Aug. 18, 2025
Nobody aims to disturb the peace. But whether it’s due to heavy equipment and machinery, or the school band’s percussion section practicing their drum rolls, noisy activities can be a nuisance to adjacent rooms, close-by establishments, and near neighbors. In worst-case scenarios, turning the volume up too far could even result in facing legal action against you.1
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Tha said, you can’t simply stop running your business, or tell fledgling musicians to give up on their dreams.
That’s where soundproofing with rockwool presents a savvy solution to your room acoustics and noise-canceling needs. Padding your walls and ceiling with stone wool insulation gives you the liberty to hammer away freely, whether it be on nails or drum skins.
Rockwool, commonly referred to as mineral wool, is a material typically used for noise reduction and insulation in both commercial and residential settings. It’s touted for the exceptional sound-isolating (and flame-retardant) qualities its mineral fiber makeup boasts. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s been used in a wide scope of construction projects for more than sixty years.2
Mineral fiber (or mineral wool) insulation is derived from raw components such as basalt, diabase, and dolomite.3 These are typical minerals commonplace in rocky volcanic regions and limestone deposits,4 meaning the ingredients that compose rockwool are easily sourced and naturally-occuring. Increasingly, mineral wool insulation is being made from partially-recycled waste materials, such as used-up charcoal briquettes, as well.3
Rockwool also benefits from a fairly basic production process. Simply put, raw minerals and recycled scraps are melted down and pulled into strands by mechanical rollers (hence the terms wool and fiber). These fibers are then compressed and cut into dense mats, with any scraps being melted back down to close the recycling loop instantly.5
The simplicity of rockwool’s production means it’s usually made near its final point of installation, resulting in a minute carbon footprint.2 Furthermore, mineral fibers are not hazardous to respiratory systems (a common misconception) or linked to other health risks.6 Rockwool also comes in firm, easy-to-handle boards that are a breeze to install in comparison to the hassle of puffy, itchy fiberglass insulation. Learn more about mineral wool vs fiberglass.
Rockwool presents a sustainable, safe, and simple solution to insulating your space. But, is rockwool good for soundproofing? Can it stand up to the loudest of noise containment needs? Let’s find out.
There’s loud, and then there’s LOUD! While it’s not ideal to be surrounded by ear-shattering noise, you need to trust that your sound stays inside, even when the volume levels become deafening.
Rockwool insulation prevents the transmission of sound through walls by reflecting it back towards the source. The dense composition of the mineral wool’s fibers stops noise from penetrating surfaces and holds it in a specific area.7 Mineral wool is also a common material in the production of sound, but these products serve to manipulate and dampen noise within a space rather than contain it.8
From fingers quietly tapping on a keyboard to the roar of a jet engine, every noise’s volume can be measured in terms of decibels (dB).
While many factors contribute to a partition’s noise reduction capacity, insulating with mineral wool effectively reduces the amount of dBs that squeeze through surfaces. Fortifying a simple cubicle divider with rockwool can decrease noise by up to 10 dB.9 In an office environment, that’s equivalent to reducing intrusive chatter to mellow background noise.10
A material’s Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) measures its ability to absorb sound on a scale of 0 to 1, with a higher score representing a larger percentage of absorption. A comparison of common soundproofing insulation materials shows mineral wool outperforms others when it comes to locking sound in:11
Another metric, Sound Transmission Coefficient (STC), measures a product’s ability to block sound from transmitting through a surface. In this department, rockwool scores a superior 43 versus its competitor spray foam’s lower range of 37-39.11
Numbers speak volumes, but what do they mean for a space full of clunking machinery or fanatical concert-goers? How can rockwool be employed as an effective solution to a business’s real needs for noise reduction?
When it came time to put a new roof on the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in London (the main site of the Olympics), acoustics were amongst the top priorities. Architects for the project envisioned a concave, retractable design that could reflect the roars of the crowd, creating an electrifying atmosphere inside whilst preserving the peace in the surrounding area. In order to create this haven for music and sports fans, the stadium’s renovators turned to rockwool.12
While containing the chants of sixty-six thousand strong is certainly an impressive feat, it’s merely one end of the spectrum of rockwool’s possible applications.
Rockwool is a prime candidate for vastly different commercial applications due to not only its soundproofing capabilities, but also its adaptability. It can be tailored to fit all kinds of spaces and suited to meet a business’s specific noise-reduction requirements.
A rockwool insulation slab conforms to a building’s contours and goes in easily. Unlike softer insulations, mineral wool isn’t a big puff of pain to work with. It comes in convenient sound insulation slabs that don’t flop and flake apart.
Rockwool can be used to fortify interior and exterior walls, ceilings, and floors against escaping noises. How to install it depends on the kind of space you’re working with.
Soundproofing walls is best done before installing drywall or any other sound absorbing panels.
When a room is framed and ready to insulate, affix your chosen paneling to one side of the frame. Install rockwool in the gap in the wall, making sure the edges of the slab conform snugly to the perimeter of the framing.
If you need to cut mineral wool insulation to size, it is best to use a serrated knife and move in a sawing motion.
Install the cover panel on the other side. If using drywall, two sheets tightly glued together offers better soundproofing potential than a singular board on both sides.
No matter your partition’s material, the key to soundproofing is to eliminate gaps. Even a hole in the wall insulation or paneling as small as 1% of a wall’s size can lead to 50% more noise lost from a space.16 Adding acoustic sealant to any small cracks can help remedy such noise loss.
Installing floating floors is an exemplary way to prevent noise from escaping right beneath our very feet (literally).
This style of flooring employs a soft, elastic layer of spongy material installed under the top level of flooring called a floating mass. This underlay is in place to aid in soundproofing and sound absorption.
A mineral fiber sound insulation slab makes an excellent choice for floating masses due to its high density. Not only are they optimal for preventing the transmission of sound, but durable enough for areas with heavy foot traffic and large equipment.17
Soundproofing ceilings can be a tricky endeavor due to the weight insulation adds to a structure and the force of gravity. While it is possible to float a ceiling like one does a floor using specially designed clips, it’s not always necessary.
Depending on one’s specific needs and just how loud a space may get, it’s also possible to affix mineral fiber sound-diffusing panels to the ceiling. While not as effective as soundproofing with rockwool insulation, this noise control method is a simpler solution for rooms that don’t get overly rowdy.18
Sound loss is a real issue. If your leaky walls are making your company’s trade secrets the whole street’s business, it’s time to lock noise in with the trusted soundproofing professionals at Acoustical Surfaces.
Whether you’re trying to keep the beat in a nightclub, keep the hum of traffic out of a restaurant, or keep a learning environment free from obnoxious distractions, Acoustical Surfaces can help you select the mineral fiber products best suited to your needs. With various thicknesses and styles of boards to choose from, we’ll find the right fit for your project.
We provide industrial soundproofing solutions as well. Walls made of metal without a square of drywall in sight? Not a problem! From sound insulation to absorption, rockwool can be catered to meet the needs of your factory, body shop, or storage facility.
Consult our team today and rest easy knowing that your sound is safe inside your space.
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Are you currently dealing with the question of how you can improve the acoustics in your listening room? If you are like me, then the question of the size of the absorbers should be resolved relatively quickly. Because most suppliers of mineral wool offer similar sizes in the area of 120cm x 60cm (4’ x 2’).
At Absorber Depth, you are probably struggling with two goals: deep enough to properly absorb bass, but small enough not to waste too much space in the room. Because we all have walls around us somewhere that we cannot move.
And ultimately, at the latest when you ask about the right material for the interior of your absorber, you will stumble - at least that's how I felt. There are many examples of how to build absorbers yourself for the recording studio or home theater. Simply copying it would be an option, hoping that people would think of something when choosing it. And every mineral wool absorbs better than a bare wall! So the chances are good that you will achieve an improvement in any case.
Ultimately, of course, remodeling your room will cost time and money. In the best case, the values such as absorber depth and absorption properties should fit your goals.
So that the values are in the right range even when starting up for the first time, I would like to give you a little guide today for choosing the right insulation wool.
