🏗️ Field measurement of the airborne sound insulation of façade elements (element methods) and whole façades (global methods) using sound pressure measurements — eight methods of Table 1 (loudspeaker or road, railway, aircraft traffic noise), apparent sound reduction index R′45° and R′tr,s, level difference D2m standardized D2m,nT and normalized D2m,n, exposure quantities for single events, rooms 10–250 m³, bands 50–5000 Hz, PN-EN ISO 16283-3

Construction PN-EN ISO 16283-3

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. We read the text of the standard in two iTeh samples: SIST EN ISO 16283-3:2016 (English text) — from the title page through the European foreword, ISO foreword, introduction and contents to Clause 1 (scope) on page 1 inclusive — and ISO 16283-3:2016 (French version) — Clause 1 with Table 1 (overview of methods), Clause 2 (normative references) and Clause 3 (terms) up to term 3.22 on page 7 inclusive. Outside the samples remain further terms, Clauses 4 (instrumentation, calibration, verification), 5 (frequency range), 6 (general), 7 (indoor sound pressure level measurements: microphone positions, minimum distances, averaging times, low-frequency procedure, background noise), 8 (reverberation time), 9 (loudspeaker measurements), 10 (road traffic measurements), 11 (conversion to octave bands), 12 (expression of results), 13 (uncertainty), 14 (test report) and Annexes A–F.

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF ISO 16283-3:2016 (forewords, introduction, Clauses 1–3 to 3.22). The standard was prepared by ISO/TC 43/SC 2 “Building acoustics” in collaboration with CEN/TC 126 (secretariat AFNOR); CEN approved EN ISO 16283-3 on 02.01.2016 without modification from ISO; the first ISO edition (01.02.2016) cancelled and replaced ISO 140-5:1998 and ISO 140-14:2004, and EN ISO 16283-3:2016 — EN ISO 140-5:1998 and EN ISO 140-14:2004. The ISO 16283 series has parts: 1 — airborne sound insulation, 2 — impact sound insulation, 3 — façade. According to the introduction the measurements of ISO 140-4, 140-5 and 140-7 assumed an approximately diffuse field and did not state whether operators could be present in the room; ISO 16283 applies to rooms with a diffuse field or not, clarifies measurement with a hand-held microphone or sound level meter and takes over guidance from ISO 140-14; survey methods for façades are in ISO 10052. Scope (1): procedures to determine the airborne sound insulation of façade elements (element methods) and whole façades (global methods) using sound pressure measurements, for rooms of 10–250 m³ and frequencies 50–5000 Hz, in furnished or unfurnished rooms; the frequency-dependent result can be converted into a single-number quantity according to ISO 717-1. Element methods estimate the sound reduction index of an element, e.g. a window; the most accurate uses a loudspeaker as an artificial source, less accurate ones — available traffic noise. The element loudspeaker method yields an apparent sound reduction index which under certain circumstances can be compared with the laboratory result according to ISO 10140 — it is preferred when the aim is to evaluate an element against its laboratory performance. The element road traffic method serves the same purpose when a loudspeaker cannot be used; the two often give slightly different results, road traffic tending to give lower values of the sound reduction index than the loudspeaker; Annex E supplements it with aircraft and railway traffic. The global road traffic method yields the real reduction of a façade in a given place relative to a position 2 m in front of the façade, including all flanking paths — preferred for evaluating the whole façade relative to nearby roads; the global loudspeaker method is useful when the real source cannot be used; results of global methods cannot be compared with the laboratory. Table 1 lists eight methods: 1 — element, loudspeaker (9.5), R′45°, recommended method for the apparent sound reduction index of façade elements; 2 — element, road traffic (10.3), R′tr,s; 3 — element, railway traffic (Annex E), R′rt,s; 4 — element, aircraft traffic (Annex E), R′at,s — methods 2–4 as alternatives to method 1 at sufficient level of the given source; 5 — global, loudspeaker (9.6), Dls,2m,nT and Dls,2m,n, alternative to methods 6–8; 6 — global, road traffic (10.4), Dtr,2m,nT and Dtr,2m,n; 7 — global, railway traffic, Drt,2m,nT and Drt,2m,n; 8 — global, aircraft traffic, Dat,2m,nT and Dat,2m,n (7 and 8 in Annex E) — methods 6–8 recommended for the sound insulation of a whole façade exposed to the given source. Normative references (2): ISO 717-1, ISO 3382-2 (reverberation time), ISO 12999-1 (uncertainty), ISO 15712-3, ISO 18233, IEC 60942 (sound calibrators), IEC 61183, IEC 61260 (band filters), IEC 61672-1 (sound level meters). Terms (3, to 3.22): L1,s — average sound pressure level on the test surface, including reflections from the element and the façade; L1,2m — average level 2 m in front of the façade; L2 — energy-average level in the room in the central zone, where near-field radiation from the room boundaries is negligible; L2,Corner — corner level for the one-third-octave bands 50, 63 and 80 Hz; L2,LF — low-frequency average level weighted from corners and the central zone; T — reverberation time (decay of 60 dB); background noise level; fixed microphone, mechanized continuously-moving microphone (circle or arc of 270°–360°), manually scanned microphone along a defined path, hand-held microphone at a fixed position at least an arm’s length from the operator’s torso; R′45° = 10 lg(W1,45°/(W2 + W3)), evaluated as R′45° = L1,s − L2 + 10 lg(S/A) − 1,5 dB (S — area of the element according to Annex A, A — equivalent absorption area of the receiving room; the formula assumes a single angle of incidence of 45° and a diffuse field in the room); R′tr,s = L1,s − L2 + 10 lg(S/A) − 3 dB (sound incident from all angles); D2m = L1,2m − L2 (Dtr,2m for traffic noise, Dls,2m for loudspeaker); D2m,nT = D2m + 10 lg(T/T0), for dwellings T0 = 0,5 s (in furnished dwellings the reverberation time is approximately independent of volume and frequency and close to 0,5 s); D2m,n = D2m − 10 lg(A/A0), for dwellings A0 = 10 m²; A = 0,16 V/T (Sabine formula); LE — sound exposure level of a single event (p0 = 20 µPa, t0 = 1 s); DE,2m = LE1,2m − LE2 and its standardized DE,2m,nT and normalized DE,2m,n forms (for aircraft and railway noise); R′at,s = LE1,s − LE2 + 10 lg(S/A) − 3 dB.

