Soft Furnishings — Acoustic Material Guide
Heavy acoustic curtains and drapes provide variable absorption in performance spaces, studios, and multi-purpose rooms. Multi-layer theatre-weight curtains (800-1200 g/m2) with deep pleating achieve NRC 0.55 when fully deployed. Their retractability makes them the primary tool for variable acoustics, allowing RT60 adjustment between rehearsal, speech, and music modes.
Products in This Category
| Material | NRC | αw | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Acoustic Curtain | 0.55 | 0.50 | Wall (window), Room divider |
Average Absorption Profile
Average absorption coefficients across all soft furnishings materials at each octave band frequency.
| Frequency (Hz) | 125 | 250 | 500 | 1000 | 2000 | 4000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg α | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.40 | 0.65 | 0.80 | 0.85 |
Best Applications
Room types and environments that benefit most from soft furnishings materials:
Related Standards
International and national standards relevant to soft furnishings selection, testing, and specification:
Installation Notes
Curtains must have at least 50% fullness (fabric width = 1.5x track width) for effective absorption. Heavier fabrics (>800 g/m2) perform significantly better than lighter options. Allow a 100-200mm air gap between the curtain and the wall for improved low-frequency absorption.
Typical thickness: N/A (pleated drape, 50-100% fullness)
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