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To shorten this striking question: Both can be used excellently and are also used by the most renowned recording studios and acousticians worldwide. There are also a number of other substances such as hemp, Basotect or Caruso Iso Bond, all of which have very good absorption. Much more important than the question of the material itself is a very important key figure. No other size can better determine how large the (frequency-dependent) absorption will be later:
Put simply, this value describes how much the speed of the air vibration decreases when passing through the material. So it is measured in front of and behind the absorber material. The lighter the material, the more it arrives after crossing. And the thicker the material, the less it gets through, but the more it is reflected. The art for us later will be to find a material that is heavy enough to absorb as much as possible, yet light enough that the sound is not reflected halfway through the material and the last cm of the absorber is no longer at all reached.
There are occasionally two values in data sheets. One is the flow resistance specifically related to this material thickness (for example 5 cm). It has the unit Pa * s / m. Since each manufacturer has different thicknesses in its range and we still want to determine which thickness is suitable for us, this value alone does not help us.
The second value is the length-specific flow resistance at which the previous value is divided by the material thickness. It is therefore purely dependent on the material and no longer on the thickness that was used for the measurement. It can be recognized by the unit Pa * s / m2.
With common sense it can be guessed that there is a connection between the density, i.e. the specific weight of the material, and the flow resistivity. In order to get an overview of the areas in which this value is located, I have worked through some products of common mineral wool and have written down the flow resistance and density.
On the one hand you can see that there are certain fluctuations and the values should only be used as a rough guide. Nevertheless, a certain linearity can be seen for each material type. Any flow resistivity can be achieved with almost all materials. Depending on the type, this requires a different material density.
The most important finding when comparing glass wool vs. rock wool: rock wool must be about 50% heavier than glass wool to achieve the same flow resistivity. For example, we achieve the value of Pa * s / m² with 35-40kg / m³ rock wool, or with 20kg / m³ glass wool.
Caruso Iso Bond, on the other hand, is very similar to rock wool. The flow resistivity of Pa * s / m² can be achieved with both materials with a material density of 40kg / m².
But now finally to the actual questions of today's article. Let's start with:
With this question you can already see how I would approach the material selection: first we determine the correct range for the flow resistivity. And then we use the material table to see which material with which weight can be used to achieve this flow resistivity.
And don't worry if you are still undecided about the absorber depth. After the following examples, we will once again address the question of how thick the material may be at the various points.
Since it is very time-consuming to impossible to acoustically measure all materials and all combinations at home, I have come to appreciate a (free!) Online tool. Of course, every simulation is only an approximation. But to get a feeling for the effects of different absorber depths and flow resistances, I know of no better and easier way than this calculator: http://www.acousticmodelling.com/porous.php
There are some limitations to keep in mind when using this tool. For one thing, I assumed an angle of 0 degrees for the simulation, i.e. we assume a vertical angle when the sound hits the wall. This is the case, for example, when we think of the wall behind the speakers. In practice, this angle changes somewhat for absorbers on the side walls, depending on how large the width of the room is and how large the listening distance is. In my experience, the 0 degree bends are the “worst”, i.e. a low degree of absorption is displayed. If we can increase the angle in practice, the values should always be better than the simulation for 0 degrees, since the sound travels more through the absorber at an oblique angle of incidence and is therefore better damped.
The tool only calculates with the absorber depth and the flow resistance. There is no way that the material density is taken into account. In this respect, the values are to be treated with caution and can differ slightly in reality.
Another assumption of the tool is the use of an infinitely large absorber wall. The output values are only achieved if a sufficient number of absorbers are placed side by side without gaps. I think it makes sense that we cannot conquer a 100 Hz wave (with a wavelength of 3.40 m) with a single absorber in the size of 1.20 m x 0.60 m. At low frequencies, we should be aware that we have to apply large areas. At high frequencies, i.e. if the absorber is larger than the wavelength (for example, 1 kHz has a wavelength of 34 cm), we can already achieve good absorption with a single absorber.
For the sake of completeness, the technical parameters that I used for my curves: air temperature: 20 degrees Celsius, air pressure: Pa, Angle of Incidence: 0 degrees, Porous Model: Allard and Champoux ().