STATUS (as of 03.10.2026). The PKN search (term “PN-EN ISO 16283-3”, 03.10.2026) shows two items without a withdrawal note: PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04 in the Polish and the English version, both “Introduces: EN ISO 16283-3:2016 [IDT], ISO 16283-3:2016 [IDT]”. In the iTeh catalogue (read on 03.10.2026) EN ISO 16283-3:2016 has the status “Published” (stage 60.60 of 24.02.2016), and ISO 16283-3:2016 — status “Published”, stage 90.92 “standard to be revised” since 17.10.2024. The predecessor, PN-EN ISO 140-5:1999 (withdrawn), is described in a separate entry.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, load up to 17.09.2026, read on 03.10.2026). The number 16283-3 appears in 7 records at 5 laboratories: AB 838 (2), AB 1162, AB 1391, AB 1621, AB 1924 (2). In the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026, issues from 07.02.2025 to 25.02.2026) the number appears in 5 rows — one at each laboratory; in none of the five documents are page numbers repeated. Difference: at AB 838 and AB 1924 the database also assigns the number to the row of weighted indices, which in PCA cites only PN-EN ISO 717-1. In all five rows the withdrawn PN-EN ISO 140-5:1999 stands alongside, and the form is “PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04” (AB 1162, AB 1621, AB 1924), “PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04 z wyłączeniem punktów 7.2.2 i 7.2.3” (excluding points 7.2.2 and 7.2.3; AB 1391 — without the mechanized and manually scanned microphone) and “PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04E z wyłączeniem punktu 13” (excluding point 13; AB 838 — without the clause on uncertainty). None of these items is suspended. The “Laboratories” tab (term “PN-EN ISO 16283-3”) shows 3 laboratories: AB 838, AB 1162 and AB 1924; AB 1391 and AB 1621 are under “PN-EN ISO 140-5”, because that designation stands first there — checked with tab queries on the production server labcoda.pl on 03.10.2026.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (items in PCA). Building objects and elements (AB 838, AB 1162, AB 1391, AB 1621), building objects (AB 1924). Characteristics: normalized level difference Dls,2m,n, standardized (in the scopes: “wzorcowa”) level difference Dls,2m,nT and apparent sound reduction index R′45° in one-third-octave bands (AB 838, AB 1162), at AB 1621 in octave and one-third-octave bands, at AB 1924 R′45 or D2m,nT in octave or one-third-octave bands, at AB 1391 sound pressure level in one-third-octave bands; range of band centre frequencies (50–5000) Hz, at AB 1924 (100–5000) Hz; field measurement method. The designations Dls and R′45° indicate loudspeaker methods (methods 1 and 5 of Table 1); no scope lists methods with road, railway or aircraft traffic noise.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. With the choice of quantity: R′45° (element) and D2m,nT, D2m,n (façade) are different results — only the element loudspeaker method may under certain circumstances be compared with the laboratory according to ISO 10140; global methods are not compared with the laboratory (1). With the correction: −1,5 dB for a loudspeaker at 45°, −3 dB for road traffic noise incident from all angles (3.12, 3.13). With the source: road traffic noise usually gives lower values of sound insulation than the loudspeaker (1). With normalization: T0 = 0,5 s and A0 = 10 m² are values for dwellings (3.15, 3.16). With low frequencies: for the bands 50, 63 and 80 Hz the level L2,LF takes the room corners into account (3.4, 3.5). With volume: the procedures apply to rooms of 10–250 m³ (1). With recording the result: the subscript indicates the source — “ls” loudspeaker, “tr” road traffic, “rt” railway, “at” aircraft (3.14–3.22).

