There are many products that are designed specifically for soundproofing. An acoustical engineer or an architect must select the one product that offers the best soundproofing value for the cost of the complete assembly.
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Brands of acoustic drywall
This article looks a comparing soundproofing performance among these assemblies:
Manufacturers publish the relevant test data in different formats and for many different assemblies. Comparing the performance of the assemblies is a tedious and time-consuming problem. In this article I am comparing a small set of the products and assemblies.
Sound Transmission Class for assemblies with acoustic drywall
The base of comparison is the Sound Transmission Class (STC) published by the manufacturers for their product as tested by independent labs.
The table below summarizes the available performance data for the described assemblies. Column 1 contains description of the main elements of the assembly. Column 2 contains description of the components of the assembly. Steel stud and wood stud assemblies are presented. Column 3 contains STC value for the assembly. Reference to the manufacture’s information shown in square brackets.
A similar assembly to the one described in Column 2, with the item shown in bold replaced by the one of the items shown in Column 4, with the STC value of this alternative assembly shown in Column 5. Reference to the manufacture’s information in square brackets.
NOTE: This table is best viewed on a computer in full screen mode.
Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | Column 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BASIC ASSEMBLY | Header | ASSEMBLY WITH ACOUSTIC DRYWALL | Header | |
STEEL STUDS | ||||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | |||
Framing | Steel studs 3-5/8”, 25 gage 16” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 48 [6] | QuietRock ES 5/8” | 47 [8] |
SoundBreak XP 5/8" | 49 [4] | |||
SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 54 [1] | |||
2x 5/8” drywall w. Green Glue | 56 [19] | |||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | |||
Framing | Steel studs 3-5/8”, 20 gage 16” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 40 [8] | QuietRock ES 5/8” | 43 [12] |
SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 51 [1] | |||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | |||
Framing | Steel studs 3-5/8”, 25 gage 24” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 47 [9] | QuietRock ES 5/8” | 52 [14] |
SoundBreak XP 5/8” | 54 [13] | |||
SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 56 [1] | |||
2x 5/8” Type X drywall w. Green Glue | 56 [19] | |||
WOOD STUDS | ||||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | |||
Framing | Wood studs 2 x 4”, 16” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 36 [3] | SoundBreak XP 5/8” | 42 [7] |
SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 45 [23] | |||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” Resilient channels 24” OC | |||
Framing | Wood studs 2 x 4”, 16” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 51 [11] | SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 52 [10] |
QuietRock ES 5/8” | 53 [2] | |||
SoundBreak XP 5/8” | 54 [11] | |||
Side 1 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | |||
Framing | Wood studs 2 x 4”, 24” OC; insulation | |||
Side 2 | Drywall Type X 5/8” | 42 [20] | QuietRock ES 5/8” | 49 [17] |
SoundBreak XP 5/8” | 50 [16] | |||
SilentFX QuickCut 5/8” | 51 [15] | |||
2x 5/8” Type X drywall w. Green Glue | 52 [18] |
Discussion of differences in acoustic drywall brands
By inspecting the STC values for the different brands, the following observations can be made:
More detailed analysis looking at each individual test report and comparing performance in individual frequency bands can yield more detailed comparison. This was not attempted in this article because not all manufacturers make the detailed test reports readily available.
In another article in this blog we compare performance of wood studs vs. steel stud assemblies.
References
[1] SilentFX information, page 19
[2] QuietRock ES information, page 119
[3] NBC of Canada 2015, Division B, Volume 2, Table 9.10.3.1.-A Wall No, W1a
[4] SoundBreak XP information, page 9
[5] SoundBreak XP information, page 6
[6] SoundBreak XP information, page 8
[7] SoundBreak XP information, page 70
[8] QuietRock ES information, page 48
[9] SoundBreak XP information, page 30
[10] SilentFX information, page 15
[11] SoundBreak XP information, page 71
[12] QuietRock ES information, page 58
[13] SoundBreak XP information, page 31
[14] QuietRock ES information, page 49
[15] SilentFX information, page 14
[16] SoundBreak XP information, page 80
[17] QuietRock ES information, page 117
[18] Green Glue test data 1
[19] Green Glue test data 2
[20] SoundBreak XP information, page 79
[21] Performance Details of Metal Stud Partitions
[22] Green Glue
[23] SilentFX information, page 16
If you need help with this information, or need assistance with a soundproofing project in the Toronto area, use the button below to contact the author.
