Acoustic Panels

Acoustic panels are flat, fabric-covered furnishings designed to be fixed to walls and/or ceilings. They are made of board, covered with a layer of 18mm-thick insulating foam and finished with a choice of fabric; either MacFlex 182 or Camira Era fabric - available in a range of different colours. Also known as sound baffles or soundproofing panels, they are designed to prevent sound echoing around a large room, offering a quieter and more peaceful working environment and are available in a range of different shapes, sizes and colours. These panels can be configured in geometric patterns to create a feature wall in any office or room. 

The height at which your acoustic panels should be hung will depend on the particular noise sources in your location. Typically, for absorbing spoken sound and chatter, panels hung at head height are most effective. If you’re focusing your acoustic panels on the walls, we recommend beginning with around 15-20% wall coverage, and add to this as needed. 

The effectiveness of acoustic panels is measured using an NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) number. The NRC is an average rating of how much sound an acoustic product can absorb; for example, an NRC of 0 means that the product absorbs no sound, whereas an NRC of 1 means that the product absorbs all sound. The higher the NRC, the better the product is at soaking up the sound.

Acoustic panels can absolutely be used to make a feature wall. With our range of wall tiles in geometric shapes, you can create stylish and aesthetic displays which are in tune with your office decor. In fact, our acoustic panels are so versatile, you can even use them in your home!

For a minimalist look, we recommend choosing either the same size tile (or different sized tiles in corresponding shapes) and a tone-on-tone colour scheme for a subtle and elegant design. Or, if you want a more bold look, you can mix and match colours and shapes to create a bold and eye-catching look. Our Tetratak™ collection, for example, have been designed in homage to the classic computer game Tetris™, so you can play around with interlocking tiles of different shapes.

Acoustic panels are easy to hang and offer two mounting options; traditional keyhole brackets or 3M Command™️ Strips. The standard keyhole bracket fixing requires drilling, which is a permanent solution, and if removed, the holes in the wall would need filling.

The 3M Command™️ Strip fixing option is a slightly more expensive choice, but it makes mounting the decorative wall panels easier when trying to configure a bespoke design. It also won’t damage your walls when removed, making it easier to move or reconfigure your panels. 

You can arrange your decorative wall panels in any format you like. Our extensive range of modern, geometric baffle tiles has been conceived with a variety of different graphic shapes which can lock together in different ways to create an almost endless array of contemporary designs. With the large fabric colour spectrum available, it is easy to create a stylish and modern design using your decorative baffle panels. Mix and match tonal hues, or combine rich, bright colours for an eye-catching finish. In your hands, these soundproofing panels can become art in their own right - as well as serving a practical purpose.

Acoustic panels are typically used in offices or work environments that have very few soft furnishings. In these locations, sound echoes loudly around the space, and businesses will benefit from installing acoustic wall panels to mute the sound and create a more productive working environment. They are also suitable for use in home offices and studies, canteens and dining areas, meeting rooms, reception areas, showrooms, schools colleges and universities. 

When installing office wall panelling, first you need to work out where the primary points of sound reflection are in your space. These will vary location to location, but in general, head height (when seated or standing) is a good place to start as this is where the majority of spoken sound will come from. We recommend beginning with around 15-20% acoustic tile coverage on your office walls, which you can increase as required. Alternatively, you can install acoustic panels on the ceiling for a more discreet finish; in this case, you should begin by filling around 23-35% of the ceiling. Ceiling panels are particularly effective in spaces with high ceilings.

Our soundproofing acoustic tiles are available in the following price ranges:

• Quadrum™ - £49 to £68
• Stratos™ - £50 to £72
• Carrera™ - £49 to £73
• Virage™ - £53 to £72
• Countach™ - £55 to £74
• Zagato™ - £51 to £74
• Zenartro™ - £55 to £79
• Tetratak™ - £65 to £91

We recommend starting with around 20% acoustic wall panelling coverage. A cost estimate for an office measuring 5m x 5m (x H3m) using our Quadrum™ square 400mm x 400mm panels (30 panels) would be roughly:

MacFlex 182

• Using keyhole bracket fixing: £1,470
• Using 3M Command™️ Strips: £1,770

Camira Cara

• Using keyhole bracket fixing: £1,770
• Using 3M Command™️ Strips: £2,040

Please note: our acoustic wall panelling is extremely effective in minimising noise reverberation; but the panels alone will not totally soundproof a space without additional measures such as soundproof doors and windows, etc.

Whether or not acoustic panels damage walls has to do with the kind of wall attachment you choose. The standard keyhole bracket fixing requires drilling, which is a permanent solution, and if removed, the holes in the wall would need filling.

Choosing the 3M Command™️ Strip fixing option is a slightly more expensive option, but it won’t damage your walls when removed, making it easier to move or reconfigure your panels. It also makes mounting the decorative wall panels easier when trying to configure a bespoke design. 

Reverberation is what happens when sound hits a hard surface and it reflects back out into the room.  It is defined as: ‘the length of time required for sound to decay 60 decibels from its initial level’. Acoustic wall panels are designed and manufactured from specific materials to reduce the amount that sound can reverberate around a space by absorbing it, which helps to reduce noise pollution in busy, open plan offices. 

Studies have shown that an empty room, measuring 3m x 4m x H2m, will have an average reverberation time of 1.0 second. Covering 60% of the room’s walls in 40mm-thick acoustic wall panels (with a NRC - Noise Reduction Coefficient - of 0.55) reduces the reverberation time to 0.5 seconds, for a 50% reduction. Installing 64mm-thick acoustic wall panels (with a NRC of 0.90) across 60% of the room’s walls will reduce the reverberation time to 0.3 seconds - this is a 70% reduction.

Yes, we do sell bespoke acoustic panels. Thanks to UK manufacturing we can design and manufacture bespoke acoustic panels to any shape or size depending on your requirement. If you require something more bespoke than our standard wall panels then please get in touch with our team or call 01733 511030. 

Our Acoustic Panels are supplied with a 5-year warranty against manufacturing defects. We offer a 100% customer satisfaction warranty - if you are not happy, we will fix it. It is that simple.

All our wall panels are manufactured in the UK. XL Displays are proud of our products, quality and service and we would love to prove it. If you need any information regarding on our range, please contact us or call: 01733 511030