COMMON ACOUSTIC CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Wood and metal studs and joists – construction framing members with which most of you are familiar. The most common framing for walls is either 2x4 wood studs or 3.5” metal studs. Which is more cost effective – metal or wood – will largely depend on the relative price of wood and steel in different parts of the country. For acoustical purposes, metal does offer resiliency benefits worth considering for maximum benefit. For those of you that are not used to building things, bear in mind when figuring your dimensions that lumber is not really the actual dimensions indicated by the name. For instance, a 2x4 is not; it is actually 1½"x3½". A 2x6 is 1½"x5½", etc.

Gypsum wallboard (“GWB,” “drywall,” “SheetRock”) is commonly available in ½” and ?" thicknesses. It is far and away the most common building material in North America for interior finish construction. Unless you have a home built prior to the 1950s, you probably have gypsum board finish to your walls and ceilings. (Plaster on lathe was much more common – and incidentally much better for sound isolation than gypsum board – in homes prior to the construction boom of the 1950s.)

Plywood is usually ¾" (but is available in a variety of thicknesses from larger lumber yards) and is either available with flat edges, or with tongue and groove edges for tight floor construction.

The Particleboard family:

• Low density fiberboard, or LDF, is typically called chipboard. It’s the stuff out of which most inexpensive, DIY furniture is made.
• Medium density fiberboard, or MDF, is more typical of shelving and loudspeaker enclosures. It has some very good acoustical properties and we like using it for many varied applications.
• High density fiberboard, or HDF, is also available, but is quite rare and quite heavy. Very high-end cabinetry will often employ HDF.
• Oriented strand board, or OSB, is often used in residential construction as a low-cost floor underlayment.
• Straight up particleboard is usually a version of LDF, but can also be the name given to a higher grade of OSB.
• Other materials we make mention of in Acoustics 101 include gypsum board screws of various thread sizes and lengths, construction adhesives including vinyl flooring adhesive, silicone caulk, etc. Wherever possible, we have provided make, model and cost information as appropriate for any non-Auralex materials we mention.