What Is an NRC Rating?

One of the most important things to know when it comes to a soundproofing product is its NRC rating. So what is NRC in acoustics, and why is it so important for soundproofing?

The NRC Rating Explained

NRC stands for Noise Reduction Coefficient, and it’s a measure of how much sound a soundproofing product can absorb on average. If something is absorbing the sound in a room, that means you aren’t hearing the sound, so the higher the NRC rating, the more effective the product being tested is at soundproofing.

NRC ratings are on a scale from 0 to 1, so something with an NRC of 0 absorbs no sound at all, while something with an NRC of 1 absorbs any and all sound waves that make contact with it. Something with an NRC of 0.5 would absorb half of the sound that hits it while reflecting the other half back into the room.

How Is NRC Tested?

Naturally, at Soundproof Cow, we’re aware that knowing the NRC rating of each of our products is extremely important and that we need an effective method of testing that rating. We do so by putting a speaker and a microphone in an enclosed room. First, we generate sounds in the room without soundproofing to get a baseline. We place the microphone and speaker on opposite sides of the room and have the speaker emit sounds of varying frequencies, specifically 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz and 2,000 Hz, as these pitches cover the human vocal range.

Once we have our baseline, we add our soundproofing product to the room and perform the test again. We measure the sound level against the baseline to determine our NRC. For example, If we find that at 500 Hz, the sound level is 40% lower after adding our soundproofing material, we rate that material as having a 0.4 NRC at 500 Hz.

How Does Installation Method Affect NRC Rating Soundproofing?

The NRC rating that we give a soundproofing product is based on how we install the product, and different ways of installing soundproofing can affect the NRC. If you do not install a soundproofing product in the recommended manner, you cannot rely on that product to have the same NRC as advertised.

Order Reliable Soundproofing Products From Soundproof Cow Today

At Soundproof Cow, we carefully test all of our soundproofing products to make sure they have an NRC that will serve your needs, from our legendary Quiet Batt™ Soundproofing Insulation to our Echo Absorber™ Acoustic Cotton to our Impact Barrier QT Floor Underlayment and all the rest. Whether you need a product to keep bothersome sounds out, protect your privacy, allow clear communication or help you produce clean recordings, we have just what you need at Soundproof Cow and can deliver it to you fast and at a price you can afford.

To order one of our amazing soundproofing products or get more information about how soundproofing works, contact the friendly staff at Soundproof Cow today.