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not read the instrumentation requirements, the number and arrangement of microphone positions, minimum distances, averaging times, the low-frequency procedure, background noise corrections, reverberation time measurement, loudspeaker set-up (angle, distance, Annex C requirements), the conditions for road traffic noise, conversion to octaves, uncertainty or the test report form (Clauses 4–14, Annexes A–F). Nor do we give façade sound insulation requirements from building regulations.

Method principle

Façade sound insulation is determined from the difference in sound pressure levels outside and in the receiving room. In element methods the outdoor microphone is on the surface of the element tested, and the source is a loudspeaker at 45° (R′45° = L1,s − L2 + 10 lg(S/A) − 1,5 dB) or traffic noise (correction −3 dB). In global methods the outdoor microphone stands 2 m in front of the façade, and the difference D2m = L1,2m − L2 is standardized to a reverberation time T0 = 0,5 s or normalized to an absorption area A0 = 10 m²; the absorption area of the room is calculated from the reverberation time with the Sabine formula.

Applications

• Façade elements, e.g. windows — apparent sound reduction index in the building, under certain circumstances comparable with the laboratory (1, Table 1)
• Whole façades exposed to road, railway or aircraft noise — sound insulation in the given place, including flanking paths (1, Table 1)
• Building objects and elements — field measurements with loudspeaker in the accreditation scopes of 5 laboratories in PCA, together with PN-EN ISO 140-5 and PN-EN ISO 717-1

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04

Title (PL)

Akustyka — Pomiar terenowy izolacyjności akustycznej w budynkach i izolacyjności akustycznej elementów budowlanych — Część 3: Izolacyjność akustyczna ściany zewnętrznej

Title (EN)

Acoustics — Field measurement of sound insulation in buildings and of building elements — Part 3: Façade sound insulation

Step-by-step procedure

1. Choice of method

   According to aim and source: element with loudspeaker (comparison with laboratory), element with traffic noise, global with real noise or loudspeaker (Table 1). PN-EN ISO 16283-3:2016-04 without a withdrawal note (03.10.2026).

2. Outdoor level

   L1,s on the surface of the element (element methods) or L1,2m 2 m in front of the façade (global methods) (3.1, 3.2).

3. Indoor level

   L2 in the central zone; for 50, 63 and 80 Hz also corners (L2,LF) (3.3–3.5); microphone positions and times according to Clause 7 (not read).

4. Reverberation time

   T in the receiving room; A = 0,16 V/T (3.6, 3.17).

5. Result

   R′45°, R′tr,s or D2m,nT, D2m,n in bands; single-number quantity according to ISO 717-1 (1, 3.12–3.16).

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• High-power loudspeaker — hearing protection for the operator and information for residents
• Measurements 2 m in front of the façade and near the road — securing the position close to traffic

Frequently asked questions