Sound Testing Explained

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Sound Insulation Testing Explained

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Chris Parker-Jones

Chris Parker-Jones

The aim of our articles are to break down acoustic terms and concepts as simply as possible, without going too far into the mathematics and every nitty gritty technicality, that acousticians usually love to get stuck into.

So please, if you’re an architect, contractor, developer, planner… or really anyone who occasionally needs to dabble in acoustic design and assessments… then read on…

Got a question?

Is there an acoustic, noise, or vibration related topic or problem that you would like explained?  Send us an email and we’ll write an article about it.

chris@parkerjonesacoustics.com

Sound Testing to comply with Part E

There are many sets of Building Regulations requirements which a new or refurbished residential development must meet.  One of these, is to achieve a minimum standard of sound insulation performance internally between dwellings.  This is an important regulation, as we seek some level of sound privacy from our neighbours, ensuring we can live and sleep in peace.  

The specific acoustic performance requirements for new builds and conversions are set within Approved Document E ‘resistance to the passage of sound’, as shown in the table.  This relates to sound insulation internally, between residential properties which share a separating wall or floor.  Standards for noise ingress from outside (i.e. road traffic) are not covered under ADE and the Building Regulations, with the local planning authority having more of an input into what they consider to be a suitable internal noise level target.

Requirement E1 – on-site airborne sound insulation performance targets for separating (party) walls and floors

Separating Element

Airborne sound insulation

DnT,w + Ctr dB

(minimum values)

Impact sound insulation

L’nT,w dB

(maximum values)

Purpose built dwelling-houses and flats (new build)

Walls

45

–

Floors and Stairs

45

62

Dwelling-houses and flats formed by material change of use (refurbishment)

Walls

43

–

Floors and Stairs

43

64

Purpose built rooms for residential purposes (new build)

Walls

43

–

Floors and Stairs

43

62

Rooms for residential purposes formed by material change of use (refurbishment)

Walls

43

–

Floors and Stairs

43

62

Approved Document E classes ‘rooms for residential purposes’ means a room, or a suite of rooms, which is not a dwelling-house or a flat and which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep and includes a room in a hostel, a hotel, a boarding house, a hall of residence or a residential home, but does not include a room in a hospital or other similar establishment used for patient accommodation.

As shown  above, the criteria for refurbishments are slightly more lenient than for new builds.  This recognises that it can be more difficult to soundproof an existing structure if it cannot replaced, compared to implementing a construction from scratch.

What is Airborne Sound Insulation and a DnT,w+Ctr?

Airborne sound insulation relates to sound that travels via the air and through separating structures between rooms.  For example, airborne sound across a lightweight floor would pass through the plasterboard ceiling, into the floor void, through the floorboards and into the room.  It relates to noise sources such as speech, music, television sound…any noise source that radiates into the air, rather than directly into the structure.


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What effects sound insulation? What are the parameters in sound insulation? How can I get a high level of soundproofing? A technical in-depth look at the topic of internal sound insulation in buildings.

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January 5, 2020

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