Worked Example: Rehearsal Room — DIN 18041 Music Practice Design
200 m³ ensemble rehearsal room with partial acoustic ceiling, timber floor, and diffusers
A 200 m³ concert hall designed to DIN-18041 requires RT60 ≤ 1.2s. With Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile on the ceiling and Mineral wool 50mm (wall) on walls, the calculated RT60 is 0.89s — PASS.
Room Setup
Total surface area: 249.5 m². Calculation method: Sabine equation (ISO 3382-2:2008 Annex A).
Surface Materials
| Surface | Material | Area (m²) | NRC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling — Rockfon partial | Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile | 20.0 | 0.82 |
| Ceiling — plaster | Painted plaster | 60.0 | 0.04 |
| Floor | Timber floor (sealed) | 80.0 | 0.09 |
| Walls — plasterboard | Plasterboard on studs | 40.0 | 0.07 |
| Walls — painted plaster | Painted plaster | 24.0 | 0.04 |
| Walls — QRD diffusers | QRD diffuser (wooden) | 10.0 | 0.14 |
| Walls — mineral wool | Mineral wool 50mm (wall) | 6.0 | 0.73 |
| Window | Double glazing 6mm | 6.0 | 0.03 |
| Door | Solid timber door | 3.5 | 0.09 |
Absorption coefficients sourced from manufacturer datasheets and ISO 354 test reports. Browse the full acoustic materials database.
Step-by-Step Calculation
- 1
Room Volume
V = L × W × H = 10 × 8 × 2.5 = 200 m³
- 2
Total Surface Area
Stotal = 20.0 + 60.0 + 80.0 + 40.0 + 24.0 + 10.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 3.5 = 249.5 m²
- 3
Absorption per Surface at 500 Hz
Ceiling — Rockfon partial: 20.0 m² × 0.82 = 16.40 Sabins
Ceiling — plaster: 60.0 m² × 0.04 = 2.40 Sabins
Floor: 80.0 m² × 0.10 = 8.00 Sabins
Walls — plasterboard: 40.0 m² × 0.05 = 2.00 Sabins
Walls — painted plaster: 24.0 m² × 0.04 = 0.96 Sabins
Walls — QRD diffusers: 10.0 m² × 0.15 = 1.50 Sabins
Walls — mineral wool: 6.0 m² × 0.70 = 4.20 Sabins
Window: 6.0 m² × 0.04 = 0.24 Sabins
Door: 3.5 m² × 0.08 = 0.28 Sabins
- 4
Total Absorption at 500 Hz
Atotal = 16.40 + 2.40 + 8.00 + 2.00 + 0.96 + 1.50 + 4.20 + 0.24 + 0.28 = 35.98 Sabins
- 5
Sabine RT60 at 500 Hz
RT60 = 0.161 × V / A = 0.161 × 200 / 35.98 = 0.89s
- 6
Compare to Target
Mid-frequency RT60 (avg of 500, 1k, 2k Hz) = 0.89s. Target: 0.8--1.2s per DIN-18041. Verdict: PASS
Octave Band Results
| Frequency | 125Hz | 250Hz | 500Hz | 1kHz | 2kHz | 4kHz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Absorption (Sabins) | 34.2 | 32.8 | 36.0 | 36.4 | 36.2 | 37.2 |
| RT60 (s) | 0.94 | 0.98 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.87 |
| Target (s) | — | — | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | — |
| Verdict | — | — | PASS | PASS | PASS | — |
Compliance Verdict
Reference:
Open the AcousPlan calculator pre-loaded with the exact room dimensions (10m × 8m × 2.5m) and RT60 target (1.2s).
Open CalculatorField Story
A regional Musikschule in Stuttgart is adding a 30-musician ensemble rehearsal room to DIN 18041:2016 Group B (music performance) requirements. The room needs enough reverberation for musicians to hear ensemble blend, but not so much that individual parts become indistinct. Rockfon Sonar ceiling tiles cover just 25% of the ceiling — deliberately minimal to preserve room liveliness. The timber floor provides the reflective surface musicians expect underfoot. Mineral wool panels on the rear wall prevent bass build-up behind the percussion section. QRD diffusers scatter lateral sound. The majority of wall area is plasterboard or painted plaster, maintaining the reflective character essential for musical rehearsal. DIN 18041 specifies 0.8-1.2 s for music rehearsal rooms of this volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
What RT60 does a Rehearsal Room — DIN 18041 Music Practice Design achieve?
With the specified materials and dimensions (10m x 8m x 2.5m, volume 200m3), the calculated mid-frequency RT60 is 0.89s using the Sabine equation. The target under DIN-18041 is 0.8--1.2s. The result is a PASS.
What materials are used in this performance acoustic example?
This example uses Rockfon Sonar 25mm ceiling tile on the Ceiling — Rockfon partial (NRC 0.82), Painted plaster on the Ceiling — plaster (NRC 0.04), Timber floor (sealed) on the Floor (NRC 0.09), Plasterboard on studs on the Walls — plasterboard (NRC 0.07), Painted plaster on the Walls — painted plaster (NRC 0.04), QRD diffuser (wooden) on the Walls — QRD diffusers (NRC 0.14), Mineral wool 50mm (wall) on the Walls — mineral wool (NRC 0.73), Double glazing 6mm on the Window (NRC 0.03), Solid timber door on the Door (NRC 0.09). The total absorption at 500 Hz is 36.0 Sabins.
How much does acoustic treatment cost for this room?
Cost data is not available for this example. Use the AcousPlan calculator to estimate treatment costs for your specific room configuration.
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All calculations are advisory and based on the Sabine equation (ISO 3382-2:2008 Annex A). Results require professional verification for compliance submissions. Absorption coefficients are sourced from manufacturer datasheets and ISO 354 test reports.