IIC 50: You — or your downstairs neighbor — would likely hear a lot of noise through the floors. This is the minimum rating for effective sound reduction. IIC 60: This middle-of-the-road rating provides moderate impact noise reduction. IIC 65: Most home or building owners want to aim for 65 and above.
Impact Insulation Class (IIC) measures a floor/celling assembly's resistance to the transmission of impact sound, such as foot-fall or a chair dragging on the floor. Flooring systems with premium acoustic underlayment usually have an IIC rating above 70.
Higher numbers signify better noise reduction. IIC 50 would be considered the least amount of acceptable impact sound transmission between occupied floors and would be unsatisfactory to many occupying the lower floor.
It will work with all floating floor applications, like laminate, vinyl planks and engineered woods. It has an excellent R-value rating to help insulate the floor. The sound rating is up to: IIC 72/STC 66/Delta IIC 26 to help buffer noise between floors.
The STC rating for a basic wood structure floor/ceiling is 40-43. The STC rating for a six inch concrete sub-floor is 52-55. A good level of isolation for walls and ceilings is STC 50 plus. A high level of isolation for walls is STC 60 plus with ceilings at STC 50 plus.
IIC 50: You — or your downstairs neighbor — would likely hear a lot of noise through the floors. This is the minimum rating for effective sound reduction. IIC 60: This middle-of-the-road rating provides moderate impact noise reduction. IIC 65: Most home or building owners want to aim for 65 and above.
Highest Ratings
With an IIC rating of 87 and a STC rating of 83, the SoundGuard ProMat is the highest rated Underlayment in both the Impact Insulation Class and Sound Transmission Class.
Pergo FloorMate has an Impact Insulation Class Rating up to 75, a Delta IIC rating of 22 and an Sound Transmission Class Rating of 66.
IIC stands for Impact Insulation Class. This is the rating given to flooring assemblies and determines how well they mitigate impact noise (footfall mostly). As opposed to STC, IIC rates the flooring assembly as a whole, not just the material on its own.
on the floor. Clean any wet spots immediately. Do not use steel wool or scouring powder which will abrade the coating.
The higher the IIC, the better the impact noise control of the element. An IIC of 55 is generally considered a good impact noise control. For reference, Parterre's loose lay LVT has an IIC of 64 and the rigid core click flooring has a score of 68. 2.
11mm cork floating floor achieves a “very good” IIC of 19.0 dB. The acoustic underlay 12mm cork underlay, alone, achieves 48 dB. Any acoustic floor installed over top (such as 11mm or acoustic underlay 12mm cork flooring) has the potential to achieve 68+ dB. In the acoustic industry, this is a huge advantage.
So, what is a “good” NRC rating when looking at acoustical materials? When you want to take meaningful steps to reduce echo and noise in a room, a good starting point would be materials with NRC ratings above 0.7. Noisier rooms may require a higher NRC rating, or more material.
Rubber. Rubber is a strong material that many prefer for underlayment. It is a popular choice due to its properties like cushioning, sound absorption and moisture resistance.
As a consumer, when you see a floor or underlay with a rating of IIC 72 or more, you can usually assume two things: The rating was very likely obtained using a high-performance assembly designed for the purpose of achieving a high IIC number, as shown in the example above.
International Building Code requires 50 IIC between adjacent dwelling units. Higher-end units often expect IIC ratings between 55-65.
The general ratings are as follows: IIC-STC 70 Virtually Sound Proof. IIC-STC 60 Superior Sound Proofing. IIC-STC 50 International Building Code. IIC-STC 40 Sound Proofing below most codes.
IIC values can range from as low as 25 for lightweight residential construction with no floor covering to over 65 for commercial construction with carpet. More typical values fall between 35 and 55.
Customers say the Pergo FloorMate Premium Foam Underlayment is easy to install and cut, thanks to its pre-marked grid lines and fan-fold design that prevents curling. Many appreciate its sound-dampening qualities and added cushioning, making floors feel warmer and more comfortable.
Impact Insulation Class (IIC), a rating system that shows how well acoustic underlay reduces sound transmission, is used to quantify this absorption. The underlay's ability to block noise increases with its IIC rating.
The IIC is a standard in sound proofing for floating and laminate style of flooring but you need to consider the impact on noise even with glue down which some trades will indicate does not require it.
DRICORE Insul-Armor is the most premium subfloor. With an R-value of 4.1, DRICORE Insul-Armor provides one of the highest R-values in the market, meaning maximum warmth and comfort for your family.
Because of this, some condos, apartments and shared buildings have an IIC rating minimum above even the national building code minimum. The required IIC rating and STC rating is typically always somewhere in the 50-70 range.
Some of the top choices for quiet flooring include cork, due to its natural sound-absorbing properties; carpet, which is effective in dampening sound due to its dense fibers and padding; luxury vinyl, which can reduce sound transmission when equipped with a padded backing; engineered hardwood, which features multiple ...