You’ll be familiar with cork from wine bottle stoppers and bulletin boards. It’s a material that is manufactured from the bark of the cork oak tree. But does cork for soundproofing work?

Quick answer – yes, cork soundproofing does work. Cork is effective at deadening and absorbing sound, being able to trap and dissipate sound waves. This can reduce sound transmission out of, and into, a room, as well as reducing echo in a room to some degree.

There is a lot more to it than that! This article will cover all bases, asking how cork works for soundproofing, before giving you 5 practical ways that you can utilize cork for soundproofing in your home, workplace, or anywhere! Then to round everything off; a few FAQs. Coming on board?

Skip to: 

• How does cork soundproofing work?
• Other benefits of cork for soundproofing
• Recommended cork acoustic tiles
• 5 ways to use cork for soundproofing
• Cork soundproofing FAQs

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How does cork soundproofing work?

So cork is made from the cork oak tree, an evergreen tree native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. The trees don’t even need to be cut down to make the cork. It can be left standing with the required bark trimmed off. That is what makes cork a sustainable soundproofing option. 

You can find cork for soundproofing in a few different forms – including cork acoustic tiles, cork panels, and cork underlayment.

Remember, the 2 of the basic soundproofing principles are a) to add mass and b) to fill gaps. Cork ticks the box for providing mass, and that’s what makes it an effective sound blocker. 

The STC rating of cork

Cork is good at blocking the transmission of noise through a floor, wall, or ceiling. This is backed up by its sound transmission class (STC) rating. See a basic explanation below

Let’s take the example of ½ inch cork underlayment. It offers an STC rating of 49. This means it can cut the sound transmission through a floor by 49 decibels (dB). Combined with the sound insulation provided by the carpet and the floor structure itself, that’s a significant soundproofing ability.

How thick does cork need to be for soundproofing?

You might not like this answer, but it all depends on the soundproofing effect you need. Thick cork carpet underlayment will probably give you the most noise reduction of any cork soundproofing product. If you are intent on soundproofing your floor and improving acoustics in a room, you are looking at cork underlayment which is around ½ inch thick.

Cork sheeting is thinner, but can also be used as underlayment, or insulation for walls and ceilings. You are likely to find cork sheeting in 6 mm or 3 mm options. 

Then there are cork tiles. There are a broad variety of cork tiles that can be used on walls and ceilings. Thicknesses of 6 mm and 8 mm are common for cork acoustic tiles. 

According to a study into The Use of Cork Sheets for Acoustic Correction, even cork panels with a thickness of just 1.5 mm can offer an improvement in room acoustics. Researchers at Italy’s University of Campania found that the panels:

“Showed a good value of the measured sound absorption coefficient… are inexpensive; their cost is much lower than traditional sound-absorbing panels and are simple to assemble”.

Cork for sound absorption

Unlike some sound blocking materials such as mass loaded vinyl (MLV), cork is also a good sound absorber. This is due to its composition – cork consists of tiny cells in the shape of honeycombs, filled with a gas that is similar to air. These cells are excellent at absorbing sound, meaning cork can also offer the benefit of improving acoustics in a space, reducing echo and reverberation. 

However, if your main priority is to prevent sound from reflecting off the surfaces, there are other sound absorbing materials that can do a better job than cork at improving acoustics in a room. These include mineral wool, polyester fiber, and acoustic foam.

Key takeaway – cork may not be the best sound blocker or absorber, but its ability to serve both purposes make it a soundproofing material you shouldn’t ignore.

And there are other advantages, too…

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Other benefits of cork for soundproofing

Aside from its good all-round soundproofing ability, there are other reasons you might want to consider cork to reduce noise transmission and improve acoustics:

• Sustainable – Cork is an environmentally friendly choice for soundproofing. Only the bark is removed from the cork oak tree for harvesting, meaning no trees need to be cut down.
• Affordable – Cork acoustic panels are available online for about the same price as other low-cost sound absorbing materials such as polyester fiber. They are far more inexpensive compared to heavy-duty soundproofing options such as MLV or rubber.
• Durable – Cork is low maintenance, being resistant to mold and moisture. This means it can last you for years, and is a soundproofing option in damp environments.
• Heat insulation – Installing cork in your walls, ceiling, or floor will also provide thermal insulation, helping you to keep the heat in during the winter, and out during the summer.
• Fire retardant – although not completely fireproof, cork is fire retardant or resistant. It is combustible, burning at a temperature of 300°, but is not flammable.

