Decorative acoustic products: absorption labels and panel quantities.
What is the difference between a product’s sound-absorption label and an estimated panel order?
Absorption and blocking are different claims
Rockfon distinguishes Noise Reduction Coefficient, which describes absorption, from Sound Transmission Class, which describes sound blocking. A decorative product’s absorption claim should not be presented as proof that noise will not pass to another room.
Record the product and tested assembly
Keep the manufacturer, documented metric, tested conditions and selected assembly with the product record. Curtains, rugs, foam, felt panels and room screens are not interchangeable merely because they are soft. This article does not assign an unsupported acoustic rating to any of them.
Order from the established decorative layout
Count the selected panels and their supplied face or cover dimensions. If cover fabric must wrap edges, record the complete blank size. Use sheet or blank fit to order stock; a total square-metre quotient is only a lower bound when whole pieces are required.
Separate the purchase calculation from room design
Adding six panels does not by itself predict a reverberation time, noise reduction at a desk or acceptable transmission to a neighbour. Acoustic design and installation requirements need their own qualified basis. The linked tools calculate supplied quantities and rectangular allocations only.
Use the matching calculator
Use this decision sequence
- Identify the exact decorative product and documented test basis.
- Keep sound absorption and sound blocking claims separate.
- Use only an already specified panel or fabric layout for quantity.
- Price whole compatible products without predicting performance.
Keep the quantities distinct
| Quantity or assumption | How to use it |
|---|---|
| NRC | A sound-absorption metric. |
| STC | A sound-transmission or blocking metric. |
| Panel area | A measured quantity, not a room-performance prediction. |
Worked comparison
Six specified decorative 0.6 m × 0.4 m panel faces total 1.44 m². If the selected plan covers both faces with fabric, that is 2.88 m² before separately specified wrap allowances and whole-blank fit.
Check before using the estimate
This face-area calculation cannot determine the absorption or sound isolation of the room.
All dimensions, product properties, prices and specifications in this example are illustrative arithmetic inputs. Use the values from your measured plan, selected product data sheet and supplier quote. This guide does not choose construction specifications or certify safety.
Sources and product references
References support the factual distinctions and scope described above. Growing guidance is regional and care instructions are product-specific. Worked numerical examples are independent illustrative arithmetic.
Calculation and scope checked 2026-10-13. Methods and scope.
Related decisions
How to measure and order: decorative panels, fabric covers and supplied attachment counts
Which measurements and product data prevent quantity mistakes for this job?
Round curtain fabric widths before multiplying by drop length
Why can a curtain order exceed finished coverage area divided by fabric width?