Just How Soundproof is Double Glazing vs Triple Glazing?

Double glazing has many benefits, including enhanced energy efficiency, reduced heating bills, improved home security and a long lifespan. As well as providing effective heat insulation for your home, double glazing also works as successful soundproofing. While your windows can’t keep all external noises out of your home, double glazing can significantly reduce traffic and pedestrian noise, helping your home maintain a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. Triple glazing is becoming a popular home improvement choice, but how does it compare when it comes to noise reduction? The Bluemanor Windows glazing experts have put together this comparison guide to help you find the best glazing for your home. Double glazing vs triple glazing, which is the most soundproof? It’s time to find out. 

Difference Between Double and Triple Glazing 

Double and triple glazing vary when it comes to design, function and performance. Double glazing is a sealed unit, consisting of two glass panes with a spacer bar installed between the two. The glazing is sealed together into a single unit, with air and insulating gas trapped in the gap between the two panes. In comparison, triple glazing is made up of three glass panes and features two ‘gas and air pockets’ instead of one. 

Apart from the extra pane of glass, other key differences between double and triple glazing include:

• Triple glazing can offer better heat retention - With the extra pane of glass, triple glazing is more energy efficient and can effectively trap more warm air inside your home. The extra layer of glass can help to reduce heat loss in the winter and further minimise solar gain in the summer, keeping your home at a comfortable temperature throughout the year.

• Triple glazing is more robust - While it is difficult to break high quality double glazing, triple glazed windows offer superior strength. The additional pane of glass adds extra strength to the structure and provides more impact protection.

• Triple glazing has a deeper frame - The average depth of a double glazing unit is 28mm, whereas triple glazing can be as deep as 36mm. This larger size can make it difficult to fit triple glazing into existing window frames, often an entire new window installation will be needed. 

• Double glazing can offer better noise reduction - It may not make sense at first, but double glazing is thought to offer better sound insulation than triple glazing. Triple glazing can struggle to provide advanced noise reduction due to the middle pane of glass. This extra layer in the unit can amplify sound transference and increase sound vibrations. Three glass panes is not better than two if the glazing is thin and not built with a specialist laminated layer, designed with sound reduction in mind. The amount of soundproofing your windows provide will depend on the quality of the glazing and the acoustic insulation features included in the design. 

• Triple glazing is more expensive - As triple glazing offers several benefits, it is unsurprising that it comes with a higher price tag than double glazing. Investing in triple glazing is often worth the cost in the long term, as the extra pane of glass can increase your home’s energy efficiency and result in cheaper heating bills.

How Soundproof is Double Glazing vs Triple Glazing?

The average noise level inside a home is thought to be approximately 40 dB. With humans able to hear sounds up to 140dB, soundproof windows are essential to keep your home environment as quiet and peaceful as possible. There are many outside sounds that can make their way into your property, including traffic sounds, conversations between pedestrians, building work and sirens. 

If you live in an urban area, finding windows that offer high levels of noise reduction is essential. As well as choosing the right frames, you will also need to make sure that your windows are expertly installed and there are no gaps in the unit, as this can make it possible for unwanted sound to sneak inside. 

Double and triple glazing both offer effective noise reduction as sound vibrations are absorbed between the panes of glass. As we mentioned earlier, certain triple glazed units may not offer adequate soundproofing if noise from outside causes the extra pane of glass to vibrate inside the sealed unit. 

High quality double glazing can reduce noise levels by approximately 35 dB, and triple glazing often achieves similar results.  While good quality triple glazing can offer enhanced acoustic insulation, it really depends on the products, materials used and the installation. For the best reduction in noise levels, choose acoustic glazing. Windows manufactured with acoustic glazing often feature thicker glass, laminated layers and a wider gap between each pane. 

Upgrade Your To Triple Glazing With Bluemanor Windows!

Bluemanor Windows is a leading home improvement company, transforming homes in Braintree and across Essex. We supply and install a wide range of double glazed products, including casement windows, sliding sash windows, Tilt & Turn windows, uPVC and aluminium doors.

If you are interested in upgrading to triple glazed windows, we are proud to offer a variety of styles in our Residence Collection. These windows are the perfect replacement for outdated timber frames, thanks to their classic appearance and contemporary performance. Our triple glazing offers enhanced soundproofing and can achieve u-values as low as 0.8 W/m2K. 

Get in touch with Bluemanor today to begin your double glazing project. You can contact us by calling  01376 322 266 or filling out our online contact form. We look forward to enhancing your home with a top quality double glazing installation soon.