Use case
Soundproofing
Acoustic absorption and impact-noise reduction for floors, walls and panels.
Cork's closed-cell structure traps sound energy in millions of air-filled pockets, converting acoustic pressure into negligible heat. Unlike open-fibre absorbers that degrade with moisture or compression, cork holds its NRC performance across decades of service.
Most acoustic materials trade absorption for durability. Mineral wool absorbs well but sheds fibres and compresses under load. Open-cell foams absorb across a narrow band and harden as they age. Cork is one of the few materials that absorbs across a useful bandwidth and keeps absorbing after years of foot traffic, humidity cycles and temperature drift.
In underlayment applications, a 3–6 mm cork roll delivers 18–22 dB of impact noise reduction — the difference between a footfall that carries through a building and one that dies at the source. The same material in panel form, at 180–250 kg/m³, delivers NRC values of 0.55–0.85 depending on thickness and mounting.
We calibrate granulometry to the target frequency band. A panel intended for a recording studio takes a different particle distribution than one for an office retrofit, even when both target broadband absorption. Send us the NRC curve and we match the material to it.
Why cork works
The material advantage.
- Closed-cell geometry absorbs broadband noise without fibre shedding.
- Impact insulation class of 18–22 dB in 3–6 mm underlayments.
- No dimensional drift — performance stays stable across humidity cycles.
Products for this use