ICNIRP 2020 local SAR basic restriction (head and torso)
2 W/kg averaged over 10 grams of tissue for the general public — a different averaging mass than the FCC's 1 g, which is why SAR numbers are not directly comparable between regions.
Guidelinegeneral public100 kHz–6 GHz
Last verified 12 August 2026.
- Limit value
- 2 W/kgGuideline value — scientific recommendation — Local SAR head/torso, 10 g cube average. Limb local SAR is 4 W/kg; whole-body average is 0.08 W/kg.sources: icnirp-2020
- Quantity
- specific absorption rate
- Frequency band
- 100 kHz–6 GHz
- Population
- general public
- Set by
- ICNIRP 2020 RF guidelines (100 kHz–300 GHz) (2020)
- Kind
- Guideline — scientific recommendation
- Averaging time
- 6 minutesA measurement must use the same averaging before it can be compared with this value.
Related records
- FCC SAR limit for phones and portable devices
1.6 W/kg averaged over any 1 gram of tissue — the number quoted on U.S. phone SAR sheets — plus 0.08 W/kg whole-body.
Exposure limits
Sources
- icnirp-2020 Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz) — International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, 2020. guideline, link checked 2026-08-12.
Same record, other formats