Overview
EN ISO 16283-2:2020 - "Acoustics - Field measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements - Part 2: Impact sound insulation" - specifies in‑situ procedures for measuring impact sound insulation by sound pressure measurements produced by an impact source on floors or stairs. The standard covers room volumes from 10 m³ to 250 m³ and frequencies from 50 Hz to 5 000 Hz, and is intended for both furnished and unfurnished rooms where the sound field may or may not be diffuse.
Key topics and requirements
- Impact sources: Procedures use standardised impact sources such as a tapping machine and a rubber ball (see Annex A).
- Measurement geometry: Defined impact‑source positions and fixed, mechanized continuously moving, or manually scanned microphone positions to generate representative sound fields.
- Frequency range: Measurements and analysis across 50 Hz–5 000 Hz, with a dedicated low‑frequency procedure.
- Reverberation time (RT): Measurement requirements and allowed methods (e.g., interrupted noise, integrated impulse response) to determine RT in the receiving room, used to calculate normalized results.
- Background noise: Procedures for measuring and correcting for background noise to ensure valid sound pressure levels.
- Data processing: Energy‑averaging, conversion to octave bands, expression of results (including standard formats in Annex C) and calculation of measurement uncertainty.
- Reporting: Required contents of a test report, including instrumentation, calibration, measurement positions, corrections applied and uncertainty estimates.
- Normative/Informative annexes: Guidance on impact sources, loudspeaker requirements for RT measurements, example measurement patterns (horizontal and vertical), and additional practical guidance.
Applications and users
EN ISO 16283-2:2020 is used for:
- On-site verification of floor and stair impact sound insulation in apartment buildings, offices, hotels and schools.
- Performance assessment of floor constructions, floating floors, resilient layers and building element interfaces.
- Compliance testing for building acoustics specifications, product development and quality control.
Typical users:
- Acoustic consultants and field testing laboratories
- Building designers and façade/flooring manufacturers
- Contractors, building control authorities and researchers in building acoustics
Related standards (context)
- Part of the ISO 16283 field‑measurement series for building sound insulation (this document is Part 2). Other parts in the series cover airborne and façade measurements.
- Often applied alongside national building regulations and acoustic design guidance when specifying or verifying in‑situ impact sound performance.
Keywords: EN ISO 16283-2:2020, impact sound insulation, field measurement, tapping machine, rubber ball, reverberation time, building acoustics, in‑situ measurement, sound pressure level.