MLV versus plasterboard, mineral wool and damping compounds

A practical comparison of the common ways to add transmission loss to a partition, and which one to reach for in each situation.

Adding a board layer

An extra layer of dense board is cheap per square metre and easy to specify. It adds mass and, on a decoupled frame, works well. The cost is depth and weight, and on a refurbishment it may mean moving services, skirtings and door frames.

Mineral wool in the cavity

Cavity absorption is not a barrier — it damps resonance inside the cavity and improves the performance of a double-leaf partition. It is nearly always worth including, and nearly never sufficient on its own. Filling a cavity does not compensate for an under-massed leaf.

Damping compounds

Constrained-layer damping between two board layers targets coincidence dip and resonance. It performs well in the frequency range where board assemblies are weakest, but it requires two layers of board to work at all, so it does not solve a depth problem.

Mass loaded vinyl

MLV adds surface density in a few millimetres. That makes it the tool of choice when depth is fixed, when an existing partition has to be upgraded in place, or when the element to be treated is not a wall at all — ductwork, pipework, an enclosure, a floor build-up.

Per decibel it is not the cheapest option in new build, where you can simply design a deeper partition. It becomes the economical option the moment depth, weight or demolition is constrained.

How to choose in one line

New build with space: design the assembly properly. Refurbishment, tight build-up, or a non-wall element: MLV. Reverberation complaint: neither — you need absorption.

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.
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.

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