Manufactured in India, supplied in Chicago
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl in Chicago
We manufacture soundBlanket mass loaded vinyl 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.
- Density
- 2100 kg per cubic metre
- 2.5 mm
- STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
- 4 mm
- STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
- 6 mm
- 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
- Roll size
- 5 x 1.2 m, 6 sq m per roll
- Lead time
- 4 to 7 working days
- Minimum order
- From 10 rolls
- 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
Manufacturer, not reseller. We hold no local approvals and will not imply we do. You get the price the factory quotes, material that matches across a large order, and advice that sometimes talks you out of a purchase.
01 / What it is
The material, and what it actually does on a Chicago job
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. It is the barrier product, not an absorber, and it is the right answer when the problem is noise passing through a structure.
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.
- Wall, decoupled Independent stud, membrane between the boards, cavity absorption, two boards. The membrane is one part of a system, never the whole answer.
- Floor, floating Membrane under a resilient layer and a floating deck, so impact energy is broken before it reaches the slab.
- Duct and plant wrap Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
- What it will not do Mass fixed hard to an existing wall gives far less than the same mass on an independent leaf. If we are told the wall cannot be thickened, we will say what the membrane will and will not achieve rather than quote the laboratory figure and let the site find out.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for SoundBlanket MLV are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Chicago.
02 / Specification sheet
Published specification, identical wherever we ship it
These figures are published and they do not move. The thing worth arguing about is not the number on the sheet, it is which grade and which build-up suits the room you are treating.
- 2.5 mmSTC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m. Ducts, light partitions, retrofit where depth is tight
- 4 mmSTC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m. Party walls, floors, plant rooms, the common specification
- 6 mm12.6 kg per sq m. Machine enclosures and low frequency problems
| Density | 2100 kg per cubic metre |
|---|---|
| 2.5 mm | STC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m |
| 4 mm | STC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m |
| 6 mm | 12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request |
| Roll size | 5 x 1.2 m, 6 sq m per roll |
| Form | Limp sheet, cuts with a knife, seams lapped and sealed |
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 the buildings in Chicago do to the specification
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Sealed against hard winters
Buildings close up for months and mechanical systems run hard, so sound accumulates inside rather than escaping.
- 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 / Durability
Why the climate in Chicago changes the material, not the target
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
How material reaches a Chicago 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 | Rolls on core tubes, wrapped and end capped, 5 x 1.2 m. Weights on the packing list, because a full roll is heavy and site access matters. |
| Lead time | 4 to 7 working days. Full container quantities scheduled against the vessel. |
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 as on domestic orders.
| 2.5 mm and 4 mm | 10 rolls, 60 sq m |
|---|---|
| 6 mm and other thicknesses | 10 tonnes per thickness |
A SoundBlanket roll is 5 x 1.2 m, which is 6 sq m. At 2100 kg per cubic metre a roll weighs about 31.5 kg at 2.5 mm and about 50.4 kg at 4 mm, so a 10 roll minimum is 60 sq m and roughly 315 kg at 2.5 mm or 504 kg at 4 mm.
06 / Before you buy
Four honest warnings before you buy
-
The wrong product for the problem
Mass fixed hard to an existing wall gives far less than the same mass on an independent leaf. If we are told the wall cannot be thickened, we will say what the membrane will and will not achieve rather than quote the laboratory figure and let the site find out.
-
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.
-
Suppliers who imply a Chicago presence
Ask any supplier where the material is made and who carries the warranty. We make it at Palwal in Haryana and we say so on every page, including this one.
Chicago: questions we are actually asked
Are these soundBlanket mass loaded vinyl made 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 changes the specification on a Chicago job?
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.
Is this the right material for Chicago conditions?
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.
When would material land on a Chicago 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. 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.
Where do soundBlanket mass loaded vinyl fail to help?
Mass fixed hard to an existing wall gives far less than the same mass on an independent leaf. If we are told the wall cannot be thickened, we will say what the membrane will and will not achieve rather than quote the laboratory figure and let the site find out.
What quantity do we have to order, and in what packaging?
The same minimums apply on export as on domestic orders. 2.5 mm and 4 mm, 10 rolls, 60 sq m. 6 mm and other thicknesses, 10 tonnes per thickness. A SoundBlanket roll is 5 x 1.2 m, which is 6 sq m. At 2100 kg per cubic metre a roll weighs about 31.5 kg at 2.5 mm and about 50.4 kg at 4 mm, so a 10 roll minimum is 60 sq m and roughly 315 kg at 2.5 mm or 504 kg at 4 mm. Rolls on core tubes, wrapped and end capped, 5 x 1.2 m. Weights on the packing list, because a full roll is heavy and site access matters.
Next step
Tell us the room, we will tell you the build-up
One drawing gets you a proper answer. Build-up, quantities, a delivered date, and an honest note on anything we think is the wrong approach.