841-2-4, the standard for handheld sanders and polishers. Every Makita and HiKOKI figure on this page comes from it.
LpA is the sound pressure where the operator stands, the number nearest to what reaches your ears. LWA is sound power, the sander's output as a whole, which is what the rest of the room gets. A K value states the uncertainty, and every sander here states a K of 3 dB.
The order on this page follows LpA, with each sander's LwA beside it. For the 9903, Makita's 88 and 96 are two results of one sanding test, a pressure at the operator and a power for the whole tool, so neither figure is ranked against the other. Belt sander makers print both, which makes our page on how sound power and sound pressure differ useful here.
How precisely each maker cites the standard varies. Makita's manuals name EN62841-2-4. HiKOKI's manuals for the Metabo HPT sanders say only EN62841, and Milwaukee's European page for its belt sander gives the figures with no standard at all. No belt sander turned up with figures only under the older EN 60745, so there is no separate older-standard group.
Do US belt sander pages list a decibel rating?
Not an A-weighted one. None of the ten sanders carries an A-weighted figure on its US page or in its US manual.
Some US pages print a bare decibel number instead. Makita's give "84dB" for the 9403, 9404 and 9920, and the 9903 page gives both 84 and 85 in different places. Metabo HPT's page for the SB8V2 lists a "No-Load Noise Level" of 87dB.
None of these carries an (A), a standard or a measuring position, and each sits below the European declaration for the same tool. They are a different measurement. Each catalog entry records them, and the ranking leaves them out.
What is the quietest 3 or 4 inch belt sander?
Four sanders share the lowest pair of figures, 88 dB(A) where the user stands and 96 dB(A) of sound power.
Three are corded Makitas from one European manual: the 3 x 21 inch 9903, the 3 x 24 inch 9920 and the 4 x 24 inch 9404. Since one declaration covers all three, it cannot tell you whether the wider belt changes anything. Makita simply states the same pair for each. The fourth is Metabo HPT's cordless SB3608DAQ4, a 36V MultiVolt sander with five speeds and an auto mode that, by Metabo HPT's description, changes the speed with the load.
| Sander | Belt | Power | At the ear (LpA) | Sound power (LwA) |
|---|
| Makita 9903 | 3 x 21 inch | Corded | 88 dB(A) | 96 dB(A) |
| Makita 9920 | 3 x 24 inch | Corded | 88 dB(A) | 96 dB(A) |
| Makita 9404 | 4 x 24 inch | Corded | 88 dB(A) | 96 dB(A) |
| Metabo HPT SB3608DAQ4 | 3 x 21 inch | 36V cordless | 88 dB(A) | 96 dB(A) |
| Makita 9403 | 4 x 24 inch | Corded, 11 A | 89 dB(A) | 97 dB(A) |
| Milwaukee 2832-20 | 3 x 18 inch | M18 cordless | 90.0 dB(A) | 101.0 dB(A) |
| Metabo HPT SB8V2 | 3 x 21 inch | Corded | 93 dB(A) | 101 dB(A) |
| Makita 9924DB | 3 x 24 inch | Corded | 94 dB(A) | 102 dB(A) |
Makita's fixed speed 9403 comes next. It has the biggest motor here and the fastest belt of the wide sanders, 1,640 ft./min., for one decibel more at the ear than the variable speed 9404.
Milwaukee's 2832-20 is the only 3 x 18 inch sander with a figure we could match, and the only 18 V one. At 7.5 lb it is compact, though its sound power sits five decibels above the cordless Metabo HPT.
Two corded sanders hold the loud end. The 9924DB, the highest in this guide, has no speed control, and Makita's variable speed 9920 declares six decibels less on the same belt size.
Narrow belt sanders sit in a group of their own
Makita's 9031 declares 86 dB(A) at the ear and 94 sound power, and the 9032 declares 87 and 95, both under EN62841-2-4. They are the two lowest pressure figures here, from tools built for a different job.
Both run narrow belts, 1-1/8 and 3/8 inch wide, on a long arm made for shaping, deburring and reaching into corners and slots. They rank only against each other.
DEWALT, RYOBI and Bosch publish nothing we could match
DEWALT's US manual for its DCW220 cordless 3 x 21 inch belt sander prints no noise figure, only a warning to wear hearing protection. Its UK page for the European DCW220NT lists specifications but no noise values and links no manual we could open, so the DCW220B goes unranked. DEWALT's corded DWP352VS did not turn up on dewalt.com's US site.
RYOBI's US pages for the corded BE319 and the cordless P450, both 3 x 18 inch sanders, list no noise figures. No European RYOBI belt sander matched either one.
Bosch lists no belt sander on its US site, and Festool USA's sanders pages list none. Makita's US site marks its 3 x 18 inch 9910 as discontinued.
Whether the DCW220B, BE319 or P450 is quiet or loud, nothing their makers publish says.
Six decibels from top to bottom
That is the whole spread at the ear among the 3 and 4 inch belt sanders, much tighter than among routers. Belt size, power and the cord will steer most buyers, since an 88 dB(A) sander exists in the 3 x 21, 3 x 24 and 4 x 24 sizes, corded or cordless.
All of these figures are loud enough that the makers call for hearing protection. If the job is trimming a door to fit rather than levelling a panel, our hand planer guide covers the other stock removal tool, twelve 3-1/4 inch planers with maker declarations.
Grit and pressure change the noise as much as the tool does. A coarse belt on hardwood is louder than a fine one on pine, and bearing down makes the motor labor. Let the sander's weight do the work. Fit a dust bag or extractor so the belt stays clear, and change belts before they glaze over.
The extractors that start when you pull the sander's trigger, and stop a few seconds after you let go, are compared in our guide to dust extractors.
