ACOUSTIC PANEL SPECIFICATION
Acoustic Panel Specification Template: Fix NRC, Fire Class & Mounting
An acoustic panel specification is a three-part CSI clause that fixes the panel’s absorption (NRC), fire class, and mounting type, so the installed result is testable. This acoustic panel specification template gives you the fields, the ISO 354 method, and the Yuheng NRC 0.85 data to fill them in.
SPECIFICATION BASICS
What Is an Acoustic Panel Specification?
An acoustic panel specification is a written clause that fixes the absorption rating, the fire classification, and the mounting condition of a sound-absorbing panel, so that what is installed can be tested against what was specified.
It is written in the CSI three-part format — General, Products, Execution — and sits under CSI 09 80 00, Acoustical Treatment (with related sections 09 84 33 Sound-Absorbing Wall Units and 09 51 13 Acoustical Panel Ceilings).
01
Fix Three Testable Fields
An acoustic panel specification must fix three testable things: NRC (absorption), fire class, and mounting type. Leave any of them open and the installed result is not testable.
02
State the Test Method
NRC is measured to ISO 354 (international) or ASTM C423 (US). The mounting condition changes the number, so it must be stated in the clause, not buried in a footnote.
03
Backed by ISO 354 Data
Yuheng’s acoustic slat panel is tested to NRC 0.85 under the ISO 354 method. The figure travels with the test report and the certification set.
04
Download, Then Verify
Download the template, then request the ISO 354 report that backs the figure. A specification without the data behind it is only a shell.
SPECIFICATION FIELDS
The Three Fields a Specification Must Fix
Every usable acoustic panel specification hangs on three fields. Leave any of them open and the installed result is not testable. It is written in the CSI three-part format under CSI 09 80 00, Acoustical Treatment.
WHY THESE THREE FIELDS
A panel that “absorbs sound well” is an opinion; a panel specified at NRC 0.85 under ISO 354, Class A to ASTM E84, direct-fix mounted is an instruction an installer can be held to.
THREE TESTABLE FIELDS
What to Fix in the Clause
CSI 09 80 00
| Field | Why It Matters | What to State |
|---|---|---|
| NRC (Absorption) | Fixes how much sound the panel absorbs, not how much it blocks. | A single value e.g. NRC 0.85 plus the test method that produced it. |
| Fire Class | Limits flame spread and smoke; required by code in most public interiors. | Class A per ASTM E84 / UL 723, or the equivalent EN 13501-1 classification. |
| Mounting Type | The mounting condition changes the measured NRC, so it must be fixed. | Direct-fix, batten, or air cavity — per ASTM E795 — not just “wall-mounted”. |
01
Mounting Is Not a Footnote
NRC is not a property of the panel alone; it is a property of the panel as mounted. The same panel reads a different NRC fixed directly to a substrate than it does on a 50 mm batten with an air cavity behind it.
02
Name the Method With the Number
State the method, then state the number, and the two travel together. A tender in Europe wants the ISO 354 reference; a tender in the US wants ASTM C423.
TEST METHOD COMPARISON
ISO 354 vs ASTM C423: Which Test Method to Name
Two methods produce the NRC figure, and the specification should name the one the test report uses. The methods are close in principle but not interchangeable on paper.
INTERNATIONAL METHOD
ISO 354
ISO 354 is the international reverberation-room method. It is what specifiers in the EU, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific ask for, and it is the method Yuheng’s acoustic testing is documented against.
Where It Is Used
US METHOD
ASTM C423
ASTM C423 is the US equivalent. American spec libraries and US manufacturers default to it, and it defers mounting conditions to ASTM E795.
Where It Is Used
Method Travels With the Number
Name the Method Your Market’s Tender Requires
Both measure sound absorption in a reverberation room and report absorption coefficients that feed the NRC (or SAA) calculation. State the method, then state the number, and the two travel together. See how the number is produced in the ISO 354 reverberation-room method reference.
FILLING IN THE CLAUSE
How to Fill In the Acoustic Panel Specification Template
The template follows CSI SectionFormat in three parts. Work top to bottom; each part fixes one layer of the obligation.
PART 1
General
Name the section and the references. State that the section includes CSI 09 80 00, list the governing standards (ISO 354, ASTM C423, ASTM E795, ASTM E84, UL 723), and set the action submittals.
