Manufactured in India, supplied in Chicago
Acoustic foam and BassBloc in Chicago
We manufacture acoustic foam and BassBloc at our own plant at Palwal in Haryana, India, and supply them into Chicago. Made at our own plant in India, shipped into an East or Gulf coast port and railed inland, with that leg quoted separately so the dates are real.
- BassBloc size
- 1800 x 900 mm
- BassBloc thickness
- 20 mm
- BassBloc density
- 100 kg per cubic metre
- Effective range
- 100 to 500 Hz
- BassBloc NRC
- 0.85
- Lead time
- 4 to 7 working days
- Minimum order
- From 200 sq ft
- Made at our own plant, Palwal, Haryana, India
- One batch across the order, no blending between runs
- Test reports sent on request, not just quoted
We make this ourselves and ship it to you. No local branch, no borrowed certifications, no dealer margin. One batch across the whole order, and an honest answer when the product is wrong for the problem.
01 / The product
What this is, and what it changes in a Chicago room
Open cell foam shapes for high frequency control, and BassBloc, a high density absorber built for the low mid range where ordinary foam does nothing.
Work reaching us from Chicago is mostly two-flats and three-flats, high-rise apartments, offices, venues, schools, clinics.
American homes are timber frame with gypsum board on both faces, so a party wall or a basement ceiling has almost no mass. Adding a second leaf with a limp membrane between does more than any amount of surface treatment.
- Corner loading Low frequency energy collects in corners, so absorber in the corners does more than the same area spread across a wall.
- First reflection points Mirror trick placement on side walls and ceiling, which is a handful of panels rather than a lined room.
- Behind a fabric frame Where the room has to look finished, absorber inside a frame rather than foam on show.
- What it will not do Thin foam on a wall is the most over-sold product in this industry. It controls flutter and nothing below it.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for acoustic foam and bass traps are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Chicago.
02 / Specification
Published specification, identical wherever we ship it
Nothing below changes by location. The decisions that do change are grade, thickness and how the material is mounted, and those are covered further down.
- Foam wedge and pyramidLow density. Flutter and high frequency only
- BassBloc100 kg per cubic metre. Low mid absorption, control rooms, live rooms
| BassBloc size | 1800 x 900 mm |
|---|---|
| BassBloc thickness | 20 mm |
| BassBloc density | 100 kg per cubic metre |
| Effective range | 100 to 500 Hz |
| BassBloc NRC | 0.85 |
Consultants get the raw data, not a sales sheet. That is the whole of our side of the job, and it is set out under working with acoustic consultants.
03 / In this market
What we see driving Chicago briefs
- Elevated rail past the window
Trains at window height put noise in through the glazing, not through the wall. The facade is where the money should go first.
- Brick outside, timber inside
Two-flats and three-flats have solid masonry outside and timber floors between families. Footfall travels down and masonry does nothing about it.
- Sealed against hard winters
Buildings close up for months and mechanical systems run hard, so sound accumulates inside rather than escaping.
- No port, so plan the inland leg
Everything arrives at a coast and rails in. We quote the sea leg and the inland leg separately.
- The housing stock
American homes are timber frame with gypsum board on both faces, so a party wall or a basement ceiling has almost no mass. Adding a second leaf with a limp membrane between does more than any amount of surface treatment.
- The studio and content scene
Home and project studios go into basements and converted garages with equipment budgets far ahead of the building. The room leaks to the floor above long before it sounds wrong inside.
If you are specifying for a Chicago project, we can give you a section, a BOQ and the honest limits of each layer. See how we support architects.
04 / Conditions
Durability in Chicago, before acoustics is discussed
Chicago is mild summers and cold, wet winters, and that narrows the sensible material list before acoustics is even discussed.
Cold external walls and long heating seasons make condensation behind a lining the thing to design out. PET felt is unaffected by damp air.
The risk we design against here is condensation and cold bridging behind new linings.
Designers get colour, pattern and CNC options with the absorption figure attached to each. See how we work with interior designers.
05 / Getting it there
Supply into Chicago, start to site
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | An East or Gulf coast port, then rail and road inland |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea, then rail inland |
| Packing | Compressed and boxed for foam, palletised flat for BassBloc. |
| Lead time | 4 to 7 working days. |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into an East or Gulf coast port, then rail and road to Chicago. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
The same minimums apply on export.
| Acoustic foam | 200 sq ft, about 19 sq m |
|---|---|
| BassBloc | 300 sq ft, about 28 sq m |
| Bass traps | 10 pieces |
A BassBloc panel is 1800 x 900 mm, which is 1.62 sq m or about 17.4 sq ft, so the BassBloc minimum is roughly 17 panels.
06 / Worth knowing
What we will tell you that a reseller will not
-
The wrong product for the problem
Thin foam on a wall is the most over-sold product in this industry. It controls flutter and nothing below it. If the complaint is boom, bass from a neighbour, or a room that sounds uneven at low frequency, foam is the wrong purchase and we will say so.
-
A number chased without a measurement
If nobody has measured the room or set a target, the specification is a guess with a decimal point in it. We will ask for the target before we quote the quantity.
-
Local approvals that nobody actually holds
We hold no Chicago certification and we will not borrow one. The test data we publish is ours, and we will send the reports rather than describe them.
07 / In projects
How it looks once it is installed
Chicago: questions we are actually asked
Do you manufacture acoustic foam and BassBloc in Chicago?
No, and we will not say otherwise. We manufacture at our own plant at Palwal in Haryana, India, and supply into Chicago as the manufacturer rather than through a dealer. Made at our own plant in India, shipped into an East or Gulf coast port and railed inland, with that leg quoted separately so the dates are real. You buy at factory prices with one consistent batch across the order.
What do you look at first on a Chicago enquiry?
Trains at window height put noise in through the glazing, not through the wall. The facade is where the money should go first. Two-flats and three-flats have solid masonry outside and timber floors between families. Footfall travels down and masonry does nothing about it. Those two things move the build-up far more than the panel figure does.
Will this material last in the Chicago climate?
Chicago is mild summers and cold, wet winters. Cold external walls and long heating seasons make condensation behind a lining the thing to design out. PET felt is unaffected by damp air. The failure we design against here is condensation and cold bridging behind new linings.
How quickly can material reach a site in Chicago?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: An East or Gulf coast port, then rail and road inland, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
When are acoustic foam and BassBloc the wrong purchase?
Thin foam on a wall is the most over-sold product in this industry. It controls flutter and nothing below it. If the complaint is boom, bass from a neighbour, or a room that sounds uneven at low frequency, foam is the wrong purchase and we will say so.
Is there a minimum order, and how does it arrive?
The same minimums apply on export. Acoustic foam, 200 sq ft, about 19 sq m. BassBloc, 300 sq ft, about 28 sq m. Bass traps, 10 pieces. A BassBloc panel is 1800 x 900 mm, which is 1.62 sq m or about 17.4 sq ft, so the BassBloc minimum is roughly 17 panels. Compressed and boxed for foam, palletised flat for BassBloc.
Next step
Drawings in, BOQ and a delivered date out
We quote from drawings, not from a square foot rate. Send a plan and the section through the critical wall or ceiling and you will get something you can actually build from.