Learn the facts
about acoustics
Why acoustical
performance is important...
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Acoustics play an important role in a building’s overall comfort. fiber glass insulation helps reduce disturbing outside noise, and when added to interior walls and ceilings limits room-to-room noise.
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Sound Acoustical Performance
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Why acoustical performance is important...
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Sound Acoustical Performance
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Learn the facts about acoustics
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Fire Performance
Why Acoustical Performance
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Studies show that noise is a top complaint among hotel guests. Ironically, guests complain about
noise to hotel management in only about half of all cases. This leaves hotel management with unhappy guests and without the information they need to recognize the severity of the problem and address it properly.
Healthcare
With the increasing popularity of open-concept spaces bedrooms have become a shelter from the hustle and bustle of your active home. The bedroom is where you start and end each day, where you go to relax, unwind and recharge so creating a comfortable bedroom environment contributes to a good night's rest and your overall quality of life.
Increased productivity
balanced with collaboration
When ambient noise in a hospital reaches 65 decibels (dB), the risk of a patient suffering a heart attack increases. This is especially concerning as noise levels in some hospitals have been measured as high as 95 dB —roughly equivalent to the sound of a subway train at 200 feet.
The Role of Acoustics
Learn the facts about acoustics
Why Insulation
Matters
Improved quality of sleep
Workplace
Hospitality
It’s not uncommon for productivity to drop as much as 66 percent when an employee can overhear nearby conversations while trying to read or write.
Adding insulation to wall or ceiling assemblies can boost the acoustical rating of the system by up to 35%.
Residential
Reduces exterior noise
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Education
In classrooms, if students can’t hear they can’t learn. A 20 dB increase in classroom noise has been shown to delay a student’s reading level by up to eight months.
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Education
Residential
Workplace
Greater speech comprehension, leading
to improved language development
Allows hotel brands to stand apart from the competition & increase occupancy
While insulation plays a major role in managing sound in an assembly, it can’t stand alone. Individual products do not have acoustical ratings, but instead are rated together as an entire system. Don’t be fooled by misleading claims, and be sure to take into account all components to ensure acoustically comfortable spaces.
Did you know...
Healthcare
Education
Did you know...
Did you know...
Did you know...
Once sound becomes disruptive, it is classified as noise. This noise carries with it a variety of harmful effects—many of which we may not even realize. This is where the role of acoustics comes into play in creating spaces where we can optimize how people learn, work and heal—and the effects are considerable.
CertainTeed Solutions
Understanding your goals up front is key to building the right solution. For instance, solutions for managing in-room acoustics could vary drastically from managing room-to-room noise. Insulation can help achieve goals for both instances.
Workplace
Create more tranquil and restful environments
Even addresses challenges for
popular open concept layouts
Hospitality
Fewer distractions, resulting
in enhanced concentration
Improved doctor-patient
communication and confidentiality
Education
Hospitality
is important...
Increased privacy and comfort for guests
Residential
Reduces stress and improves
workplace happiness
Reduces room-to-room noise
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Proper acoustic design results in
enhanced student auditory perception
Why acoustical performance is important...
Did you know...
Did you know...
Did you know...
Learn the facts about acoustics
Residential
Why Insulation
Matters
Improved ability for employees to focus
Did you know...
Healthcare
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to learn more
Reduction of patient stress
Did you know...
Did you know...
Why Insulation
Matters
Workplace
Healthcare
Hospitality
When ambient noise in a hospital reaches 65 decibels (dB), the risk of a patient suffering a heart attack increases. This is especially concerning as noise levels in some hospitals have been measured as high as 95 dB —roughly equivalent to the sound of a subway train at 200 feet.
Did you know...
1. Locate the source
Four ASTM Test Methods
for Acousitcal Performance
Wood 1 – STC 29
Three Fundamental
properties of sound
The Science of Sound
Floor 2 – IIC 30
How STC changes affect apparent loudness...
Standard construction
Double layer of drywall, no cavity insulation, air sealed
Single layer of drywall, fiber glass insulation in cavity, air sealed (Most cost effective system)
The Science of Sound
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Wood Joist Floor-Ceiling Assemblies
Primary
Sound Paths
Fundamental
Properties
Controlling sound through building assemblies...
Primary Sound Paths
The Science of Sound
Three Fundamental
properties of sound
Learn the facts about acoustics
Primary Sound Paths
Floor 4 – IIC 46
Noise Conrol
How STC changes affect apparent loudness...
Controlling sound through building assemblies...
Three Steps to Noise Control
Three Fundamental
properties of sound
The Science of Sound
Sound is a form of mechanical energy transmitted by vibrating the molecules of the medium the sound is passing through.
Fundamental
Properties
Fundamental
Properties
ASTM
Test Methods
Steel 2 – STC 50
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ASTM
Test Methods
The Science
ASTM
Test Methods
ASTM
Test Methods
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Noise Conrol
Four ASTM Test Methods
for Acousitcal Performance
Standard construction
Standard construction adding
6-1/4" fiber glass cavity insulation and air seal
Standard construction with drywall mounted to resilient channel, no cavity insulation
Same as Floor 3 construction adding 6-1/4" fiber glass cavity insulation
Standard construction with a
6-1/4" fiber glass insulated wire suspended drywall ceiling
The Science of Sound
Four ASTM Test Methods
for Acousitcal Performance
CertainTeed Solutions
Wood 3 – STC 46
Primary
Sound Paths
Three Steps to Noise Control
Sound Transmission Class (STC) measures airborne sound transmission. STC ratings are most often used to measure room-to-room acoustics. The higher the STC rating, the better.
Learn the facts...
