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SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl soundproofing membrane used in projects in Abu Dhabi

Manufactured in India, supplied in San Francisco

SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl in San Francisco

We manufacture soundBlanket mass loaded vinyl at our own plant at Palwal in Haryana, India, and supply them into San Francisco. Made at our own plant in India and shipped into Oakland, across the bay, so the road leg to site is short.

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

This comes from our own plant, not a trading desk. We do not have an office in your city and we will not invent one. What we can give you is factory pricing, consistent material and a technical answer before you commit.

01 / Start here

What this is, and what it changes in a San Francisco room

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 San Francisco is mostly victorian conversions, tech offices, apartments, studios, restaurants, 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 San Francisco.

SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl

02 / Data sheet

The numbers, and they do not move by city

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
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl: published specification
Density2100 kg per cubic metre
2.5 mmSTC 30, 5.25 kg per sq m
4 mmSTC 34, 8.4 kg per sq m
6 mm12.6 kg per sq m, STC on request
Roll size5 x 1.2 m, 6 sq m per roll
FormLimp 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 / Local conditions

What decides the build-up in San Francisco

  • Timber Victorians

    Light framed, over a century old, and divided into flats. Low frequency passes easily and footfall travels straight down.

  • Depth costs real money

    At local rates a wall growing into the room is a significant number. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up on total cost.

  • Designed to move

    Seismic detailing requires junctions that stay flexible, so the acoustic layer must not stiffen across them.

  • Oakland is close

    A short road leg after the port keeps landed cost and timing predictable.

  • 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.

For a San Francisco practice, the useful thing is a detail you can put in a drawing set, not a brochure. See how we support architects.

04 / Climate

Durability in San Francisco, before acoustics is discussed

San Francisco 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 San Francisco interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.

05 / Getting it there

Supply into San Francisco, start to site

Supply into San Francisco
Ships fromPalwal, Haryana, India
Arrives atOakland, then a short road run across the bay
Dispatch4 to 7 working days
FreightSea via Oakland
PackingRolls 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 time4 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 Oakland, then a short road run to site. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.

The same minimums apply on export as on domestic orders.

Minimum order, soundblanket mass loaded vinyl
2.5 mm and 4 mm10 rolls, 60 sq m
6 mm and other thicknesses10 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 / Read this first

What we will tell you that a reseller will not

  • 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.

  • Square footage quoted before the room is understood

    Anyone can price a wall. Working out how much material the room actually needs usually reduces the order, which is why not everyone does it.

  • Suppliers who imply a San Francisco 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.

FAQ

San Francisco: questions we are actually asked

Where are the soundBlanket mass loaded vinyl you supply to San Francisco actually made?

No, and we will not say otherwise. We manufacture at our own plant at Palwal in Haryana, India, and supply into San Francisco as the manufacturer rather than through a dealer. Made at our own plant in India and shipped into Oakland, across the bay, so the road leg to site is short. You buy at factory prices with one consistent batch across the order.

What decides the specification for a San Francisco project?

Light framed, over a century old, and divided into flats. Low frequency passes easily and footfall travels straight down. At local rates a wall growing into the room is a significant number. A dense thin membrane usually beats a thicker framed build-up on total cost. Those two things move the build-up far more than the panel figure does.

How does the San Francisco climate affect this product?

San Francisco 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 San Francisco site?

ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Oakland, then a short road run across the bay, 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

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.