To classify how well the curves of the free tool compare with professional software, I performed the same simulation with the Soundflow software from AFMG (second graphic). The specific weight is also taken into account in the calculation. I used the density of the respective rock wool here. At low frequencies, the degree of absorption is somewhat higher compared to the calculation without weight.
With Soundflow I also used an angle of incidence of 0 degrees and an infinitely large area as parameters. Bies was used as a model.
Using the following examples, I would like to give you a small guideline to find a reasonable flow resistance.
Even if our 20cm absorber depth has remained, the curve extends significantly further down to low frequencies due to an additional wall distance of 10cm. We now reach the absorption level of 0.5 not only at 90 Hz, but already at around 60 Hz.
I personally would also adjust the flow resistivity with an additional wall clearance and choose a slightly lighter material. Since I want to operate my wall absorbers pretty exactly in this constellation (20cm depth and 10cm wall distance), I took a closer look at this case. I would choose a flow resistivity of Pa * s / m².
Since I want to try Caruso Iso Bond because of the cleaner processing, I have already ordered some packages with WLG 040. There are not exactly Pa * s / m², but the Pa * s / m² that the manufacturer promises are close enough. This lower value also has advantages if I want to increase the absorber depth to 30cm on my back wall.
The difference between my current absorbers with Pa * s / m² rock wool and the Pa * s / m² Iso Bond will not be huge. Because in addition to the flow resistivity, it is ultimately of great importance for the overall effect how many absorbers I use and where I position them.
But I'm still curious! I will try to find out to what extent the forecast of this calculator is also noticeable in measurement in the real living room by comparing absorbers of the same size.
If we adapt the flow resistivity to the absorber depth in this way, we see the linear relationship between the absorber depth and the lower end of the effective range. If you are wondering how deep your absorber should be, this is the graph that is most likely to give you an answer.
When it comes to speech or singing, you could make good improvements with 10cm. The human voice extends down to 100Hz and the 10cm are not yet ideal.
As soon as it comes to music with drums and bass, frequencies below 100 Hz will probably also play an important role. And an absorption in this frequency range can be achieved with 20cm.
If, on the one hand, we now know how thick our absorber should be and then we use the example curves to read the area in which our flow resistivity should be, we can go to the last question about the material.
For the absorption properties it doesn't matter whether rock wool or glass wool or a special acoustic foam like Basotect or Caruso Iso Bond. You can use the material table at the beginning of this article to find some common types and approximate prices as a first orientation. With a little luck, you will find one of the fabrics in your local hardware store. But it doesn't have to be exactly the same type. Any other manufacturer can be used for glass wool and rock wool as long as the density (in kg / m³) is in the corresponding range.
I personally started my first attempts at building absorbers with rock wool because it is cheap and available everywhere. One disadvantage is certainly the health risk that you are exposed to during processing. If you approach the matter with suitable clothing, gloves and, if necessary, a respirator and wrap the rock wool in such a way that later no flakes can enter the room, then I think rock wool is a great material for acoustic purposes.
Glass wool should be very similar, although it is said to have even higher health risks.
On the one hand, it is really low-risk with natural products such as hemp or sheep's wool. As you can see in the table, the flow resistances are in the very low range, so that we can only use these two substances optimally for thick absorbers.
In its natural state, sheep's wool is even far below what we wanted to use for our purposes. By compressing more material into a smaller space, however, the flow resistance can be increased significantly.
Now that I have extensive experience with rock wool, my next level will be Caruso Iso Bond. The most important argument for this building material is certainly that it is less health-critical and cleaner to process than mineral wool. On the other hand, you get Caruso Iso Bond with all relevant densities and flow resistances, both for thick and thin absorbers. The only disadvantage: it is considerably more expensive than rock wool or glass wool.
[Addendum: You can find my comparison between Caruso Iso Bond and Rockwool here.]
From an acoustic point of view, most materials can be used. It is more a question of your wallet and your personal demand for a clean environment, whether you will be happy with rock wool, with hemp or with Caruso Iso Bond. Your ear will definitely be happy if you dedicate yourself to the topic of room acoustics and build your first absorber!
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