Acoustical insulation is insulation designed to absorb as much sound as possible with as little sound reflection as possible.  Acoustic insulation sold on our site comprises of Fiberglass and Mineral Wool insulation panels that are 24" x 48" sheets.  The thicknesses that we have vary from 1" to 4" thick (the thicker the panel the better absorption).

PLACEMENT OF PANELS:  The placement of acoustic panels depends on the type of application.  If this is for sound absorption of lower ambient noise or echoes in a restaurant or conference room the placement is not as important as the number of panels installed.  Usually the walls or ceilings are fine for acoustic panels in these types of situations.  For sound studios and home theaters, the placement of acoustic panes is more important.  A panel should be placed diagonally in each corner of the room (from floor to ceiling).  In addition to the corner panels, each bass speaker should have panels on both side walls as well as a panel on the ceiling above the speaker.  Additional panels can be spread throughout the studio.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT TYPE OF ACOUSTIC INSULATION TO PURCHASE?  Most acoustic sites don't really go into details on what type of insulation you need or what thickness is appropriate.  That's most likely because they don't understand sound absorption themselves.  To simplify this for our customers you can use the table below for the 5 acoustic insulation panels we sell. 

                                                             CO-EFFICIENTS AT FREQUENCIES IN HZ

HOW TO READ THE TABLE ABOVE: For each material, frequencies ranging from 125hz (low frequency "bass") to 4000 (high frequency) are tested.  The number under each frequency is the percentage of sound absorbed by the insulation at that frequency (per ASTM C 432 test).  For example, at 500hz, 1" Fiberglass Insulation will absorb 68% of the sound.  Numbers highlighted in Red are the best for that frequency (closest to 1.00 or higher).  The NRC (Noise Reduction Co-Efficient) is the arithmatic average of the sound absorption co-efficients at frequences of 250, 500, 1000, and 2000.  A NRC of 1.00 or above is preferred.

SUMMARY OF TABLE: From looking at the Noise Co-Efficents for each individual product, you first have to decide what type of application you have.  If you are looking to dampen bass noise, you will want to use products that have high Co-Efficients in the lower frequencies (125 to 500).  Your products of choice would be 4" Roxul Mineralwool or double layer 2" Fiberglass (4" total).  2" Fiberglass with 6# density is also a popular insulation board for bass traps.

If you are looking to reduce noise such as high frequencies or vocals (neighbors voices) you would be interested in products with high co-efficents in mid-range to high range frequencies (1,000 to 2,000).  The least expensive product that fits this applicaiton is the very popular 2" Fiberglass 3# density.

HOW TO COVER PANELS WITH FABRIC:  We simply sell the acoustic insulation panels without any fabric.  Fabric should be stretched over the front of the panel and frame and fastened in the back with staples.  Frames can be made out of wood or plastic.  We have had a great reception to the 2" thick Fiberglass panels with 6# Density.  These panels do not need a fram and the fabric can simply be stapled to the back of the fiberglass board.

MASS LOADED VINYL SOUNDBARRIER MATERIAL