Manufactured in India, supplied in Chicago
Soundproofing materials in Chicago
We manufacture soundproofing materials 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.
- SoundBlanket MLV
- 2100 kg per cubic metre. 2.5 mm STC 30 at 5.25 kg per sq m, 4 mm STC 34 at 8.4, 6 mm at 12.6
- BassBloc
- 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85
- Principle
- Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing
- Test standards
- ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- Lead time
- 4 to 7 working days for stock items
- ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber
- Made at our own plant, Palwal, Haryana, India
- One batch across the order, no blending between runs
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 / Start here
The product, described honestly, for a Chicago brief
The blocking side of the range taken together: mass loaded vinyl, resilient layers, cavity absorption and the build-ups they belong in. This is the page for someone whose problem is noise getting through, not a room that sounds wrong.
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.
- Independent leaf A second wall that does not touch the first. Nothing else comes close for the money.
- Resilient bar Where a full independent leaf will not fit. Effective, and very easy to short circuit with one wrong screw.
- Floating floor Resilient layer and deck, to break impact energy before it reaches the structure.
- What it will not do Soundproofing fails at the gaps, not the materials. A service penetration, a back to back socket, or a door undercut will undo a correctly built wall.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for our soundproofing materials are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Chicago.
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl BassBloc sound absorber Wall soundproofing systems
02 / Specification
The published figures, unchanged by location
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.
- Light retrofit2.5 mm membrane. Where depth is not available
- Standard partition4 mm membrane on an independent leaf. The common specification
- Heavy6 mm membrane and full decoupling. Plant, machine enclosure, low frequency
| SoundBlanket MLV | 2100 kg per cubic metre. 2.5 mm STC 30 at 5.25 kg per sq m, 4 mm STC 34 at 8.4, 6 mm at 12.6 |
|---|---|
| BassBloc | 1800 x 900 x 20 mm, 100 kg per cubic metre, NRC 0.85 |
| Principle | Mass, then decoupling, then cavity absorption, then sealing |
| Test standards | ASTM E90 for the barrier, ASTM C423 for the absorber |
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 / On the ground
The Chicago conditions that change the answer
- 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.
- 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.
- Plant and HVAC
Packaged rooftop units and ducted forced air are standard, so noise arrives through the duct rather than through the wall. Lining the first three metres of duct and treating the return path is usually the whole job.
- 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.
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 / Climate
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.
For a Chicago interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
05 / Supply
Getting it to Chicago, with real dates
| 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, boards palletised, fixings and tapes listed on the same packing list. |
| Lead time | 4 to 7 working days for stock items. |
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.
06 / Read this first
Four honest warnings before you buy
-
The wrong product for the problem
Soundproofing fails at the gaps, not the materials. A service penetration, a back to back socket, or a door undercut will undo a correctly built wall. We would rather spend the conversation on the detail than on the product.
-
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
The material in real interiors
Chicago: questions we are actually asked
Are these soundproofing materials 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 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.
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.
When are soundproofing materials the wrong purchase?
Soundproofing fails at the gaps, not the materials. A service penetration, a back to back socket, or a door undercut will undo a correctly built wall. We would rather spend the conversation on the detail than on the product.
How is the order packed and what is the minimum?
Minimum order is confirmed with the quote. Rolls on core tubes, boards palletised, fixings and tapes listed on the same packing list.
Next step
Drawings in, BOQ and a delivered date out
Send what you have. We will give you a layer by layer build-up, a bill of quantities and a date material lands, and we will flag anything in the brief that will not achieve what you want.