Recommended cork acoustic tiles

The budget-friendly option

These Cork Sheets come in a range of different sizes, and offer the convenient option of self-adhesive strips. They could be stuck up on your walls to improve room acoustics and soundproof your walls, giving you the benefit of thermal insulation, too. An excellent cost-effective option for walls.

Check Cork Sheets price on Amazon

The premium option

For more soundproofing ability and a sophisticated look, you may prefer these QuadCork Cork Soundproofing Tiles in a fetching natural dark brown color. They come in a pack of 18 and are ideal for wall or ceiling installations, giving you a stylish solution for soundproofing your room while reducing echo and reverberation within it.

Check QuadCork Sound Absorbing and Soundproofing Tiles 

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5 ways to use cork for soundproofing

Are you going to use cork for soundproofing your home? If so, read on, because below there are some good practical options for you. But it’s worth pointing out that cork is a feasible option in any space where noise control is needed, including offices, hotels, schools, and even bars. 

With cork, you’ll usually see a variety of styles, shapes, and thicknesses – from the thinner, plain-looking cork sheeting, to more stylish, thick acoustic cork tiles. This gives it a range of purposes in a variety of settings…

On your walls

You can use cork in a number of ways on, or within, your walls. Cork wall soundproofing can:

1. Cut sound transmission in and out of a room, shutting out external noise while preventing noise from leaving.
2. Improve acoustics in a room, absorbing sound waves to reduce echoes and reverberations.

Cork can be used in construction projects, installed behind drywall for soundproofing to add mass, acting as a sound blocker, and absorbing sound waves to improve acoustics. 

But if your walls are already built and you don’t want to rebuild them – fear not. There are plenty of acoustic cork tile options that will work, and many of them are self-adhesive, making them easy to install. 

Cork tiles will improve the acoustics in your room while also blocking sound from leaving (8 mm cork tiles will give you an STC of approximately 22, meaning it will cut 22 dB of sound going through your wall). There are a broad variety of thicknesses to choose from. The cheaper option is cork sheeting, which is thinner and less attractive but will still give you some noise reduction properties (an STC of approximately 13).

On your ceiling

Whether it’s a living room, recording studio, or home theater, sound waves can often reflect off your ceiling, making the audio experience echoey. Also, airborne noise (such as music, TV, and voices) and impact noise (thudding from foot traffic) can enter from the room above. 

Cork ceiling tiles can help you to remedy both of these noise issues, improving acoustics in your room while blocking sound coming in or leaving. 

On your floor 

You could argue that cork works best as underlayment for your floor. There it can do its job, tucked away under your carpet, offering heaps of benefits.

Firstly, it is an excellent sound blocker. From ½ inch thick cork underlay, you can expect an STC rating of approaching 50. That means you’ll be reducing the sound going through your floor into the room underneath by almost 50 dB, making a massive difference. Because cork can deaden vibrational energy in this way, it will reduce impact noise from footsteps, but it will also reduce airborne noise from voices and audio.

But on top of being a good sound blocker, cork underlay will also give you acoustic insulation that dampens the noise within a room by absorbing sound. This makes it a great noise reduction solution for especially loud rooms.

As gaskets

Cork strips can be used as gaskets. Gaskets are ideal for soundproofing doors and windows by providing a tight seal and blocking sound from entering or leaving. These cork strip gaskets are typically manufactured from coarse grain cork.

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Cork soundproofing FAQs

This is always a nice way to round off an article. If there is any cork soundproofing information that you are still missing, take a look at the frequently asked questions below: