Overview
ISO 10140-4:2021 - Acoustics - Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements - Part 4: Measurement procedures and requirements - specifies basic laboratory measurement procedures for airborne and impact sound insulation of building elements. It defines the measurement framework used by test laboratories and acoustic practitioners to obtain repeatable, comparable data on how walls, floors and other building elements reduce sound transmission in controlled test facilities.
Key Topics and Requirements
This part of the ISO 10140 series focuses on measurement procedures and practical requirements, including:
- Frequency range and measurement bandwidths for laboratory tests.
- Sound pressure level (SPL) measurement rules, including energy-average sound pressure level and averaging times.
- Microphone positions: guidance for fixed microphone arrays and continuously moving microphones and minimum separation principles.
- Procedures for airborne sound insulation: general method options (fixed vs. moving microphones; single vs. multiple or moving loudspeakers).
- Procedures for impact sound insulation: approaches for tapping machines and impact sources with fixed and moving microphone strategies.
- Reverberation time and equivalent sound absorption area measurement methods for rooms and test facilities.
- Structural reverberation time (acceleration decay) and radiated sound power estimation based on surface velocity measurements.
- Correction for background noise and data handling rules to ensure valid results.
- Annex material for additional low-frequency measurement procedures.
All techniques are intended for use in qualified laboratory test environments and are consistent with the wider ISO 10140 structure.
Applications and Users
ISO 10140-4:2021 is essential for anyone involved in building acoustics testing, including:
- Accredited acoustical test laboratories conducting laboratory sound insulation tests.
- Acoustic consultants and engineers performing product comparison, specification, and verification.
- Manufacturers of walls, floors, doors and glazing that require standardized lab testing for development and quality control.
- Regulatory bodies and certification schemes that reference laboratory sound insulation data for compliance and labeling.
- Building designers and façade engineers assessing acoustic performance at the component level before installation.
Using these standardized measurement procedures enables consistent test data for product development, compliance, and comparative performance claims.
Related Standards
ISO 10140-4 is part of the ISO 10140 series. Relevant documents referenced include:
- ISO 10140-1, -2, -3, -5 (application rules, airborne and impact procedures, facility requirements)
- ISO 3382-2 (reverberation time in ordinary rooms)
- ISO 10848-1 and ISO 18233 (flanking transmission and new measurement methods)
Keywords: ISO 10140-4:2021, acoustics, sound insulation, laboratory measurement, airborne sound insulation, impact sound insulation, reverberation time, microphone positions, acoustic test procedures.