UK Acoustic Standards by Space: A Quick Reference Guide
Every UK building type answers to a different acoustic standard, and the figures aren't interchangeable. What follows is the quick-reference version, one paragraph per standard, with a link through to the full breakdown where you need the detail.
Schools: BB93
BB93 sets reverberation time and background noise targets by room type, not as a single figure for the whole building. General teaching spaces sit around 0.6 to 0.8 seconds reverberation time; SEN and hearing-impaired rooms are held to a much stricter 0.4 seconds. Full detail in our BB93 guide and the SEN classroom guide.
Offices: BS ISO 22955:2021
This standard takes an activity-based approach rather than one blanket target, setting different requirements for focused work, collaboration, and confidential communication, and typically requiring Class A ceiling absorption over 50 to 60% of the ceiling area. See our BS ISO 22955:2021 guide.
Healthcare: HTM 08-01
NHS Estates guidance rates spaces on the Noise Rating scale, with general wards around NR 35 to 40 and operating theatres held to NR 35, tighter because of the precision of communication required during surgery. See our HTM 08-01 guide.
Industrial and workplace noise: Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
Three legal thresholds: 80 dB(A) triggers a risk assessment duty, 85 dB(A) makes hearing protection mandatory, and 87 dB(A) at the ear must never be exceeded. See our Noise at Work Regulations guide.
Residential and hotels: Approved Document E
New-build separating walls and floors need 45 dB DnT,w + Ctr airborne insulation and 62 dB L'nT,w or lower for impact; conversions get a slightly relaxed 43 dB and 64 dB respectively. Most new-build separating elements require pre-completion testing unless built to an approved Robust Details specification. See our Approved Document E guide and certified testing guide.
Certified wellbeing buildings: WELL v2 Sound concept
Every WELL-certified project must complete S01 Sound Mapping as a precondition, identifying every acoustic zone and noise source before further Sound features are pursued. Frequently specified alongside BS ISO 22955:2021 in UK offices. See our WELL Sound concept guide.
Listed and historic buildings
No separate numeric standard exists, but Historic England's reversibility principle governs what treatment is achievable, and secondary glazing is the accepted route for noise through original windows without altering protected fabric. See our listed building guide.
Finding the standard that applies to you
If your building doesn't fit neatly into one of these categories, or serves more than one use, book a free survey and we'll confirm exactly which figures your project needs to meet.
Related product guides: acoustic ceilings: tiles, baffles or rafts, acoustic wall panels.
From first survey to final finish
One team handles all seven stages, the same way on every project, so you always know what happens next.
A surveyor visits the site, or works from your drawings and photos when a visit isn't practical. Either way, the room, its surfaces and how it is used are recorded before any advice is given.
Reverberation, ambient noise and noise transfer are read against what the space is used for. The findings arrive as a written report with recommendations, yours to keep with no obligation to proceed.
Treatment is modelled against a reverberation target, then drawn up with panel positions, fixings and finishes. Nothing moves forward until you have approved the design.
Every quotation comes with the specification behind it, listing products by type, quantity and finish with costs set out line by line. What is quoted is what the design calls for.
Panels, baffles, ceilings and screens come from our Acoustic Solutions range and are supplied to the approved specification. What arrives on site matches what was designed.
Our own engineers fit to the approved drawings, checking positions and fixings as they go. One team supplies and installs, so nothing is handed between contractors.
Optional: after fit-out the space can be measured again and compared with the original survey, so the improvement is measured rather than assumed. Results are reported against the relevant standards and the written record goes into your building file.
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