Acoustic Glass & Acoustic Glazing

Good acoustic glazing is engineered around the sound problem rather than simply adding more panes. Three principles matter most:

• Mass: a heavier pane generally resists airborne sound better than a lighter pane, but thickness alone is not the whole answer.
• Asymmetry: using panes of different thicknesses helps prevent both panes responding strongly at the same frequencies. This is why a purpose-designed asymmetric double glazed unit can outperform an ordinary symmetric unit.
• Acoustic lamination: specialist laminated glass uses a sound-damping PVB interlayer between two sheets of glass. Pilkington Optiphon, Saint-Gobain STADIP SILENCE and AGC Stratophone all use this principle.

Acoustic laminated glass can also provide laminated safety behaviour and can be combined with other glazing functions such as Low-E thermal insulation or solar control where the exact product system allows it.

The tables below are manufacturer/reference configurations, not a promise that every thickness is stocked by every GLAZIE seller. Current online acoustic panes and GLAZIE's exact whole-unit rating table are kept separate so reference evidence cannot silently become an availability claim.

Pilkington Optiphon — published UK acoustic values

Pilkington describes Optiphon as acoustic laminated glass using a specialist PVB interlayer. It can be used as single glazing or incorporated into insulating glass units and can be combined with other compatible functions such as thermal insulation, solar control or self-cleaning. Pilkington's UK sound-insulation table publishes the following monolithic values:

The GLAZIE Master Catalogue also contains an older controlled Pilkington reference set sourced from Pilkington ref. 8222 (recorded as 2020). Some values in that historical reference differ slightly from the currently published UK table, so this page gives precedence to the current manufacturer publication and does not present the older values as current product declarations.

Pilkington Optiphon — measured IGU reference builds held by GLAZIE

These exact-build rows are held in the controlled Master Catalogue as measured acoustic IGU references. They are reference-only and not proof of current stock. Performance belongs to the recorded construction; do not transfer a result to a different pane order, thickness or cavity.

Pilkington Optiphon product information · Pilkington UK sound-insulation table.

Saint-Gobain STADIP SILENCE

Saint-Gobain Glass UK states that STADIP SILENCE acoustic performances are tested and certified in acoustic test reports. Its published product data includes a 10.8A / 24 mm air / 14.8SS acoustic unit at Rw 51 dB, C -1, Ctr -4, while published 8.8SS / 16 / 6 solar-control sealed-unit examples are Rw 42 dB, C -2, Ctr -7. Its acoustic calculator also exposes many single, double and triple test configurations with report references.

Saint-Gobain STADIP SILENCE technical data · Saint-Gobain acoustic calculator.

AGC Stratophone

AGC describes Stratophone as acoustic laminated glass using a special acoustic PVB interlayer. AGC explains performance using Rw, C and Ctr and states that noise-reduction performance is measured by official notified laboratories, with certificates available on request. The range can combine acoustic performance with safety, thermal insulation, solar control, privacy and other functions depending on the exact product variant.

AGC Stratophone product and document library.

Ordering rule: manufacturer reference data helps select a technical direction; GLAZIE seller/component availability determines what can actually be bought online. If a required reference build is not currently selectable, send the exact specification for an availability check.

Argon is primarily a thermal choice, not an acoustic upgrade. Pilkington's noise-control guidance says air, argon and krypton do not create a meaningful difference in acoustic performance in normal insulating-glass cavities. Likewise, small changes between ordinary IGU cavity widths are not the main route to better sound insulation.

A much larger separation, as used in properly designed secondary glazing, is a different system and can produce a useful acoustic improvement. For conventional sealed units, focus first on pane mass, pane asymmetry, acoustic lamination and the tested whole-unit rating.

Triple glazing is not automatically quieter. Three ordinary similar panes can have a modest acoustic rating, while an engineered acoustic double unit can be much stronger. Conversely, an engineered triple unit using asymmetric heavy and acoustic laminated panes can achieve very high performance. Compare the exact tested construction and the relevant Rw + C or Rw + Ctr figure — not the number of panes.

Current UK standards separate the laboratory measurement from the single-number rating and from glazing product declarations:

• BS EN ISO 10140-2:2021 — laboratory measurement of airborne sound insulation for building elements including glazing, windows and façade elements.
• BS EN ISO 717-1:2020 — converts frequency-dependent airborne sound-insulation results into the single-number ratings used for comparison.
• BS EN 12758:2019+A1:2023 — covers airborne sound-insulation properties and extension rules for glass products used in glazed assemblies.

GLAZIE's current supplier comparison dataset was originally tested under the predecessor BS EN ISO 140-3 method and rated to BS EN ISO 717-1. It remains labelled with that provenance instead of being presented as though it had been retested under a newer standard.

BS EN 12758 also warns that glass performance can change when incorporated into a complete window because of frame design, frame material, mounting, glazing method and airtightness. For a contractual whole-window or façade requirement, use the required system test or an acoustic consultant's specification.

BS EN 12758 current BSI record · BS EN ISO 10140-2 current BSI record · BS EN ISO 717-1 current BSI record

Acoustic glass does not, by itself, create a blanket statement of compliance with Approved Document E. Approved Document E deals with resistance to the passage of sound in relevant building situations, while the installed façade or separating construction includes much more than the centre glass pane. Where a project has a planning condition, façade target, school specification, residential conversion requirement or other contractual acoustic criterion, obtain the required design or test evidence for the complete construction.

Approved Document E — GOV.UK.