What actually reduces traffic noise through a window, in order of effectiveness.
Traffic noise is the complaint that most often brings people to acoustic glazing, and it's an area where the marketing runs ahead of the physics.
This guide explains what genuinely reduces noise through a window, in the order that makes the biggest difference.
Every point below is more effective than the one after it:
Triple glazing is excellent thermally but is not automatically better acoustically than a well-specified acoustic double glazed unit.
Heavier curtains and blinds change the room's acoustics slightly, but they do very little to what comes through the glass and the frame junction.
Glazing reduces noise substantially; it does not create silence, and it cannot address noise entering through walls, roofs, letterboxes or ventilation. We'd rather tell you that up front than have you disappointed after installation.
Tell us which rooms and which elevation, and we'll quote the glass that suits the exposure.
It depends on the existing window, the specification chosen and the noise source, so we won't quote a decibel figure blind. We'll tell you what the specification is rated for and what else is contributing.
Often yes, because of the wide air gap — and it's the usual answer where original windows must be retained.
Absolutely. Most people specify it only on the elevation facing the road.