Sound travels through glass as vibration — and the key to reducing noise is disrupting that vibration. Standard double glazing offers a moderate improvement over single glazing, but for significant noise reduction you need either asymmetric glass thicknesses, a wider cavity, or acoustic laminated glass.
Acoustic laminated glass contains a special PVB (polyvinyl butyral) interlayer that dampens sound vibrations. It's particularly effective against traffic noise, aircraft, and general urban noise. The difference is immediately noticeable — typically 35–40dB of reduction compared to 25–28dB for standard double glazing.
Our calculator estimates the noise reduction you'd achieve based on your current glazing type, the noise source you're dealing with, and the glass options available. It gives results in decibels and translates that into a practical description of what you'd actually hear.