What do the acoustic values on the data sheet mean?
Absorption coefficient, absorption class and reverberation time in plain words.
A data sheet for an acoustic panel shows a few numbers. This is what they tell you.
Sound absorption coefficient
A number between 0 and 1 for each pitch, from low to high. At 0 the surface reflects all sound; at 1 it absorbs all of it. A panel usually absorbs high tones better than low tones, which is why the data sheet gives a row of values and not one figure.
Weighted value and absorption class
The row of values is summarised in one weighted figure, and that figure places the panel in an absorption class from A to E. Class A absorbs the most. Use the class to compare products quickly, and the row of values when speech or low-frequency noise matters.
Reverberation time
This is what you hear: how long a sound lingers after it stops. It is a property of the room, not of the panel. It depends on the size of the room and on how much absorbing surface there is in total, including the ceiling, the floor and the furniture.
Why the mounting method matters
The values on the data sheet are measured for a stated way of mounting. A cavity behind the panel, or mineral wool in that cavity, raises the absorption of low tones. The data sheet shows the values for each method.
From values to a quiet room
Panels on two adjoining walls usually do more than the same area on one wall. Send us the dimensions of the room and the type of ceiling and floor, and we estimate the reverberation time with and without panels.