How many decibels is a Smeg dishwasher?
A Smeg dishwasher rates 38 to 50 dB(A) re 1 pW on its US product sheet, depending on the model. The newer DW series takes the low end, from 38 to 46, and the older STU and LSPU models run from 44 to 50.
Here is the whole range by rating, colors included:
- 38: DW8630.
- 40: DW8620.
- 42: DW8610.
- 44: DW8220 and LSPU8653X.
- 45: DW8600, DW8601, DW8601X and STU1822, each also shown as "45 - 47 dB(A)" on its product page.
- 46: DW8210X.
- 47: STU2FABRD2, STU2FABBL2, STU2FABCR2 and STU2FABWH2.
- 48: STU8623, LSPU8643X, LSPU8643BL and LSPU8643WH.
- 49: STU8222.
- 50: STU8212, STU8612, LSPU8212S and LSPU8612S.
Every sheet we downloaded was generated on 11/4/2026 and headed "Smeg - United States", so these are the US documents, not European ones.
Is Smeg's "re 1 pW" rating sound power or sound pressure?
Smeg's "re 1 pW" rating is sound power: the total sound the machine gives off, stated against one picowatt. A microphone a few feet from the door would read sound pressure, a different quantity.
Smeg is less careful in its marketing copy. The DW8630 feature text promises "Ultra-quiet 38 dBA operation" and the DW8620 "Quiet 40 dBA performance", the same numbers with the reference dropped. We treat them as the same figure.
What Smeg leaves out is the program, the load and the test standard. Because every model carries the same label, a Smeg 42 against a Smeg 48 is a fair internal comparison. Setting it beside another brand's plain dBA is not; why sound power and sound pressure differ has the detail.
How loud are Smeg's tall panel ready dishwashers?
Smeg's tall panel ready dishwashers, 33 3/4 to 33 7/8 inches high, rate from 38 to 50 dB(A) re 1 pW. All need a cabinet door panel, and Smeg sells its own KIT86SPR panels for $349.99.
- 38 dB(A), 16 place settings: DW8630, Planetarium wash, inverter, FlexiDuo, $1,999.99.
- 40 dB(A), 15 place settings: DW8620, Orbital wash, inverter, FlexiDuo, $1,699.99.
- 42 dB(A), 15 place settings: DW8610, Orbital wash, inverter, three Flexi baskets, $1,499.99.
- 45 dB(A) on the sheet, 45 - 47 on the page: DW8600, 15 place settings, two baskets, $999.99. DW8601, 14 place settings, no Smeg price.
- 48 dB(A), 13 place settings: STU8623, Orbital wash, FlexiDuo, no Smeg price.
- 50 dB(A), 13 place settings: STU8612, Standard wash, two baskets, no Smeg price.
The first three are the only Smeg dishwashers rated under 44, and all three are sold in Smeg USA's store. For panel ready models from other makers, see our panel ready dishwasher guide.
Which Smeg fits an ADA height opening, and how loud is it?
Smeg's ADA height panel ready models stand 32 3/16 inches tall and rate 44, 49 or 50 dB(A) re 1 pW. The DW8220 is the quietest of the three and the only one Smeg USA lists for sale.
- 44 dB(A): DW8220, 15 place settings, Orbital wash, $1,499.99, unavailable on November 4.
- 49 dB(A): STU8222, 13 place settings, two baskets, no Smeg price.
- 50 dB(A): STU8212, 13 place settings, five programs, no Smeg price.
The DW8220 costs the same as the taller DW8610 and rates two decibels higher. That is the price of the shorter tub, which still holds 15 place settings. The ADA KIT82SPR panels are a separate $349.99 kit.
How loud are Smeg dishwashers with a finished front?
Smeg dishwashers with their own stainless, silver or colored door rate 44 to 50 dB(A) re 1 pW. None comes close to the 38 of the panel ready DW8630.
- 44 dB(A): LSPU8653X, stainless, Planetarium wash, OLED display, no Smeg price.
- 45 dB(A) on the sheet, 45 - 47 on the page: DW8601X, stainless, 33 7/8 inch tall tub, no Smeg price.
- 46 dB(A): DW8210X, stainless, ADA, Orbital wash, inverter, $1,499.99.
- 47 dB(A): the four STU2FAB retro colors, $2,499.99.
- 48 dB(A): LSPU8643X, LSPU8643BL and LSPU8643WH, FlexiDuo, no Smeg price.
- 50 dB(A): LSPU8212S and LSPU8612S, silver, two baskets, no Smeg price.
If you want to buy from Smeg itself, the stainless choice is the DW8210X at 46. A dealer may offer the LSPU8653X, rated two decibels lower, but Smeg published no price for it.
