Overview
EN ISO 10140-5:2021 - "Acoustics - Laboratory measurement of sound insulation of building elements - Part 5: Requirements for test facilities and equipment" specifies the laboratory facilities, equipment and qualification procedures required for reliable sound insulation measurements of building elements. It applies to tests of components and materials, full building elements, small technical elements and sound insulation improvement systems, and is intended for laboratories with suppressed flanking radiation and structural isolation between source and receiving rooms. The document is part of the ISO 10140 series and was adopted by CEN as EN ISO 10140-5:2021.
Key Topics
- Test facility requirements
- Conditions for source and receiving rooms (volume, diffusion, reverberation time, background noise).
- Criteria for suppression of flanking transmission and structural isolation.
- Test openings and specimen mounting
- Rules for full-sized, reduced-size and small-sized test openings and frame specifications.
- Impact and airborne sound test arrangements
- Requirements for receiving rooms for impact sound measurements and standards for airborne sound fields.
- Equipment specification
- Loudspeaker and loudspeaker-position qualification (Annex D), impact sound sources including the standard tapping machine (Annex E) and alternative sources (Annex F).
- Measurement systems and calibration/operation expectations.
- Qualification and commissioning
- Procedures to qualify a new test facility and equipment; intended for repeated periodic verification to ensure ongoing conformity.
- Normative annexes
- Annex A–I cover practical items such as maximum measurable sound reduction estimates, standard basic elements and floors for improvement measurements, wooden mock-up floors, rainfall sound tests and reference specimens.
Applications
EN ISO 10140-5:2021 is used to ensure repeatable, comparable laboratory results for:
- Product and component testing (doors, windows, partitions, floor/ceiling systems).
- R&D and verification of sound insulation improvement systems (linings, floating floors).
- Laboratory commissioning, accreditation and quality assurance programs.
- Supporting building design decisions and regulatory compliance where laboratory sound insulation data are required.
Who uses it:
- Accredited acoustic test laboratories
- Manufacturers of building elements (façades, glazing, doors, floor systems)
- Acoustic consultants and specification writers
- Certification and accreditation bodies
Related Standards
- ISO 10140 series (Parts 1–4 cover application rules, airborne/impact test methods and basic measurement techniques)
- EN ISO 10140-5:2021 supersedes the 2010 edition and its 2014 amendment
Keywords: EN ISO 10140-5:2021, sound insulation, laboratory measurement, acoustics, test facilities, tapping machine, impact sound, airborne sound, flanking transmission, qualification procedures.
