Home·Frequencies

1000 Hz

Midrange (250 Hz–4 kHz) · B5

Turn the volume down before you play. A pure tone is harder on the ears than music at the same level.

1 ms

Standard band

A centre frequency of the standard one-third-octave bands used in noise measurement and speaker work.

Hearing test

A frequency actually played during a clinical hearing test. This band overlaps the range of human speech.

Common value

A value that comes up often in searches and tests.

Wavelength34.3 cm
Period1 ms
Nearest noteB5
Off by+21 cents
AudibleYes
Harmonics2000 Hz · 3000 Hz · 4000 Hz
One octave down500 Hz
One octave up2000 Hz

How to read this

  • Hertz counts how many times the air vibrates per second. The bigger the number, the higher the pitch.
  • Wavelength is the speed of sound (343 m/s at 20 °C) divided by the frequency. That makes 20 Hz seventeen metres long and 20 kHz under two centimetres.
  • People hear roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but the upper limit drops with age. Past about 15 kHz, some hear the tone and some do not.
  • Hearing nothing does not mean the equipment is broken. Small speakers cannot reach the low notes, and for the high ones it is the ear that gives up first.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does 1000 Hz sound like?

It is a pure tone vibrating 1000 times a second. It falls inside the range people hear, and the nearest musical note is B5.

Q. What is the wavelength of 1000 Hz?

34.3 cm in air. Sound travels 343 metres per second through 20 °C air, so the wavelength is that distance divided by 1000.

Q. What note is 1000 Hz?

The nearest note is B5, and it is 21 cents sharp. A semitone is 100 cents, so that is about 21% of a semitone away.

Q. I cannot hear 1000 Hz — is something wrong?

This band is comfortable for most equipment and most ears, so check the volume and the output device first.

Q. What are the harmonics of 1000 Hz?

The whole-number multiples: 2000 Hz, 3000 Hz, 4000 Hz. An octave up is double, 2000 Hz; an octave down is half, 500 Hz.

Nearby frequencies

Frequency doubles for every octave, so closeness is measured in ratios, not differences.