Sound Absorbing

Absorbing sound is accomplished by using products that allow sound waves to pass through, while causing them to change direction repeatedly. Critical to this matter is that the product be open cell, rather than closed cell. Think of a honeycomb with hundreds of small openings in a non-repeating pattern.

All noise is actually waves of energy; the lower the frequency the longer the wavelength. Lower frequency noise is harder to absorb because the waves have more energy, high frequency noise is easy to absorb and may actually bounce off of things that are too heavy. This bouncing, or reflecting, is the opposite of absorbing. Think of an empty fish tank; everything that you hear is louder if you stick your head in the empty tank. Glass provides nearly 0% noise absorption.

Levels of performance for absorbing noise are measured in Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) and is shown as a percentage of the noise energy that does not bounce or reflect off of the product. Depending on the frequency and type of noise you want to absorb, we can help select the right product and the right thickness to suit your project.