Always wear hearing protection at carbide shooting (carbidschieten), even if you only come to watch. A carbide bang is impulse noise, a very short and loud peak. Well-fitting earplugs or custom earplugs with a filter for impulse noise protect your ears, and you still hear the bang. Also keep your distance from the milk churn and have your ear impressions taken in good time, because your custom earplugs are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken.
That advice does not only come from us. The Wie is de BOCK campaign, run by organisations including the Burn Centre Groningen (Brandwondencentrum Groningen), the Stichting Carbidschieten Drenthe foundation and six safety regions (veiligheidsregio's), includes hearing protection in its five tips for safe carbide shooting, for shooters and spectators.
For custom earplugs with a DIM filter, you go to a partner hearing centre for the impressions. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre.
Is carbide shooting still allowed after the fireworks ban?
Since 1 August 2026, a national ban on consumer fireworks has applied in the Netherlands. The turn of the year from 2026 to 2027 is the first New Year's Eve under the ban. Consumers may only use small fireworks, such as sparklers. Carbide shooting is a different matter. According to the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), your municipality (gemeente) decides whether it is allowed, and that differs from place to place. For New Year's Eve, a municipality can, for example, give a neighbourhood association permission for carbide shooting.
So check with your municipality in good time whether carbide shooting is allowed where you live, where it is allowed and under what conditions. You can read the national rules on the Dutch government's page rules for setting off fireworks (in Dutch).
Why a carbide bang can damage your hearing
In carbide shooting, carbide reacts with water in a milk churn. You light the gas this produces with a torch on a stick. The bang that follows lasts only a fraction of a second, but the sound pressure at that moment is very high.
With continuous noise, such as in a factory hall, hearing damage builds up slowly. With impulse noise, it is different. In a news item about fireworks from VeiligheidNL, the Dutch centre for injury prevention, an ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat specialist) from UMC Utrecht says that a single loud bang can already damage something in your ear. She compares your hearing to a bucket that fills up a little more with every sound that is too loud, until one day it overflows. So an afternoon of bangs at the milk churn counts too.
VeiligheidNL research into fireworks shows how often bangs around New Year's Eve cause problems. After the turn of the year from 2022 to 2023, 6 percent of adults who set off fireworks or watched them experienced some form of hearing damage, such as a ringing or a muffled feeling. Only 4 percent of adult spectators wore hearing protection.
How loud is a carbide bang?
Exactly how loud a bang is depends on the churn, the amount of carbide, the ball you shoot with and your distance. We have not found an independent measurement reliable enough to give a figure here. At work, separate limits in dB(C) apply to short, loud peaks. From 135 dB(C), an employer must provide hearing protection, and 140 dB(C) must never be exceeded, even when you take the attenuation of the hearing protection into account. Those rules are meant for work, but they show that bangs have a limit of their own.
Distance helps, but does not replace protection
Keeping your distance is the simplest measure. In open space, the sound level of a point source drops by about 6 dB each time you double the distance. If you stand 20 metres from the churn instead of 10, the peak is about 6 dB lower. That is noticeable, but it does not turn a loud bang into a quiet one. A barn, dyke or row of trees can also reflect the sound.
The BOCK campaign asks the shooter to check that the audience is at a safe distance from the milk churn, and asks spectators to keep enough distance themselves. The required distance differs per municipality. So check in good time what applies where you live and whether you need a permit. Whoever lights the churn always stands close by. That is exactly why the shooter needs good hearing protection.
Children at carbide shooting
If children come to watch, give them hearing protection too and let them stand well back. According to VeiligheidNL, only 1 in 5 children wore hearing protection at New Year's Eve. We also make custom earplugs for children.
Which hearing protection for carbide shooting?
Any well-fitting hearing protection is better than nothing. Roughly speaking, you have three options.
Foam earplugs
Foam earplugs are cheap and sold everywhere. According to Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions, universal earplugs are not always inserted correctly, so the attenuation falls short. With cold fingers or gloves, that does not always work well outdoors.
