Hear the difference your glass makes
Tell us what is outside, which room it is and which glass you are considering, then press play. You will hear how quiet it would be indoors, and whether that is quiet enough.
Indoors with the window closed
39 dB(A)
About as loud as a quiet living room.
9 dB louder than recommended for a bedroom at night- Outside: 72 dB(A)
- Window open: 59 dB(A)
- 4mm float / 20 / 4mm float: 47 dB(A)
Glass alone may not get there: the frame, seals and vents matter too. Ask our glazing team
What’s outside your window?
Which room is it?
Recommended for this room: 30 dB(A) or less (UK guideline BS 8233).
Choose your glass
Already building a unit? Open the configurator (opens in a new tab) and your glass will appear here.
Technical details
Ratings, frequency curve and method — for specifiers and trade
6.8mm acoustic / 16 / 6mm float
For busy road compare on Rw + Ctr: road traffic and bass sit in the low bands, which Rw + Ctr weights.
Where the noise gets through
Sound reduction by octave band: taller is quieter. Traffic and aircraft live in the low bands on the left, where every window is weakest; the 2 and 4 kHz bands show the coincidence dip of float glass and how an acoustic laminate damps it.
- Your glass (6.8mm acoustic / 16 / 6mm float)
- 4mm float / 20 / 4mm float
- Window open
| Band | Your glass (6.8mm acoustic / 16 / 6mm float) | 4mm float / 20 / 4mm float | Window open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 Hz | 22 | 15 | 9 |
| 250 Hz | 27 | 19 | 11 |
| 500 Hz | 34 | 27 | 13 |
| 1 kHz | 43 | 35 | 14 |
| 2 kHz | 41 | 38 | 15 |
| 4 kHz | 45 | 40 | 15 |
Curve for your glass: the published laboratory octave-band test of 6 / 16 argon / Optiphon 6.8 — Pilkington ref. 8222, set to the 38 dB this shop quotes for the make-up. Window open: 9–15 dB across the bands, 13 dB(A) against road traffic (BS 8233:2014: 10–15 dB; Defra NANR116 measured 12–18 dB(A) for a 0.05 m² opening).
How the simulation works
- The headline figure is the shop’s. Rw, Rw + C and Rw + Ctr come from the same acoustic engine and measured whole-unit ratings our configurator prices from. A tested make-up is marked Measured; any other is the engine’s conservative Estimated figure, accurate to about ±2 dB.
- The curve is laboratory where we have one, modelled where we do not, then shifted so it rates at exactly the headline figure. Neither is a test certificate for your unit.
- The sound is synthesised, shaped to each scene’s published spectrum and filtered band by band through that curve.
- Your room will differ. Frame, seals, trickle vents and the wall all matter, and an acoustic pane on its own does not demonstrate Approved Document E compliance.