Acoustic Panel Calculator
Enter your room and use-case to get a panel count, a coverage target, and a placement plan you can print. No brand bias — we don't sell panels.
How this is calculated
We compute your wall + ceiling area, take the coverage range recommended for your use-case, reserve four corners for floor-to-ceiling bass traps, and convert the remaining target area into a panel count for your chosen panel size. Full formulas and sources are on the methodology page. To verify the reverberation effect of this treatment, use the RT60 calculator. To work out how absorbent the panels themselves will be before you build them, use the porous absorber calculator.
How many panels for common room sizes
A quick reference for full mixing / critical-listening coverage (30–40% of wall + ceiling area) using 60 × 120 cm (2′×4′) broadband panels and a 2.4 m (8 ft) ceiling. The counts below are produced by the same engine as the calculator above. Rooms used for voice-over, home theatre or office work need less coverage — those figures are in the panel count by use-case table below.
| Room | Size | Wall + ceiling | Wall panels (2′×4′) | Corner bass traps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom studio | 3 × 2.4 m 10 × 8 ft | ≈ 33 m² | 10–15 | 4 |
| Small home studio | 3.5 × 3 m 11.5 × 10 ft | ≈ 42 m² | 14–20 | 4 |
| Typical project studio | 4 × 3 m 13 × 10 ft | ≈ 46 m² | 15–22 | 4 |
| Medium control room | 4.5 × 3.5 m 15 × 11.5 ft | ≈ 54 m² | 19–27 | 4 |
| Large room / home theatre | 5.5 × 4 m 18 × 13 ft | ≈ 68 m² | 25–34 | 4 |
Panel counts assume floor-to-ceiling corner bass traps are added on top (they do most of the low-frequency work). Start with the traps and the first-reflection points, then add wall panels toward the coverage target.
How many panels by use-case
A room is not treated to a fixed number of panels — it is treated to a coverage target, and that target depends on what the room is for. A mixing room is taken furthest because every reflection colours a monitoring decision; a meeting room only needs enough absorption to stop speech smearing. Every count below comes from the same engine as the calculator, for 60 × 120 cm (2′×4′) panels and a 2.4 m ceiling.
| Room | Size | Mixing / critical listening 30–40% | Voice-over / podcast 25–35% | Home theatre 25–35% | Office / meeting room 15–25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedroom studio | 3 × 2.4 m 10 × 8 ft | 10–15 | 8–13 | 8–13 | 3–8 |
| Small home studio | 3.5 × 3 m 11.5 × 10 ft | 14–20 | 11–17 | 11–17 | 5–11 |
| Typical project studio | 4 × 3 m 13 × 10 ft | 15–22 | 12–19 | 12–19 | 6–12 |
| Medium control room | 4.5 × 3.5 m 15 × 11.5 ft | 19–27 | 15–23 | 15–23 | 8–15 |
| Large room / home theatre | 5.5 × 4 m 18 × 13 ft | 25–34 | 20–29 | 20–29 | 11–20 |
Wall panels only; four floor-to-ceiling corner bass traps are assumed on top of every figure. Voice-over / podcast and Home theatre resolve to the same coverage band, so those two columns are identical by construction — they are listed separately because people look for their own use-case, not because the engine treats them differently.
How panel size changes the count
The acoustically meaningful quantity is treated area, not the number of pieces. Choosing a smaller panel does not reduce how much material the room needs — it just splits the same area into more pieces. For the 4 × 3 m project studio at mixing coverage:
| Panel size | Area each | Panels needed |
|---|---|---|
| 60 × 60 cm 2′×2′ | 0.36 m² | 30–43 |
| 60 × 120 cm 2′×4′ | 0.72 m² | 15–22 |
| 120 × 120 cm 4′×4′ | 1.44 m² | 8–11 |
Thickness, not face size, is what sets how low a panel absorbs — compare depths in the absorption database before choosing a format.
Frequently asked questions
How many acoustic panels do I need?
For a typical home studio, treat 30–40% of your wall and ceiling area with broadband absorption, plus a floor-to-ceiling bass trap in each corner. The exact panel count depends on room size and panel size — the calculator above works it out from your dimensions.
Where should acoustic panels go first?
Treat the four corners (bass traps) and the first reflection points on the side walls and ceiling before covering the rest of the wall area.
Are 2-inch or 4-inch acoustic panels better?
Thicker panels absorb lower frequencies. A 4-inch (100 mm) panel absorbs far more energy below 500 Hz than a 2-inch (50 mm) panel — which is why thicker panels and corner bass traps matter most for music rooms. 2-inch panels are fine for taming high-frequency reflections on a budget. Compare the figures in the absorption database.
Can a room have too much acoustic treatment?
Yes. Over-damping a room — especially with thin panels that only absorb highs — makes it sound unnaturally dead and fatiguing, and leaves the bass problems untouched. Aim for the target reverberation time for your use-case (check the RT60 calculator) rather than the lowest possible number.
How many acoustic panels does a home theatre need?
A home theatre targets 25–35% coverage of wall and ceiling area, against 30–40% for a mixing room — a cinema room is allowed to stay slightly livelier than a critical-listening room. For a 4 × 3 m room with a 2.4 m ceiling that is 12–19 panels of 60 × 120 cm plus four corner bass traps. An office or meeting room needs less again at 15–25% coverage, or 6–12 panels in the same room.
How many 2×2 acoustic panels do I need?
Panel count scales with panel area, so halving the panel size roughly doubles the count for the same coverage. The 4 × 3 m mixing room above needs 15–22 panels at 60 × 120 cm (0.72 m² each) but 30–43 at 60 × 60 cm (0.36 m² each). The treated area is what matters acoustically — panel size only changes how many pieces cover it, and how much frame and mounting work the same coverage costs you.