Are Smeg's retro dishwashers quiet?
Smeg's retro STU2FAB dishwashers rate 47 dB(A) re 1 pW, which is mid to high for the brand. Red, black, cream and white versions share the figure and the $2,499.99 price.
Underneath the 1950s styling, they carry the Planetarium wash Smeg uses on its quietest model, plus a FlexiDuo third basket and 13 place settings. The motor row reads "Single phase", where the DW8630 lists "Inverter".
The retro line is the costliest Smeg dishwasher and rates nine decibels above the DW8630. You buy it for the door, which matches Smeg's retro fridges, not for the number.
How quiet is the Smeg 18 inch dishwasher?
The STU1822, Smeg's only 18 inch dishwasher in the US, rates 45 dB(A) re 1 pW on its sheet and "45 - 47 dB(A)" on its product page. It is panel ready, ADA compliant and holds 8 place settings.
It measures 17 5/8 inches wide and 32 5/16 inches high, with an inverter motor, two baskets and six programs. Smeg USA sold it for $1,199.99 on November 4, 2026.
Its USA and Canada manual lists a "Silent" option and a buzzer setting with several levels. Smeg gives no rating for the Silent option. Other makers' narrow models are ranked in our guide to 18 inch dishwashers.
Why do some Smeg pages show 45 - 47 dB(A)?
Four Smeg product pages, for the DW8600, DW8601, DW8601X and STU1822, print "Noise level: 45 - 47 dB(A)", while the sheets for the same models give one figure, 45 dB(A) re 1 pW. Smeg does not explain the gap.
Smeg USA's store repeats the range for the DW8600, describing its operation as one that "helps reduce kitchen noise during wash cycles". The range might cover different programs, but Smeg never says so.
We list all four at 45 with the range beside it and keep them out of the picks list except the STU1822, which has no 18 inch rival at Smeg. One more page oddity: the STU8222 spec table prints its 49 as "Airborne acoustical noise emissions (spinning phase)", a label that has no obvious meaning for a dishwasher.
What makes one Smeg dishwasher quieter than another?
Smeg does not say what makes one of its dishwashers quieter, but its sheets show a pattern. Every model whose sheet lists an inverter motor rates 38 to 46, while those listing a single phase motor rate 44 to 50.
The wash system tracks it loosely. Planetarium models rate 38, 44 or 47, Orbital ones 40 to 49, and the Standard ones 45 or 50. The Orbital page text says its contra-rotating arms give "a greatly-reduced noise level", without a figure.
So no single part decides the rating. The DW models, with inverter motors, are the newer line and the quieter one, and the model number is the quickest guide.
Does a Smeg dishwasher have a quiet or night program?
Some Smeg manuals describe one, but no Smeg sheet lists it or rates it. The manual shared by the DW8610, DW8620 and DW8220 describes a SILENT program that is "ideal if you wish to run it during the night".
That manual also warns that "The number, type and the sequence of wash programs depend on the model purchased", so look for the program on your own machine's panel first. The DW8630 manual carries the same SILENT text.
The DW8601 and DW8601X manual has a Silent button instead, which it says "reduces the sound pressure level of the washing". None of these features comes with a figure. Delaying the start, by up to 24 hours on the DW8630 sheet, is the other way to keep a run away from people.
How do you turn off the beeps on a Smeg dishwasher?
On the DW8630, hold the delayed start button until "bon" appears, release it, then press again to show "bof". The manual says this turns off both the end of cycle signal and the button beeps.
The two cannot be set apart: the manual states they "cannot be selected independently". Repeating the steps brings the sounds back.
The DW8601 and DW8601X work through a menu instead, with buzzer levels from "b:3", the loudest, down to "b:0", where "all voices are off". The DW8630 and DW8620 also list ActiveLight, and the DW8630 manual describes it as "a flashing light is projected onto the floor" while a program runs, so a quiet run still shows.
Is a Smeg dishwasher quieter than a Miele or Bosch?
Smeg's printed ratings cannot show whether a Smeg runs quieter than a Miele or a Bosch. Smeg and Miele both label their ratings "re 1 pW", the sound power reference, but Miele names its test load and program and Smeg does not, so equal numbers need not mean equal machines.
Bosch, like most US brands, prints a plain dBA with no basis at all. Our Miele dishwasher decibels page sets out Miele's own ratings on its scale.
Our quietest dishwashers guide sets Smeg's rivals side by side, sorted by the kind of figure each maker gives. We would compare Smeg against Smeg first and treat any cross-brand gap of a decibel or two as noise in the data.