Earmuffs
You can put earmuffs on and take them off quickly, also on children. If the earmuffs enclose the ears well, Arboportaal says attenuation of 30 dB(A) is possible. So do not wear them over a hat or hood, because then they seal less well.
Custom earplugs with a DIM filter
We make custom earplugs to fit, from an impression of your ear. That is why they sit in the same place every time, even in the cold and under a hat. For bangs, we use the DIM filter from Dynamic Ear Company. The manufacturer describes it as level-dependent protection against impulse noise, while you stay aware of your surroundings. So you can simply talk to the other shooters, and you hear it when someone gives a warning. At the moment of the bang, the filter reduces the sound extra.
Our Earplugs for fireworks have this filter. According to the product specification, they give 19 dB attenuation and extra protection against sound peaks of up to 35 dB. If you want as much attenuation as possible, for example as a shooter right next to the churn, you can combine custom earplugs with earmuffs. Arboportaal does warn that two types of protection together always attenuate less than the two values added up. Do you also shoot or hunt? Then read about hearing protection for shooting sports or our article on impulse noise from shooting, hunting and fireworks.
Have your ear impressions taken in time for New Year's Eve
You cannot pick custom earplugs off the shelf on New Year's Eve. First, a partner hearing care professional takes impressions of your ears. Then our lab Audiform in Kilder makes your earplugs. They are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken. If you want to wear them at New Year's Eve, have your ear impressions taken by around 10 December at the latest.
- Design your earplugs online. You choose the material, colour and filter and get a design code.
- Book an appointment at a partner hearing centre and take your design code with you.
- About three weeks after your ear impressions are taken, your custom earplugs are ready, with cord, clip and storage case.
Do you shoot with a regular club? For 10 or more people, we take the ear impressions on site, and from 10 pairs the earplugs can have your own logo. For fewer pairs, you choose a standard logo from our range. See on-site fitting and custom earplugs with a logo.
Tips for a safe carbide day
- Put on your hearing protection before the first churn is lit and keep it on until the last bang.
- Also wear safety glasses, just like the people around you.
- Stand next to the milk churn, never in front of the opening and never on the churn.
- Make sure there is a first aid kit and enough to put out a fire, such as water and a fire blanket.
- Check with your municipality in good time what is allowed and which permit or notification is needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is hearing protection really necessary at carbide shooting?
Yes. A carbide bang is a short, loud peak. The BOCK campaign advises shooters and spectators to always wear hearing protection.
Are ordinary earplugs enough?
Foam earplugs protect when they are inserted correctly, but in practice they do not always sit well. Custom earplugs fit the same way every time, and with a DIM filter you stay aware of your surroundings.
How far from the milk churn should I stand?
We cannot give a fixed distance at which your ears are safe. In open space, the bang gets about 6 dB quieter each time the distance doubles. Keep the distance that the shooter and your municipality indicate, and wear hearing protection there too.
When should I have my ear impressions taken for New Year's Eve?
Have your ear impressions taken at a partner hearing centre by around 10 December at the latest. Your custom earplugs are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken.
Sources
- Wie is de BOCK, De 5 tips voor veilig carbidschieten (five tips for safe carbide shooting, in Dutch)
- Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost-Gelderland, Wie is de BOCK flyer (2024, PDF in Dutch)
- VeiligheidNL, Half miljoen volwassen Nederlanders ervaart gehoorschade na jaarwisseling (half a million Dutch adults experience hearing damage after New Year's Eve, 18 December 2023, in Dutch)
- Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie), Werkinstructie Blootstelling aan geluid (work instruction on noise exposure, 2025, PDF in Dutch)
- Arboportaal, Gehoorbescherming (hearing protection, in Dutch)
- University of Alberta, Vibrations and Sound, Sound Power Level
- Dynamic Ear Company, acoustic filters for custom moulds
- Rijksoverheid, Regels vuurwerk afsteken (rules for setting off fireworks, in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid, Landelijk vuurwerkverbod voor consumenten dit jaar van kracht (national ban on consumer fireworks in force this year, 1 July 2026, in Dutch)
Written by Thijs Worm. Last updated 7 October 2026.
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Design your earplugs
Choose your colour and filter online. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre.