Acoustic panel calculator
Acoustic foam or mineral wool panels reduce echo inside a room — useful in a home office, a music room or a living room with hard surfaces. The calculator counts the panels for an area and gives the material volume.
Note the limit: absorption panels reduce reverberation, but they stop little of the noise coming through a wall from the neighbours.
Your measurements
Result
- Material volume
- 0.60 m³
- Panels needed
- 56 pcs
No waste is added: allow 5–10% extra for cut-outs around sockets, windows and corners.
How the calculation works
- Material volume (m³) = area × panel thickness (cm) ÷ 100.
- Number of panels = area ÷ area of one panel (0.6 × 0.6 m or 1 × 0.6 m), rounded up.
Worked example
For 20 m² of wall with 3 cm foam, the volume is 20 × 3 ÷ 100 = 0.6 m³. With 60 × 60 cm panels (0.36 m²) you need 20 ÷ 0.36 = 55.6, so 56 panels.
What the calculator assumes
- No waste is added: allow 5–10% extra for cut-outs (sockets, windows, corners).
- Acoustic foam panels reduce echo in the room but stop little of the noise passing through the wall.
When to adjust the result
- For noise from neighbours, mass and decoupling matter: an independent stud wall with 5–10 cm of mineral wool and sealing tape at the edges.
- Impact noise (footsteps, dropped objects) is treated in the floor above, not with panels on the ceiling below.
- Airtightness matters: a gap around a socket or under a door undoes much of the effect.
Placing acoustic panels effectively
Acoustic panels reduce echo and reverberation inside a room — they do not stop sound passing to the neighbours, which needs mass and decoupled construction. Start at the first reflection points: the side walls between you and the speakers or TV, and the ceiling above a table or sofa.
Spread panels around the room rather than covering one wall, and combine them with soft furnishings, rugs and curtains. Thicker panels, or panels mounted with an air gap behind, absorb lower frequencies better than thin ones.
Frequently asked questions
Do acoustic panels block noise from neighbours?
Not much. They absorb sound inside the room (less echo); to block sound passing through a wall you need mass and decoupling — for example an independent plasterboard wall with mineral wool.
How many acoustic panels does a room need?
To tame echo, covering 15–30% of the wall and ceiling area is often enough, placed where sound reflects first. Full coverage is rarely needed.
Will acoustic panels soundproof a room?
No — they improve sound inside the room. Blocking noise between rooms needs heavier, decoupled walls or floors.
How much of the wall should be covered?
Often 15–30% of wall and ceiling area is enough for living rooms; home studios and cinemas need more.