Three makers tie at 38 dBA
Samsung lists 38 dBA for the Bespoke DW90F89T0USRAA, Bosch for the pocket handle Benchmark SHP9PCM5N, and JennAir for the RISE JDAF5924RL. Right behind them, at 39, come GE Profile, Café, KitchenAid, Beko and Bosch's bar handle Benchmark.
LG's STUDIO lists 40 and Cove 41. Then a large group lands on 42: Bosch's 800 Series, Thermador's Star Sapphire, LG's LDPH7972D, Samsung's StormWash+ and Fisher & Paykel's Series 9. LG's range alone spans 38 to 52 dBA, and our LG dishwasher decibels page gives every LG, LG STUDIO and LG SIGNATURE model's published figure.
With this many models a few decibels apart, the figure cannot pick the winner on its own. Price, stock and what the number actually describes do the sorting. Our decibel chart shows how 38 to 48 dBA compares with a fridge hum, or with a running dishwasher as the NIDCD describes one.
Most brands print a plain dBA with no condition attached. Six qualify theirs, and the qualifier changes what you are reading.
| Maker | Printed wording | What it tells you |
|---|
| Miele | "dB(A) re 1 pW", plus Extra Quiet at 37 dB(A) | Sound power, not the figure US brands print |
| ASKO | 39 dB(A) "Noise level (max)", 37 dB(A) in Night mode | A maximum |
| JennAir | 38 dBA "Based on Normal Cycle." | The only US brand naming the cycle |
| Fisher & Paykel | "Noise on standard cycle top drawer 42dBA" | One drawer of a DishDrawer |
| Cove | 41 dBA "Model and cycle/option dependent" | Varies by cycle and option |
| Samsung | StormWash+ figure "Based on internal testing." | In-house test |
Fisher & Paykel's full size models and single drawers carry a plainer "Noise emissions" label instead, and our Fisher & Paykel dishwasher decibels page lists every model under both labels, from 42 to 48 dBA.
None of the fourteen brands names a test standard for its noise figure. Miele's number is a different kind, as the sound power and sound pressure page shows, and to compare Miele with Miele instead, our Miele dishwasher decibels page ranks all 22 of its US household models, which list 39 to 44 dB(A) re 1 pW.
What makes a dishwasher quiet enough for an open-plan kitchen?
Three things count beside the headline figure when the dishwasher sits a few steps from the dining table: how the cycle you start after dinner sounds and how long it runs, whether the end chime can be silenced, and how late you can push the start.
Miele goes furthest on paper. Its operating instructions name the test load, "Load the dishwasher with 16 standard place settings and use the Normal program" for sound emission tests, and the G 7766 SCVi AutoDos lists "Extra Quiet 37 dB(A)" beside its 39 dB(A) re 1 pW rating. Extra Quiet is slow, though: 4:16 from a cold fill against 3:01 for Normal. The end-of-program signal has 7 volume settings or none, the start can be delayed by up to 24 hours, and the manual adds a safety step for delayed starts, filling the detergent dispenser only just before you set the timer so children cannot reach it.
Bosch's Benchmark SHX9PCM5N has no quiet cycle. Its TimeLight "shines time remaining below the handle", which means the signal tone can go off at "SL:00" and you can still see when it is done. Delay start lives only in the Home Connect app, and the Benchmark installation instructions warn of a tip over hazard until the machine is fully installed.
Samsung's Bespoke has no quiet cycle among its ten either. Its manual offers Delay Start from 1 to 24 hours and a Volume setting that goes down to Mute, and the installation manual says a cabinet not secured to the floor "may increase noise when the dishwasher is operating".
Two models from the also-considered list fill the gaps. Cove's DW2451 has an Extra Quiet cycle that "Reduces pump speeds" and runs 3:05 against 2:40 for Normal, with a chime you can set to off, though off also kills its end-of-cycle light. ASKO lists a Night mode for a "Lower noise level" with an extended program time, and a delayed start of up to 24 hours.
Every quiet program adds time. A household that sits up late may do better with Normal on a delayed start that runs once the room is empty.
Is the Bosch Benchmark 38 or 39 dBA?
Both, depending on the handle. The pocket handle SHP9PCM5N is 38 dBA and the bar handle SHX9PCM5N is 39, on the product pages and the spec sheets alike, and only the 39 dBA version was in stock when we checked. Check any figure against the exact model number, never the series name.
The custom panel Benchmark, SHV9PCM3N, also lists 39 dBA, and our panel-ready dishwasher guide ranks it against other fully integrated 24 inch models. For every Bosch model, our Bosch dishwasher decibels page lists all 45 dishwashers on Bosch's US site, from 38 to 50 dBA.
Sale prices reorder the top of the list
At list price the quietest models cost $1,300 to $3,000. Sales pull several of them well below that.
Samsung's 38 dBA Bespoke was $999 against $1,299 when we checked, GE Profile's 39 dBA PDT795SYVFS $1,099 against $1,499, and Café's 39 dBA CDT888P2VS1 $1,664 against $1,849. GE and Café mark those offers clearance, so they may not last; confirm the Samsung, GE Profile or Café price on the day you buy.
Below the PDT795SYVFS, GE's range is wide: our page listing every GE and GE Profile dishwasher's figure runs from 39 dBA to 60 dBA for the GDF450.
Are expensive dishwashers quieter?
Not reliably. Thermador is Bosch's premium stablemate, yet its quietest model lists 42 dBA at $2,499, and its Emerald lists 48 dBA at $1,399. The series sets the number at Thermador: 42 dBA for Star Sapphire, 44 for Sapphire and 48 for Emerald, across the nine US models on our Thermador dishwasher decibels page.
JennAir's 38 and Miele's 39 dB(A) of sound power show that premium brands can be quiet too. The badge is still not the rating.
Quiet design, and the quietest under $800
The quiet features GE lists for its 39 dBA package are typical of what makers credit: a variable speed motor, door insulation and a full-wrap blanket with an outer bitumen wrap, a toe kick that is sealed, and a water valve chosen for quiet.
In our under $800 research, every model at 47 dBA or below had a stainless tub.
Under $800 the leader is LG's LDPH7972D, 42 dBA for $799 on sale. At full list price, Whirlpool's WDT750SAKZ lists 47 dBA for $679. Our under $800 guide covers that range in detail.
