Acoustics

Noise Reduction

Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) is a general rating that tells you how much sound a surface (in this case a ceiling tile) will absorb. This rating is represented as either a percentage or a decimal, with 1 (or 100%) being perfect absorption and 0 (or 0%) being perfect reflection. In other words, the higher the decimal or percent, the more sound the tile will absorb.

0.013" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	NRC 0.25	NRC 0.25
Panel + AcoustoTherm	NRC 0.30	NRC 0.40
Panel + Soniguard	NRC 0.50	NRC 0.85

Panel
without Perforations	NRC 0.25
with Perforations	NRC 0.25

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	NRC 0.30
with Perforations	NRC 0.40

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	NRC 0.50
with Perforations	NRC 0.85

0.030" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	NRC 0.15	NRC 0.20
Panel + AcoustoTherm	---	---
Panel + Soniguard	NRC 0.30	NRC 0.80

Panel
without Perforations	NRC 0.15
with Perforations	NRC 0.20

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	---
with Perforations	---

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	NRC 0.30
with Perforations	NRC 0.80

Sound Transmission

Sound Transmission Class (STC) is used to rate several different types of building materials for their ability to block sound and prevent it from passing through them. Putting appropriate material between you and a sound source can reduce the apparent loudness of the sound. Adding material with an STC of 5 is clearly noticeable and an STC of 10 or more cuts the apparent loudness by 50%. As the STC goes up, the loudness continues to go down.

0.013" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	STC 10	---
Panel + AcoustoTherm	STC 11	---
Panel + Soniguard	STC 13	---

Panel
without Perforations	STC 10
with Perforations	---

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	STC 11
with Perforations	---

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	STC 13
with Perforations	---

0.030" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	STC 15	---
Panel + AcoustoTherm	STC 15	---
Panel + Soniguard	STC 18	---

Panel
without Perforations	STC 15
with Perforations	---

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	STC 15
with Perforations	---

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	STC 18
with Perforations	---

Ceiling Attenuation

Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC) is a measure that tells you how much sound travels up through a ceiling, through a common plenum (the area above a suspended ceiling), and then into an adjacent interior space. See ASTM E1414 - Standard Test Method for Airborne Sound Attenuation Between Rooms Sharing a Common Ceiling Plenum.

Note that attenuation can be reduced by typical troffer and can lights, fire sprinklers, and other through-ceiling penetrations. Lost performance can be avoided by using Ceilume's drop-out and Transluminous® (light-transmitting) panels that allow light fixtures and sprinklers to be installed above ceilings without penetrating the ceiling plane. This means that Ceilume's panels can outperform other types of panels whose higher test results are compromised by penetrations.

0.013" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	CAC 14	---
Panel + AcoustoTherm	---	---
Panel + Soniguard	CAC 20	CAC 9

Panel
without Perforations	CAC 14
with Perforations	---

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	---
with Perforations	---

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	CAC 20
with Perforations	CAC 9

0.030" Thick Material

Panel or Panel+ Insulation Combination	without Perforations	with Perforations
Panel	CAC 21	---
Panel + AcoustoTherm	---	---
Panel + Soniguard	CAC 26	---

Panel
without Perforations	CAC 21
with Perforations	---

Panel + AcoustoTherm
without Perforations	---
with Perforations	---

Panel + Soniguard
without Perforations	CAC 26
with Perforations	---