What Are the Different Types of Acoustic Panels?

Acoustic panels come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Although they perform similar functions, the type of panels you get usually depends on the space you are in, as they can affect the overall aesthetic.

The following are three types of acoustic panels.

Artistic acoustic panels

Artistic acoustic panels are customisable and they accentuate your design preferences while providing sound insulation. They are infused with rich colours or images and are suitable for a variety of spaces including auditoriums, bars and restaurants, and even office spaces.

Fabric-wrapped panels

As the name implies, fabric-wrapped panels have a fabric finish. They have excellent acoustic properties and often offer incredible quietness. Because they are panels, they can be hung or mounted, thus minimising installation time. Fabric-wrapped panels are particularly popular because of their aesthetic appeal.

Perforated acoustic wood panels

They have a different composition to the other two panel types. While the others are made from mineral wool, glass fibre, cellulose and open-cell foam, perforated acoustic wood panels are made from fibreboard. They may also be available in different finishes, including plywood, melamine or varnish. Perforated wood panels are some of the most economical acoustic treatments available.

Do I need sound insulation or soundproofing?

You may need soundproofing. We say this without knowing your specific needs for two reasons.

Firstly, soundproofing is sufficient for most people's needs. Whether you are setting up a home cinema, setting up a studio or just looking for a super quiet room, soundproofing will serve your needs well. Soundproofing panels will prevent sound from escaping and reflect it back to you.

Secondly, soundproofing can be very difficult unless you build a sound barrier into the walls. As we have said before, the materials used are usually internal or part of the building material. As a result, you may not be able to close off your space without spending a lot of cash.

Soundproofing panel covering recommendations

Your basic room: follow the 40% rule

To qualify for the easy answer, you must meet three key conditions.

The ceiling height of the room must be normal. Acoustic treatment recommendations begin to change when you start to exceed 8 feet in height. Once you are over 12 feet, you may need more personalised advice than the 40% rule.

The room must not be too large. If you have a standard 10' x 10', 10' x 15' or even 20' x 20' room, that's perfect. Go ahead and follow the rules. Once the room starts to get over 400 square feet, we need custom recommendations again.

The rooms won't be weird. Weird can mean a few things, but a common "weird" is having multiple walls made of glass or metal. This changes the dynamic and means you may need more specific advice from us.

Step 1

Measure the square footage of the room using the floor or ceiling.

Length x width = square feet

Step 2

Multiply this square footage by 40% to see how many square feet of paneling you will need.

Square Feet x 40% = Square Feet of Panels

Step 3

Calculate the number of acoustic panels required to cover that amount.

Square feet of panel / size of each panel = number of sound insulation panels required.

But what if I don't have the space for 40% coverage?

This can happen in a small room with windows, shelves, doors etc. that take up wall space. If this describes your room, you can use fewer panels of acoustic fabric in a small room. But you must choose a thicker panel to "trick" your sound absorption. Using a 2" thick panel rather than a 1" thick panel will give you a little leeway in coverage, but we don't recommend going below 25% of the room area even in small rooms.

This bears repeating. We do not recommend less than 25% coverage of the room area. We like to have happy customers and less coverage is a good way to get mediocre results and angry calls.

We also don't recommend more than 40% of the square footage. By then, diminishing returns really start to appear and you're not getting a good return.

If you are looking for the best solution to your gym, chapel, auditorium or office hall acoustics problems, your reverberation and/or echo problems may require a more tailored solution.

We can help you there too. You’ll just need to reach out to us so we can do some calculations and tell you how many acoustic panels you'll need and where to install them. You may even need to be considering different sound acoustics materials. The fastest way will be to give us a call to discuss it (+86 137 7326 3528).

Whether you need more information, samples, a quote, or advice for a project, we would be delighted to talk to you.