Calculate the reverberation time (RT60) of a room.
Room Parameters
Reverberation Time
Enter room parameters
Quick Reference
VVolume (m³)
SSurface Area (m²)
αAvg. Abs. Coeff.
K0.161 s/m
Overview
Reverberation time (RT60) is the time required for sound to decay by 60 decibels after the source has stopped. Sabine's formula is reliable for large rooms with uniform absorption.
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Pro Tips
Common absorption coefficients: Concrete (~0.05), Carpet (~0.3-0.6), Acoustic Foam (>0.8).
For accurate results, calculate surface area of walls, ceiling, and floor separately and average the coefficients.
RT60 < 0.5s is 'dead' (recording studio), around 2.0s is 'live' (concert hall).
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Fun Facts
"Wallace Sabine is considered the father of architectural acoustics."
"He derived his formula empirically in the late 1890s using seat cushions in a lecture hall."
"Cathedrals often have RT60 values of 5 seconds or more."
