WOOL IS QUIETER

Steven Parsons 03 August 2021
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Wool is an excellent sound absorber and can reduce noise by up to 55%, creating a more relaxing environment.

Due to the millions of wool fibres in textiles such as carpets, curtains and cushions, wool is one of the most effective materials for controlling noise indoors. The complex make-up enables it to absorb sounds over a wide range of frequencies making it a popular material in shared spaces such as offices, libraries, hotels, and homes.

WOOL IS QUIETER

Wool carpets can be tested for their acoustic properties.

WOOL IMPROVES ROOM ACOUSTICS

Wool is increasingly used in the workplace to create a healthier and more productive environment for employees. The excellent acoustic properties of wool will help project a clear sound through the room and absorb other noises that could be distracting - a real benefit in noisy environments as background noise can reduce concentration by over 80%.

Wool carpet improves room acoustics in that it acts as a sound absorber and dampens any noise impact in a room, such as footsteps, furniture movement and dropped objects. In contrast, a hard, flat flooring surface is more likely to generate impact noise and act as a sound reflector which, in turn, intensifies the level of noise in a room.

Sound attenuation provided by a range of interior materials (IWTO 2021)

Sound is transmitted by the vibration of air molecules. The porosity of the surface of carpets means that sound waves can penetrate the pile, rather than being reflected into the room as they would from a smooth surface.

 

 

Otapiri wool carpet is great for a quiet zone.

Carpets are extremely effective sound absorbers because the individual fibres, pile tufts and underlay have different resonant frequencies at which they absorb sound. In this respect, wool carpets are particularly effective.

 

 

References:  

  • D Williams, Review of the Acoustical Properties of Carpet, Report 067-110, Graeme E Harding and Associates Pty Ltd, Balwyn North, Australia, August 2006.
  • Y Z Shoshani and M A Wilding, Effect of pile parameters on the noise absorption capacity of tufted carpets, Textile Research Journal, 1991, 61(12), 736-742.
  • Acoustic Comfort, Fact Sheet, Carpet Institute of Australia Ltd, • Acoustical Characteristics of Carpets, Technical Bulletin, The Carpet and Rug Institute, Dalton, GA, February 2000.
  • R D Ford and P G H Bakker, The acoustical properties of various carpet and underlay combinations, Journal of the Textile Institute, 1984, 3, 164-174.
  • L Meckel, Sound absorbing properties of textile floor coverings, Melliand Textileberichte (English translation), 1982, 11(5), 335-337.
  • Ballagh, K.O, 1995 Acoustical properties of wool, Marshall Day Associates. • International Wool Textile Organisation, 2010, Wool for Interior Textiles, 12p. • McNeil, S. J., 1999. Acoustic Advantages of Wool Carpeting. WRONZ Technical Bulletin. • Schust M., 2004 Effects of low frequency noise up to 100 Hz, Noise Health, 6: 73 - 85.
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MORE INSIGHTS

HOW OUR WOOL CARPETS ARE MADE

It takes skill and great wool to make an awesome carpet.  It all starts on our farms where most of the hard work is done by our sheep.  It takes most a year for a sheep to produce a fleece.  Sheep convert grass into wool as part of a natural carbon cycle, we humans borrow the wool during its life as a carpet.

This little video shows how we get from lush green grass to a carpet for your home.

SUPER LOW CARBON

Growing Wools of New Zealand fibre is actually reducing greenhouse gas, which is kind of cool.

Our wool is great for the environment. Wool is a rapidly renewable and 100% biodegradable material.

Recent studies show it also helps to keep the planet cool.

Wool is made by sheep. Sheep eat grass (which traps C02) and turn it into wool, which contains 51% carbon, and then there are the trees...

ASTHMA & ALLERGY SAFE WOOL

You can breathe easy thanks to wool’s natural air filtering capabilities, trapping allergens like dust and pollen.

Wool carpets are completely safe for asthma and allergy sufferers.

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