General Questions
Can the foam be cut down to the size that I need?
Yes, if the standard sizes we carry to not meet your requirements, we can cut the foam down to the size that you need. You can also cut the foam yourself. Using a sharp carving knife or electric knife, the foam may be cut down to size as needed.
How do I apply the acoustic foam to the mounting surface?
We suggest using our spray adhesive, which can be found in the Accessories section of our website.
Temporary Hold: For temporary use, apply light amount of spray adhesive to the back of the foam. Then, apply the foam to the mounting surface.
Permanent Hold: For maximum hold, wait for the adhesive surface to become tacky before installation. Apply adhesive to both the mounting surface and back of acoustic foam product.
For your convenience, please see the following PDF:
How To Use Spray Adhesive with Acoustic Foam (PDF)
NOTE: For concrete surfaces, brush off loose particles before installation.
How can I mount the foam without using adhesive?
The acoustic foam can be mounted using t-pins, or applying the acoustic foam to a board, then resting or hanging the board on the wall.
Ordering Questions
Can I have different colors in the same package?
No, when a package can be in a color of your choice, each package can only be ONE solid color. However, when you order more than one pack, each pack can have its own color.
Acoustic Foam Questions
What do I need to stop sound from traveling through a wall (or walls)?
Acoustic foam can be used to stop sound from traveling through a wall, but it is recommended for improving the clarity of sound in a room. If you were to solely use foam, and cover 100% of the walls with our 4" Wedge foam, you would only block about 20% to 30% of the sound traveling through the wall. If you need to do more, you will need to "build a room inside of a room" to achieve more than 30%. Our Polyethylene Roll and Neoprene foams can be used in this construction.
How much acoustic foam do I need?
Typical applications call for 25% to 75% coverage, with the average being 50%. We suggest 50% to 75% for rock, pop, techno, etc.. For jazz, classical, etc. 25% to 50% coverage is suggested.
Where should I place my Wedge & Pyramid foam or Bass Absorbers?
For Corner Bass absorbers:
We suggested placing 2 in each corner, starting from the ceiling going down. If you decide to go with 4 bass absorbers in each corner, but the ceiling is higher than 8ft, space the bass absorbers out. Space the bass absorbers evenly, having the top bass absorber touch the ceiling and the bottom bass absorber touching the floor.
When it is not possible to put the bass absorbers in the corner, you can either put them on the ceiling juncture (preferred), or floor juncture.
For corners that are not 90 degrees, you may want to consider our Male / Female broadband absorbers. (Suggested placement of broadband absorbers are the same as placement of corner bass absorbers).
For Wedge and Pyramid Foam:
We suggest starting from the ceiling, and working your way down from there. For most applications, the foam panels do not need to be lower than 2ft - 3ft from the floor.
Placement should be concentrated more around where the sound originates.
For the wedge foam, they will perform similar if they are horizontal, vertical, or at a 45 degree angle.
If absolute deadness is not required, we suggest placing the foam in a "checkerd" board like pattern.
What does NRC mean?
NRC stands for Noise Reduction Coefficient. The NRC of a material can be found by using either the Reverberation Room Method (ASTM C423) or the Impedance Tube Method (ASTM C384). We use the Reverberation Room Method and the general idea of how this method works is:
- Approximately 72 sq. ft of material is rested on the floor of a Reverberation Chamber. This chamber usually has all hard concreate surfaces.
- The change in absorption from the empty room to the room with the material is measured.
- The changes in sound are measured for octave bands ranging from 125 Hz to 4000Hz, recording the differences in Sabine absorption coefficents. The overall NRC rating is the calculated average of frequencies 250Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz and 2000Hz.
NOTE: The higher the NRC rating, the more sound the material can absorb.
What does STC mean?
STC stands for Sound Transmission Class. This rating is used to compare the acoustic isolation of different materials. The Method used to calculate the STC rating is (ASTM E413). A general idea of how this method works is:
- There are 2 rooms, a "source" room which contains a loudspeaker and a "receiver" room which contains a microphone. Between the two rooms is an opening usually sized 8ft by 9ft.
- In decibels (dB), the sound is recorded from in 1/3-octave bands from 125 Hz to 4000Hz
- The next step is to record the sound again (same process as above) in decibels (dB) with the material (or materials) completely covering and sealing the opening.
- Then, the difference between the before and after measurements are calculated and recorded. These measurements are the transmission loss or "TL" of the sound.
- Lastly, (this may be confusing for some) the transmission is drawn on a graph of 1/3-octave band center frequency versus level in decibels. The STC is the measured curve compared to a reference STC curve. (Exact definition can be found by viewing the ASTM E413 method). The requirements used to "match" the curves are (1) The reference curve shall not exceed the measured transmission loss by more than 8 decibels in any 1/3 octave band and (2) The sum of all "negative discrepancies" shall not exceed 32. Once these requirements are met, the value of the reference curve at 500Hz is read as the STC of the material (or materials).
NOTE: Lab and field measurements may vary 1-5 STC depending on application. This should be taken into consideration when choosing materials for acoustic isolation projects.
DISCLAIMER: Any product suggestions made by Foam Factory and/or its employees should be received as just that – suggestions. Foam Factory and/or its employees will make every effort to suggest the best product or products for a described application, but these suggestions should not be taken in substitution for the advice or assessment of a sound professional or the judgment of the customer, him or herself. In addition, suggestions must be taken into consideration with the understanding that there are variables unique to every space and application situation that may impact results.
Questions about Fire Retardant Foam
Is your acoustical foam a fire retardant material?
Yes, all of our acoustical foam products are fire retardant. The rating can typically be found at the bottom part of the individual product pages. Details regarding fire retardancy can also be found on the acoustical foam Data Sheet. All acoustic foam products have fire retardants chemically added to the foam. They are NOT added to just the surface.
Why go with acoustic foam instead of regular bedding or packaging foam?
Our acoustic foam is recommended for acoustic applications because it has been specially formulated to perform sonically and is fire-rated for safety.
What would happen if fire were exposed to your acoustic foam?
Our acoustic foam will smolder and smoke, but it will not burst into flames. After the source of fire is removed, the foam will "self-extinguish." (Note: Foam Factory does not encourage exposing our products to extreme heat or fire, and Foam Factory will not be held liable for any injury or loss from the use or misuse of our products.)
What information is needed to pass my building codes?
Our acoustic foams have been tested in accordance with ASTM E84 for surface burning. (ASTM E84 is the technical equivelant of NFPA 255 and UL 723.) Our acoustic foam meets a "Class A" or "Class 1". This is accepted by most building codes, but please check in your area before installation.
What does "Class A" mean when talking about Fire retardant Specifications?
In regards to the surface burning standard ASTM E84, this test calculates two numbers. One is "Flame Spread Index", and the other is "Smoke Developed Index". These numbers determine whether the material is "Class A", "Class B", or "Class C" (or Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3, respectively). Class A represents that the material will not burn or smoke much, and Class C represents that the material will burn heavily and produce even more smoke. Class B will burn a little more than Class A, and also produce slightly more smoke than in Class A.