Product data, shop drawings, samples, and
mockups where the project calls for one.
Installer qualifications and delivery,
storage, and site-condition requirements.
The CAD blocks and BIM objects behind
the drawings come from the resource library.
Part 1 sets the framework that Parts 2 and 3 must fit into — name the standards here once.
PART 2
Products
This is where the panel is actually fixed. Name the basis-of-design manufacturer and the panel type — a wood slat on a PET felt core — then state thickness, size, edge, facing, and colour.
NRC per ISO 354 or ASTM C423.
Fire class per ASTM E84,
Class A / UL 723.
Mounting type per ASTM E795,
plus mounting accessories and any
recycled-content or interior-air fields.
Product data comes from the acoustic slat panel with NRC 0.85. Confirm the data sheet with the export team before issue.
PART 3
Execution
Fix the sequence: examination and preparation of the substrate, installation in the specified mounting condition, and cleaning and protection after install. This is the part that keeps the installed panel matching the tested panel.
Examine and prepare the substrate before
fixing any panel.
Install in the mounting condition named in
Part 2 — no substitution on site.
Clean and protect after install; document
the as-built condition.
Execution is what preserves the testable link between the specified panel and the installed one.
Before You Issue
A Specification Without the Test Report Is Only a Shell
The three fields only mean something when the test data behind them is available. Request the ISO 354 report behind the NRC 0.85 figure — it is released with your quotation and samples, so the buyer can forward the paperwork to their own customer or specifier.
PRODUCT DATA
The Yuheng Acoustic Slat Panel Data
A template that describes a panel is easy to find. A template backed by the test data for this panel is not. The panel that fills this template is the acoustic slat panel: a wood-slat face over a recycled PET felt core, tested to NRC 0.85 under the ISO 354 reverberation-room method.
NRC 0.85
The acoustic slat panel is tested to NRC 0.85 under the ISO 354 reverberation-room method — the figure that gets written into the clause when this product is the basis of design.
AbsorptionISO 354 Method
The figure carries documentation. The test method is the international reverberation-room method, which is what specifiers in the EU, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific ask for.
Test MethodClass A / ASTM E84
The panel is positioned for public and commercial interiors. Fire class is stated in Part 2 of the clause and backed with the test documentation that ships with the order.
Fire ClassCertification Set
The certification set — CE, SGS, FSC, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 — ships with the quotation, so the buyer can forward the paperwork to their own customer or specifier.
Documentation
CITABLE, NOT ASPIRATIONAL
The Number, the Method, and the Certificate Set Together
Interior products are positioned as E0-grade / formaldehyde-free where applicable, and the PET felt core is recycled polyester. The number, the method, and the certificate set together are what make the clause citable rather than aspirational.
NRC 0.85
→ ISO 354 method
ACOUSTIC PANEL SPECIFICATION FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about acoustic panel specification, NRC, test methods, mounting type, and the data behind the number.
It is a three-part CSI clause that fixes a panel’s NRC, fire class, and mounting type under CSI 09 80 00, so the installed result can be tested against what was specified. Use the template above to write one in minutes.
For speech-heavy spaces — offices, meeting rooms, hotel common areas — an NRC of 0.80 or higher is the practical target. Yuheng’s acoustic slat panel is tested to NRC 0.85 under ISO 354, which is the figure to write into the clause when this product is the basis of design.
NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) and SAA (Sound Absorption Average) are both single-number absorption ratings averaged over frequency bands, but they average slightly different bands and rounding. The specification should state the number and the method that produced it rather than trading the labels loosely.
Yes. The same panel reads a different NRC when direct-fixed to a substrate, mounted on battens, or hung with an air cavity behind it. That is why ASTM E795 mounting conditions belong in the clause — a number without a mounting condition is not testable.
Both measure sound absorption in a reverberation room. ISO 354 is the international method used across the EU, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific; ASTM C423 is the US method and defers mounting to ASTM E795. Name the method your market’s tender requires, then the number.
Public and commercial interiors generally require Class A per ASTM E84 / UL 723, or the equivalent EN 13501-1 classification in Europe. State the fire class in Part 2 of the clause and back it with the test documentation.