Workstation Partitions and Acoustic Panels: How to Reduce Office Noise
Short answer: Office noise is reduced in three ways: absorb it, block it and move it. Fabric-wrapped or acoustic partitions between desks, acoustic panels on walls and ceiling, and soft flooring absorb sound. Taller partitions, storage units and enclosed rooms block it. Moving calls and conversations into phone booths and meeting rooms removes it from the work floor. Partitions alone help, but the best results come from combining all three.
Noise is the most common complaint in open offices, well ahead of temperature or lighting. Most of it is other people’s conversations and phone calls. Glass, laminate, tiles and bare ceilings, which is what most modern offices are made of, reflect that sound around the room. The fix is not complicated, but it helps to know what each product actually does.
Absorbing and blocking are not the same thing
| Absorption | Blocking | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Soaks up sound so it does not bounce around; reduces echo and overall loudness | Stops sound passing from one side to the other |
| Materials | Soft and porous: fabric over acoustic core, PET felt, mineral wool, carpet | Dense and solid: board, glass, masonry, sealed doors |
| Typical products | Fabric partitions, wall and ceiling panels, baffles, carpet tiles | Tall partitions, cabins, storage walls |
| Rating you may see | NRC, from 0 to 1; higher absorbs more | STC; higher blocks more |
A glass cabin blocks sound but absorbs almost none, so it can be quiet outside and echoey inside. A fabric screen absorbs sound but, being low, blocks little. A good office uses both kinds.
Types of workstation partitions
| Partition type | Look | Acoustic effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laminate board | Solid, matches desks | Blocks a little; reflects sound | Durable and economical |
| Fabric over pin-up board | Soft, coloured | Some absorption | Doubles as a notice board |
| Fabric over acoustic core | Soft, coloured | Good absorption | The practical choice for noisy teams |
| PET felt screens | Modern, many colours | Good absorption | Light; often desk-mounted |
| Glass (clear or frosted) | Bright, open | Reflects sound | Good for light, poor for noise |
| Combination (laminate below, fabric middle, glass top) | Layered | Balanced | Common in tile-based partition systems |
| Whiteboard or magnetic | Functional | Reflects sound | Use selectively |
Which partition height should you choose?
| Height from floor | What you get |
|---|---|
| About 1,050 mm (screen about 300 mm above desk) | Visual boundary; very little noise control; open and bright |
| About 1,200 mm (about 450 mm above desk) | Seated visual privacy; absorbs some speech at source if fabric-faced |
| About 1,350 to 1,500 mm | Seated acoustic shielding; noticeably calmer; less daylight and airflow |
| About 1,650 mm and above | Standing privacy; cubicle feel; affects lighting and AC distribution |
For most Pune IT and services offices, fabric or felt screens taking the partition to about 1,200 mm, combined with acoustic treatment elsewhere, give the best balance. Call-centre and tele-sales floors usually need 1,350 mm or more with absorbent faces on both sides and at the side of each seat.
Partition options within a desking run are also covered in our linear workstation guide.
Acoustic panels beyond the desk
- Ceiling. The ceiling is the largest reflecting surface. Acoustic ceiling tiles, or hanging baffles and clouds under an exposed ceiling, give the biggest single improvement.
- Walls. Fabric-wrapped or PET felt panels on at least one or two walls, especially opposite glass.
- Floor. Carpet tiles cut footstep and chair noise and absorb some speech.
- Furniture. Upholstered sofas, high-back booths and filled bookshelves absorb and scatter sound.
- Freestanding screens. Movable acoustic screens around a noisy team or collaboration area.
A step-by-step plan to reduce office noise
- Find the sources. Usually sales or support teams on calls, the pantry, the printer, the reception and the main walkway.
- Zone the floor. Put quiet work at the far end from the entrance and pantry. Seat teams that talk a lot together, away from teams that need focus.
- Give calls a home. Add phone booths and small rooms. This removes the most distracting noise entirely. See our layout advice in open-plan versus cabin layouts.
- Use absorbent partitions between facing rows and beside heavy phone users.
- Treat the ceiling and one or two walls.
- Place storage as barriers. A run of mid-height cabinets between two teams blocks direct sound and adds useful storage. See the office storage guide.
- Soften the floor in the work area.
- Fix the meeting rooms. Add wall panels inside glass rooms and check door seals so conversations stay in.
- Consider sound masking on large floors: a gentle background sound that makes speech less intelligible at a distance.
- Set simple rules. Long calls in booths, speakerphones in rooms only.
What can be done in an existing office?
You do not need to rebuild. These can be added to a running office, often over a weekend:
- Desk-mounted felt or fabric screens on existing workstations
- Stick-on or screw-fixed wall panels
- Hanging ceiling baffles
- One or two phone booths
- Rugs or carpet tiles in walkways
- Rearranging storage to separate teams
Practical points when choosing panels
- Fire safety. Ask for the fire-performance details of fabrics and acoustic cores, and follow your building’s requirements.
- Cleaning. Choose stain-resistant fabrics in mid-tones; they are vacuumed, not washed. Care tips are in our office furniture maintenance guide.
- Lighting and AC. Tall partitions change light levels and airflow at desks; check both on the drawing.
- Colour. Panels are a good place for the brand accent. See colours and finishes.
- Replaceability. Tile-based partitions allow one damaged panel to be changed.
Common mistakes
- Expecting low screens alone to make an office quiet
- All-glass meeting rooms with no absorption inside
- Thin decorative panels with little real absorption
- Treating walls but ignoring a hard ceiling
- Seating the sales team beside the development team
Partitions made to your layout
We make workstation partitions in laminate, fabric, glass and combinations at our workshop in Dhanori, Pune, as part of new workstations or as additions to existing ones. See the office furniture range.
Frequently asked questions
Do workstation partitions reduce noise?
Fabric or acoustic-core partitions absorb some speech at the source and help, especially at 1,200 mm height and above. They work best together with ceiling and wall treatment and enclosed spaces for calls.
What is the best partition height for an open office?
About 1,200 mm from the floor suits most offices, giving seated privacy while keeping the floor bright. Call-heavy teams benefit from about 1,350 mm or more.
What is the difference between soundproofing and acoustic treatment?
Soundproofing blocks sound from passing between spaces using dense, sealed construction. Acoustic treatment absorbs sound within a space to reduce echo and loudness.
What does NRC mean for acoustic panels?
Noise Reduction Coefficient. It runs from 0 to 1 and indicates how much sound a material absorbs; a higher number means more absorption.
Talk to Encore Interiors
Encore Interiors designs, manufactures and installs office furniture from its own workshop in Dhanori, Pune.
Address: Survey No. 19, 3/1, near Shard Lawns, Madhav Nagar, Dhanori, Pune, Maharashtra 411015
Phone: +91 89799 31695, +91 75076 17409
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