Sourcing MLV in Southeast Asia: what to check before you buy
Surface density, test evidence, fire requirements and lead time — the four things that separate a usable MLV supply from a disappointing one.
Confirm the surface density, not the thickness
MLV is sold by thickness, but it performs by mass. Two membranes of identical thickness can differ in surface density and therefore in transmission loss. Ask for the figure in kg/m² and specify against it.
Ask what was measured, and how
An STC figure quoted without context is a marketing claim. Ask which standard was used and on what assembly the figure was measured — a barrier tested as part of a full partition build-up will read differently from the membrane alone.
Check the fire requirement early
Fire requirements vary across Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Singapore, and they change what you can install in a ceiling void or a plenum. Establish the requirement before the acoustic decision, not after — a fire-retardant formulation is a different product, quoted by its classification indices.
Lead time and regional stock
Acoustic barrier is usually specified late and needed quickly. A supplier holding regional stock in Southeast Asia solves a programme problem that an ex-Europe order does not.
Installation support and ancillaries
Most disappointing MLV results are installation failures: unsealed joints, unsealed perimeters, penetrations left open. Check that the supplier can provide the sealant, putty pads and adhesive alongside the membrane, and guidance on using them.
Products referenced
BB830 — The flagship acoustic optimized MLV barrier for walls, ceilings and floors where added mass has to fit in a shallow build-up. Aluminium faced, with the facing to the noise source, where it also acts as a vapour barrier.
BB830FR — The BB830 barrier in a fire-retardant formulation, for projects where the acoustic layer has to satisfy fire requirements as well as an STC target — with no loss of acoustic performance.
BB830LF — The heavy low-frequency sheet, tuned for bass energy — plant rooms, studios, cinemas and any partition where low-frequency transmission rather than speech is the complaint.
BB850 — Acoustic lagging for pipes and ductwork: a 5 kg/m² limp mass barrier over a hydrolysis-resistant polyether foam decoupling layer, foil faced. For noise break-out from PVC soil stacks, waste and hydraulic pipework and sheet-metal duct. Figures below are the manufacturer's declared data; the test report is available on request.
BB860 — A composite acoustic lining: a 6 kg/m² mass loaded vinyl barrier bonded between two 25 mm layers of polyether polyurethane foam. Barrier and absorber in one lining, for acoustic enclosures, generator and compressor housings and plant room linings. No acoustic test report is published for this composite yet, so no performance figures are quoted.
BB460 — Combined sound blocking and vibration damping, used where structure-borne energy matters as much as airborne — automotive, marine and industrial.
Supply in Southeast Asia
BlastBlock supplies the full range across
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore. Distribution enquiries:
info@blast-block.com.