Iic Rating Of Carpet

Some condos prohibit hardwood flooring entirely to make sure noise transmission into lower units is not increased.

Iic rating of carpet. Iic 65 is a high level of impact sound transmission absorption and includes superior sound reduction materials like carpet and cork. An iic and stc rating will generally be 5 points higher than. The iic rating is the determined by using a standard tapping machine with five steel faced hammers to strike a test floor material generating sounds between 125 hz 4000 hz. The higher the rating the less sound gets through.

The iic and stc is conducted at a controlled laboratory. A midrange level is iic rating 60 which includes some vinyl flooring as well as wood and laminate floors. The preferred level of performance for stc and iic is 60 57 f iic. It all begins with how sound is generated and the medium it transfers through.

For multi family structures some codes require an iic of 50 or more when tested in the laboratory or 45 or more when tested in the field. More typical values fall between 35 and 55. So no 1 4 inch cork is not adequate on concrete. The transmission of these sounds through floor ceiling assemblies such as those found in multi level homes and apartments will be inhibited by underlayments with higher iic and stc ratings.

An iic rating 50 means that the flooring material has minimal sound absorption capabilities. A f iic and f stc rating. Iic values can range from as low as 25 for lightweight residential construction with no floor covering to over 65 for commercial construction with carpet. The main test done by flooring industry is the impact insulation class iic ad sound transmission class stc.

The iic rating of a condo unit floor above another condo unit should be 75 or more to match what is provided by carpet and reasonably thick carpet padding. The iic rating measures impact sounds such as footfalls dropped objects etc. I hope this information was helpful for you. The impact insulation class iic rating is a measurement of sound transmission from the floor to a room beneath it.

The impact creates vibrations that travel through the flooring and produce sounds on the other side. When evaluating flooring underlayment sound deadening and acoustical ratings are one of the things homeowners or hoa considers. The highest rating is iic rating 65 which includes cork flooring and carpet. The f iic and f stc is conducted in the field where sound is not as controllable hence the 5 point difference.

But when you compare products look beyond the number.