Wood Joist Floor-Ceiling Assemblies
CertainTeed Solutions
Floor 5 – IIC 49
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Unwanted sound is classified as noise
Sound is what we hear when pressure
variations in the air vibrate our eardrums
ASTM
Test Methods
Why acoustical performance is important
Amplitude (loudness) is expressed by its sound pressure level; sounds having the same wavelength may have differing loudness
The Science
Noise Conrol
Steel Stud Partition Walls
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Wood Stud Partition Walls
Floor 3 – IIC 37
Steel 1 – STC 38
Frequency: the number of cycles per second made by a sound wave, expressed in Hertz (Hz)
Wood 2 – STC 39
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Impact Insulation Class (IIC) measures floor-to-ceiling impact sound transmission. The higher the IIC rating, the better.
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The Science
1. Airborne sound radiates from a source
directly into the air. Examples: highway and industrial noises, voices, music
3. Design the solution
2. Structureborne sound travels through solid building materials. Examples: footsteps, door slams, plumbing vibrations, rain impact
The key to minimizing unwanted sounds is to use the right products and systems, but it's important first to understand the science behind sound.
Standard construction
Standard construction adding cavity insulation and air seal
Standard construction adding cavity insulation, mounting drywall to resilient channel and air seal
Wavelength: the distance between the start
and end of a sound wave cycle
Sound waves can travel through any media
(air, steel, water, wood, etc.)
Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) measures sound absorption. NRC is most often used to measure in-room acoustics. The higher the NRC, the better.
Four ASTM Test Methods
for Acousitcal Performance
about acoustics
Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) measures airborne
sounds between rooms with common air plenums.
The higher the CAC rating, the better.
Acoustics is the science of sound including its production, transmission and effects
Noise Conrol
The Science
Floor 1 – IIC 28
Sound Absorption Coefficients of Building Materials
and Furnishings...
Why acoustical performance is important...
Sound Absorption Coefficients of
Building Materials and Furnishings
Steel 3 – STC 50
2. Measure the noise
The Science
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The Science
What is sound?
Standard construction
Standard construction adding cavity insulation and air seal
Standard construction adding cavity insulation, mounting drywall to resilient channel and air seal
Fundamental
Properties
Primary
Sound Paths
Controlling sound through building assemblies...
Controlling sound through building assemblies...
Three Steps to Noise Control
View the CEU Course
Appliances
Home theatres and video games
Plumbing sounds and pipes
Footsteps on hard flooring
Noise Reducer
Click here to learn more.
Products
OPTIMA MidFloor Applications
(washing machines, dryers)
Learn the facts about acoustics
OPTIMA maximizes acoustical benefits by filling all voids completely. And when compared to no insulation in the midfloor, OPTIMA cuts the
Road and air traffic
Lawn mowers
Barking dogs
OPTIMA delivers outstanding acoustic control as it forms a custom blanket of insulation that tightly fills all gaps that sound could travel through.
Noise Control
HVAC system
Learn more about AcoustaBoard »
Other Components
drywall
CertainTeed Corporation
20 Moores Road
Malvern, PA 19355
NoiseReducer™ CertaPro™ AcoustaTherm™
AcoustaBoard
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www.certainteed.com/insulation
AcoustaBlanket
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OPTIMA SideWall Applications
Sustainable Insulation
Sustainable Insulation
Exterior
Learn more about OPTIMA
CertaSpray Spray Foam Insulation
apparent volume of airborne sounds in half, improving the STC rating by 14 points.
Help silence these common acoustical offenders...
CertainTeed Solutions
AcoustaTherm
By expanding 35-50 times it original volume, CertaSpray efficiently seals all voids and cracks which blocks air and sound from travelling through the wall.
Interior
Specs
Contact Us
This rigid fiber glass board is used for applications requiring an exposed black-faced, sound-absorbing insulation. AcoustaBoard has an abuse-resistant, nonwoven facing that is fully bonded to the insulation; delamination is not an issue. It is widely used to improve acoustics in theaters, sound studios and entertainment facilities—controlling reverberation time, reducing noise levels and eliminating echos—and is ideal for interiors that are meant to be dark. It is lightweight, easy to fabricate and install, and carries a Class A/Class I fire hazard classification of 25/50 for exposed applications.
Solutions
Noise Control
TM
CertainTeed’s Sustainable Insulation fiber glass batts and rolls including , , and can improve sound reduction in interior walls and floors/ceilings by 5 to 15 decibels, helping to create more comfortable and quiet environments.
CertaPro
Why acoustical performance is important...
Help silence these common acoustical offenders...
This fiber glass blanket has an abuse-resistant surface and is used for applications requiring black sound-absorbing insulation. AcoustaBlanket is flexible for easy fabrication and installation on irregular surfaces. It improves acoustics in theaters, sound studios and entertainment facilities—and is ideal for interiors that are meant to be dark. AcoustaBlanket Black carries a Class A/Class I fire hazard classification of 25/50 for exposed applications.
Professional: 800-233-8990
Consumer: 800-782-8777
CertainTeed understands acoustics, and knows that while insulation is a large contributor to solving challenges around sound mitigation, solutions should be viewed as a system approach which include proper air sealing, , and assemblies. CertainTeed offers this full breadth of interior acoustics solutions, and we know the science behind how to make them all work together to provide your clients the most comfortable environments imaginable.
ceilings
Noise Control
salessupportgroup@certainteed.com
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Us
Sound Acoustical Performance
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Learn the facts about acoustics
CertainTeed
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CertainTeed Solutions
Why acoustical performance is important...
CertainTeed
Solutions
Learn the facts
about acoustics
Innovative Solutions for
Acoustics play an important role in a building’s overall comfort. fiber glass insulation helps reduce disturbing outside noise, and when added to interior walls and ceilings limits room-to-room noise.
Why acoustical
performance is important...