What do nail gun decibel ratings measure?
Two quantities, each printed with K, the uncertainty. LpA is the pressure reading, a proxy for what reaches the person firing the nailer. LWA is sound power, a single figure for all the noise the nailer produces. Makita, Milwaukee, DEWALT and HiKOKI print both in their European paperwork.
The standards differ by tool. Cordless nailers fall under EN 62841-2-16, which replaced the older EN 60745-2-16, and air nailers under ISO 11148-13, which Makita prints as "ISO11148-13 (EN12549)". HiKOKI declares a single-event figure instead, the sound of one firing, marked LpA,1s,d and LWA,1s,d.
Within a group, nailers are ordered by LpA with LwA beside it. DEWALT's 82 and 93 for the DCN650B are a pressure and a power, different things that never share a ranking; this power and pressure explainer pulls such a pair apart.
Each standard stays separate. Milwaukee's figures stay separate too, because its pages name no standard, and HiKOKI's single-event figures because they are per firing and printed in dB without "(A)".
| Group | Nailer | LpA at the ear | LwA |
|---|
| EN 62841-2-16, cordless | Makita XTP02Z pin nailer | 81 dB(A) | 87 |
| EN 60745 | Makita XNB01Z | 79 | none given |
| EN 60745 | DEWALT DCN650B | 82 | 93 |
| EN 60745 | DEWALT DCN660B and DCN662B | 83 | 94 |
| EN 60745 | DEWALT DCN680B | 84 | 95 |
| EN 60745 | Makita XNB02Z | 89 | 100 |
| Milwaukee EU pages, no standard | 2746-20 | 81.1 | 92.1 |
| Milwaukee EU pages, no standard | 2841-20 | 84.52 | 95.52 |
| Milwaukee EU pages, no standard | 2839-20 | 85.13 | 96.13 |
| ISO 11148-13 (EN 12549), pneumatic | Makita AF353 | 92 | 101 |
| ISO 11148-13 (EN 12549), pneumatic | Makita AF506 | 99 | 109 |
| ISO 11148-13 (EN 12549), pneumatic | Makita AF635 | 104 | 113 |
| ISO 11148-13 (EN 12549), pneumatic | Makita AF601 | 104 | 115 |
| EN 60745 single-event, in dB | Metabo HPT NT1850DES and NT1865DMS | LpA,1s,d = 81 | LWA,1s,d = 92 |
The XTP02Z is alone in its group.
In the EN 60745 group Makita's XNB01Z is lowest at the ear, and DEWALT's DCN650B has the lowest sound power of those that declare one.
The pneumatic group has the widest spread: the small AF353 pin nailer is seven decibels under the next Makita. And for the same kind of tool, Makita's XNB02Z declares six decibels more than DEWALT's DCN662B at the ear.
Milwaukee's European pages list the figures as product data. For the 18 gauge M18 FN18GS only the kit entry carries them, while the bare tool entry lists none. That nailer matches the US 2746-20 exactly on its 16 to 54 mm nail range, 1.2 mm diameter and 110 nail magazine.
The two finish nailers need a caveat, because the European pages do not say which generation their figures come from. Milwaukee's US site marks the first generation 2742-20 and 2743-20 as no longer available, replaced by the 2841-20 and 2839-20. Nail angle, diameter, length range and magazine all match the current US manuals, and that is the match used here.
Yes. Metabo HPT is HiKOKI's US name, and it sells the NT1850DES and NT1865DMS kits.
Its owner's manual covers them under the same model names, with the same nail ranges and sizes as HiKOKI's European manual. That European manual covers the NT1850DE brad nailer and the NT1865DM, NT1865DMA and NT1865DMB finish nailers, with one noise declaration for all four. The Metabo HPT owner's manual prints no noise figure.
A decibel or two apart is within the uncertainty
Most figures here carry a K of 3 dB; the AF506, AF601 and AF635 carry 1.5 dB. Nailers a decibel or two apart may sound the same in use, so DEWALT's four cordless nailers, at 82 to 84 dB(A), are a group rather than a podium.
The bigger gaps are real. Makita's XNB02Z sits six above DEWALT's DCN662B, and in the pneumatic group the AF601 sits twelve decibels above the AF353 at the ear.
A declaration is one standardised test, not a working day. Wood species, nail length, how firmly you press the nose and how many nails go in each hour all change what you hear, and an air nailer brings a compressor with it; our compressor guide covers the quiet models and the air each one delivers. Use the figures to compare nailers inside a group, not to predict your exposure.
If a miter saw cuts the trim you are nailing, our miter saw guide ranks fourteen saws with maker declarations across three blade sizes.
Several nailers from Milwaukee, DEWALT, Makita, SENCO, BOSTITCH and RYOBI have no noise figure that ties to a US model.
Milwaukee's M12 23 gauge pin nailer, the 2540-20, has no page in Milwaukee's European sitemap, and its US manual prints none. The European page for the straight 16 gauge M18 FN16GS lists no noise values either, which leaves the US 3020-20 without a figure. DEWALT's DCN623B pin nailer has none in its US manual, and a search of DEWALT's UK service site turned up no DCN623.
Makita's European FN001G, a 40 V max 18 gauge brad nailer, declares 86 dB(A) and 92 sound power under EN62841-2-16. The XGT nailer pages we opened in the US, the GNB01Z and GNB02Z, are framing nailers, and its US twin never turned up. The AF505N is marked discontinued in the US.
SENCO's manuals for its 2-1/8 in. 18 gauge brad nailer and its FinishPro 25XP print no noise figure, and the BOSTITCH BTFP12233 manual has none. For RYOBI, no document we could open ties a figure to a US model.
Any of these could be quiet or loud. What their makers publish for US buyers cannot tell you.
