Criteria are presented to guide the specification writer in setting limits on airborne noise in shipboard spaces of U. S. Navy vessels. Limits are given for three objectionable effects of airborne noise: (1) permanent hearing loss, (2) interference with speech communication, (3) discomfort. The limit for any specific ship space depends on which, if any, of these effects can be tolerated without interfering with the function of the space. Limits for hearing loss and discomfort are expressed in terms of octave‐band spectra. The hearing‐loss‐avoidance limit is that suggested by Hardy. The comfort limit is based on criteria of Lippert and Miller. The limits for interference with speech are expressed in terms of the “speech‐interference level,” i.e., the arithmetic average of the levels in the 4 octave bands covering 300 to 4800 cps, following the scheme of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman. Maximum permissible speech‐interference levels are tabulated as a function of the distance to the speaker, the voice level, and the acoustic absorption in the space. For typical ship spaces, tentative noise‐level limits are suggested, based on present usage of the spaces.