Acoustic Insulation

Effective acoustic insulation is important in any residential or commercial building, to help create a comfortable and safe environment.

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Trade Range - Sound Insulation For Partition Walls and Floors - 100x400

Effective acoustic insulation is important in any residential or commercial building, to help create a comfortable and safe environment.

Noise pollution can have a significant impact on people’s health. Those living and working in cities are especially vulnerable, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)¹.

Controlling noise levels at the source is not always possible – but quality sound insulation of the building envelope can offer a valuable solution.

Outside noise from traffic or aircraft – for example – can be significantly blocked out by proper installation in the roof or building façade.

Insulation within a building, meanwhile, can improve privacy and avoid annoyance from sounds in adjacent properties, such as music or footsteps from an apartment above.

Especially useful when installed in separating floors and walls between different spaces in an apartment block or office complex, sound insulation boards, panels, rolls, slabs or granulate can be applied to reduce the amount of noise intruding into a living or working environment.

Read on to learn about ROCKWOOL acoustic solutions.

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Why do we need acoustic insulation?

Noise affects health and wellbeing in many ways, from accelerating hearing loss to disrupting sleep and reducing productivity levels.

According to the WHO, around 40 percent of people aged 12 to 35 could be exposed to unsafe sound levels from entertainment venues² - while noise from traffic in towns and cities is also cited as cause for concern³.

Sound insulation can protect those living and working in buildings against exposure. Whether installed in the walls and floors at a major music venue, in busy offices or between urban living spaces, it can significantly reduce problems caused by nuisance noise.

Key benefits can include:

Protection from external noise
Comfort and privacy
Reduction of sound transmission and vibration passing through building elements
Applications for both renovation projects and new builds

Relevant resources

Acoustic Building Regulations

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Acoustic Calculator

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Calculator and savings

Building acoustics focus on sound transmission mainly through the building envelope (façade and roof), as well as internal walls, floors and ceilings.

Transmission loss (TL) or Sound Reduction Index (R) express the effectiveness of blocking sound, which is frequency-dependent.

This is expressed in decibels (dB). The higher the loss, the better the insulation works as a barrier to unwanted noise.

The amount of acoustic insulation roll, slabs or panels required will depend on the material you choose, the size of the area being insulated and how much direct, flanking and other sound transmission there is.

Direct sound transmission – passes straight through the wall, ceiling or floor.
Flanking sound transmission – passes around, over the top or under the primary partition separating two spaces (passing through building elements adjoining the main separating elements).
Other sound transmission – leakage through poorly sealed doors and windows, brickwork and uninsulated pipelines.

Use our Acoustic Calculator to help find the right solution for your project.

Acoustic Calculator

Why choose ROCKWOOL solutions?

ROCKWOOL acoustic insulation is made from stone wool – an excellent material for blocking, absorbing and even enhancing sound where required⁴.

Thanks to its acoustic capabilities, the use of ROCKWOOL products enhances the acoustic performance of the system in which the material is installed – both in new and existing buildings.

ROCKWOOL products can be use in order to:

Absorb sound waves - improving the internal sound field quality by absorbing echo and reverberation within the room, contributing to good room acoustics.
Insulate unwanted noise (airborne, impact and rain noise) – stone wool reduces sound transmission, blocking the passage of sound from the outside to the inside of the building, and from one room to another.
Control vibration – stone wool’s resilience leads to the isolation and damping of vibration.

Durable and flexible, our acoustic insulation boards, slab, rolls or panels can be fitted to walls, floors and ceilings – or installed in roofs and façades.

Reduce noise between properties within the same dwelling, adjacent properties, or from the outside environment, for quieter and calmer indoor living.

As well as its strong noise reduction properties, ROCKWOOL sound insulation also offers additional strengths.

Benefits include⁵:

Fire resilience
Robustness
Circularity
Water repellent

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ROCKWOOL insulation can reduce the perceived noise level coming from floors above – including footsteps or furniture movements – up to a factor of eight.

Riccardo Gandolfi

Acoustic Knowledge Manager

Applications

Insulation

Acoustic Wall Insulation

Acoustic wall insulation refers to insulation that is installed in internal or external walls, with the aim of reducing external and internal noise.

Insulation

Acoustic Ceiling Insulation

Acoustic ceiling insulation refers to insulation that is installed in apartments, commercial buildings, car parks and basements. It can help reduce the impact of noise on buildings.

Insulation

Acoustic Floor Insulation

Acoustic floor insulation refers to the installation of noise-reducing insulation within floors. This reduces sound transfer between levels of buildings.

Installation

ROCKWOOL sound insulation can be applied using acoustic insulation slabs and batts.

After building a stud wall, for example, you can easily slot products within to reduce sound transmission between adjacent spaces.

Building or renovating a suspended ceiling, meanwhile, is a good way of installing sound insulation for the ceiling, or to protect a floor below.

Flanking transmission can often occur in areas where building services bypass compartments. The ROCKWOOL FIREPRO & HVAC range can provide solutions which reduce flanking transmission whilst also maintaining fire safety.

Key tips:

Prepare your surface – Build a stud wall or suspended ceiling first, to make sure there’s room for installing acoustic insulation boards or other products.
Measure the space – Take measurements of the wall, floor or ceiling being insulated to get the right amount of material.
Check for leakage – See if there are areas where sound escapes outside of the main wall, floor or ceiling, and if a solution is required.

Installation guides for professionals

Good Growth, Quiet Buildings Report

PDF

1.2 MB

25 Oct 2020

Good Growth, Quiet Buildings

Exploring the impact of noise in a growing city and solutions in the built environment

Downloads and resources

PDF

1.2 MB

Good growth, Quiet Buildings Report

Download

PDF

11.2 MB

ROCKWOOL Red Book

Download

PDF

19.0 MB

Renovation Case Study Booklet

Download

PDF

4.4 MB

Sound Insulation Slab Datasheet

Download

PDF

609.0 KB

Rainscreen Acoustic Reference Guide

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PDF

580.4 KB

Flat Roof Acoustic Reference Guide

Download

Download our guides

Product Documentation

Approved Document L 2021 Edition (England)

Approved Document L (Part L) 2021 came into force in England on 15 June 2022, bringing big changes to thermal regulations for both new and existing buildings. Download our new guide.

Product Documentation

The ROCKWOOL Red Book

To help save specifiers’ time and make it easier to identify the correct insulation solutions for facades, walls, floors and roofs, ROCKWOOL has launched the new ROCKWOOL Red Book – a fully interactive guide which provides digital access to technical data, product certification and a wide range of specification support materials.