23.

2: SOUND RATINGS
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SOUND CONTROL is an important consideration in the design of a project.
The design of a building must ensure that all spaces will be insulated from
unreasonable outside sources of noise. Sound within a space must also be
provided. Sound isolation between rooms and floor levels and noise
reduction within a room are measured by several single number ratings. A
single number rating offers an engineering measure of performance between
wall, ceiling, and floor assemblies, and within the space.
 SOUND RATINGS

1. 2. 3. 4.
Transmission or Isol Impact Absorption Equipment
ation Rating Rating Rating Noise
 1. Transmission or Isolation Rating

 Is a sound rating systems that evaluate the transmission of sound

through a construction assembly (e.g., partitions, walls, ceilings,
and floors)

a) Sound Transmission Class

b) Transmission Loss
c) Noise Isolation Class
  is a single-number rating system that rates
the ability of a wall or other construction to
block sound transmission. It is used to
compare the airborne sound-isolating
a.) Sound characteristics of construction assemblies
used to separate occupied space.
Transmission
 is a decibel measure of the difference
Class (STC) between the sound energy striking the
panel or construction on one side and the
sound energy transmitted from the other
side.
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STC value- can be determined through testing of the assembly in the
field, in which case the reported value is referred to as the field
sound transmission class (FSTC).
b.) Transmission
Loss (TL)
Sound transmission loss (TL) is a measure of sound insulation
provided by a structural configuration. Transmission loss performance
of the construction assembly is tested over a range of different
frequencies.
c.) Noise
Isolation Class
(NIC)
The noise isolation class (NIC) is a single number rating used to
measure noise reduction between two areas or rooms. It provides an
evaluation of the sound isolation between two enclosed spaces that
are acoustically connected by one or more paths.
 2. Impact Rating

 An impact sound is produced by the collision of two solid objects.

Typical sources in a building are footsteps and objects dropped or
thrown onto an interior surface (e.g., wall, floor, or ceiling).

a) Impact Insulation Class (IIC)

b) Impact Noise Rating (INR)
a.) Impact
Insulation Class
(IIC)
The impact insulation class (IIC) is a number rating, based on
standardized test performance, for evaluating the effectiveness of
assemblies in isolating impact sound transmission.
b.) Impact Noise
Rating (INR)
The impact noise rating (INR) is an obsolete rating system that rates
the ability of floor–ceiling assemblies to resist the transmission of
impact sound.
 3. Absorption Rating

 Sound absorption is a property of materials that causes a

reduction in the amount of sound reflected from a surface. High
absorbing surfaces in a room will reduce sound intensity in that
room by not reflecting all of the sound energy striking the room’s
surfaces.
a) Absorption Coefficient
b) Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
c) Ceiling Attenuation Class (CAC)
a.) Absorption
Coefficient
Absorption coefficient is a measure of the sound-absorbing ability of a
surface. It is defined as the fraction of incident sound absorbed or
otherwise not reflected by a surface.
b.) Noise Reduction
Coefficient (NRC)
The noise reduction coefficient (NRC) is also used to measure the
ability of a material to absorb sound rather than reflect it. The material
absorbs part of the sound striking the surface of the material and part
of it is transmitted through to the other side of the material
c.) Ceiling
Attenuation
Class (CAC)
The ceiling attenuation class (CAC), previously referred to as the
ceiling sound transmission class (CSTC), rates a ceiling’s efficiency as
a barrier to airborne sound transmission between adjacent closed
offices. The CAC is a single-number rating. An acoustical unit with a
high CAC may have a low NRC.
 4. Equipment Noise
 It is the noise from rooftop or mechanical room equipment that
affects both occupants inside a building and nearby property
owners.

a) Room Criteria
b) Noise Criteria
a.) Room
Criteria (RC)
The room criteria (RC) are a single-number noise rating system used
to diagnose and rate the HVAC noise exposure in a room. RC ratings
contain both a numerical value and a letter rating related to sound
quality
b.)Noise Criteria
(NC)
The noise criteria (NC) is a single-number noise rating system used
to rate continuous noise in a room from all types of HVAC equipment
(e.g., fans, mixing boxes, diffusers).
23.2: SOUND RATINGS