Expert Guide
How shutters and blinds reduce noise
Closed shutters and cellular blinds can take the edge off outside noise, but they aren't soundproofing. This guide explains how sound gets into a room, where shutters and blinds can help, where they can't, and when acoustic secondary glazing is the better answer. Shutters and blinds aren't laboratory tested for sound, so you won't find us quoting figures.
What type of noise are you dealing with?
Not all noise behaves the same way. Low-pitched sounds, like bass and rumbling engines, are much harder for any barrier to block than higher-pitched sounds like voices, birdsong and alarms. That's why shutters and blinds can make a noticeable difference to some kinds of noise and very little to others.
Road traffic
A mix of low and higher-pitched sound
Closed shutters can soften the higher-pitched parts of traffic noise, such as tyres and horns, and a cellular blind behind the shutter adds another layer. The deep rumble of heavy vehicles is harder to stop. If you live beside a main road and the noise is a real problem, acoustic secondary glazing is the recognised solution, and shutters and blinds can sit in front of it as an extra layer.
People talking, shouting, or arguing outside
Mostly mid-pitched sound
Voices sit in a range that's easier to reduce than bass, so this is one of the situations where closed shutters and a cellular blind can make a noticeable difference. Loud voices will still be audible. Solid panel shutters have no louvre gaps, so they give sound fewer ways through than louvred shutters.
Nightclub or pub bass music
Low-pitched sound
Shutters and blinds give very little relief from deep bass. That's a matter of physics rather than the product: low-pitched sound passes through lightweight layers far more easily than higher-pitched sound. They may soften the vocals and the sharper parts of the music, but not the bass itself. For bass, the options are heavier, sealed glazing such as acoustic secondary glazing, or raising the noise with your local council.
Aircraft overhead
A mix of low and higher-pitched sound
Much like traffic. Closed shutters and a cellular blind can take the edge off the higher-pitched parts, but they won't stop the low roar. For homes under a flight path, acoustic glazing is the recognised solution, with shutters and blinds as an extra layer.
Dogs barking, birdsong, alarms
Mostly higher-pitched sound
Higher-pitched sounds are the easiest kind for any barrier to reduce, so this is where closed shutters and blinds tend to make the most noticeable difference. They can take the sharpness off barking and alarms, though you'll still hear them.
Neighbours through a party wall
Depends on how the sound is getting in
Shutters only help with the part of neighbour noise that comes in through the window. If the noise is coming through the shared wall, shutters will make little difference. For noise carried through the building itself, such as footsteps and bass, window treatments have no effect. If your neighbours' windows face the same way as yours, closing your shutters can help with sound travelling around the outside of the building.
Construction and roadworks
A mix, depending on the machinery
Closed shutters and a cellular blind can help with the sharper sounds, such as drilling, grinding and reversing beepers, but not with heavy thuds or ground vibration. They won't remove it, but they can take the worst edge off during the day.
Our recommendations
The right answer depends on the type of noise, how much it's affecting you, and what else you want from your windows. Here's how we'd think about it.
Suggestions by noise type
| Your noise problem | What we'd suggest | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| General traffic noise | Shutters with a cellular blind behind | Can take the edge off it. Not a fix for a very busy road. |
| Voices and street noise | Shutters with a cellular blind behind | One of the situations where shutters and blinds can make a noticeable difference. |
| The most you can get from window dressings | Solid panel shutters with a cellular blind behind | No louvre gaps, so fewer paths for sound. Still not a substitute for acoustic glazing. |
| Dogs barking, alarms, sirens | Any shutter, louvres closed | Can take the sharpness off. You'll still hear them. |
| Bass music from a venue | Acoustic secondary glazing, or raising it with the council | Shutters and blinds make very little difference to bass. |
| A serious noise problem affecting sleep or health | Acoustic secondary glazing from a glazing specialist | The recognised solution. Shutters and blinds can be added in front of it. |
Four ways to get the most from shutters and blinds
- 1 Fit the cellular blind closest to the glass, with the shutter in front, so you have two separate layers with air between them.
- 2 Keep the louvres closed when noise matters. Open louvres leave a clear path for sound.
- 3 Make sure the fit is close, with as few gaps as possible around the frame and between panels. Sound travels through gaps.
- 4 Close trickle vents when noise matters most. An open vent is a direct path for sound, whatever is covering the window.
Fit matters. Because sound passes through gaps, a closely fitted shutter with tight frames will do more than a loosely fitted one, whatever it's made from.
What to expect in practice
Shutters and blinds can make outside noise less intrusive, but they aren't soundproofing. Here's what that means day to day.
"Will shutters make my room silent?"
No. They can reduce outside noise, but they won't remove it.
"Will I sleep better?"
Possibly. If outside noise is what's disturbing you, closed shutters and a cellular blind can make it less intrusive, and they also make the room darker. How much you notice depends on the type of noise and how loud that noise gets.
"Will I still hear emergency sirens?"
Yes. Sirens are designed to be heard through buildings. Shutters may soften them, but you'll still hear them.
"Are shutters as good as secondary glazing?"
No. For a serious noise problem, acoustic secondary glazing is the recognised solution. Shutters and blinds bring other things, such as light control and privacy, and some people choose both.
A useful way to think about it: shutters and blinds are an extra layer between you and the window. They can take the edge off outside noise. If you need the noise gone, start with the glazing.
The Science
How sound gets into a room
You don't need any maths to understand how shutters and blinds affect noise. Four principles cover most of it.
1. The window is usually the weak point
Walls are heavy and solid. Glass is much thinner and lighter, and window frames have seals and vents. That's why outside noise mostly comes in through the windows, and why the glazing itself matters more than anything you put in front of it.
2. Sound passes through gaps
Sound travels through air, so any gap is a path for it: gaps between louvres, around the edge of a frame, between two panels, or through an open trickle vent. This is why a close fit matters, and why solid panel shutters, which have no louvre gaps, give sound fewer ways through.
3. Heavier, sealed layers block more
In general, the heavier and more airtight a barrier is, the more sound it stops. Separate layers with air between them also do better than layers pressed together. This is how acoustic secondary glazing works: a heavy, sealed second window with an air gap. Shutters and blinds are much lighter and aren't sealed, which is why they help but can't match it.
4. Low-pitched sound is the hardest to stop
Deep, low-pitched sounds such as bass and engine rumble pass through lightweight barriers far more easily than higher-pitched sounds. Stopping them takes mass and sealing, which is a job for glazing rather than shutters or blinds.
Reading glazing specs: acoustic glazing is often sold with a laboratory-measured sound reduction rating (you may see it written as Rw). The shutters and blinds we fit haven't been laboratory tested for sound, so they don't have one. If you're comparing options, a glazing specialist can explain the rating for the glazing they propose.
Cellular blinds (Duette) and noise
A cellular blind, such as a Luxaflex Duette, is made from a honeycomb of fabric cells that trap air. That structure adds a soft, layered barrier between the room and the window, so it can help soften outside noise, whether it's on its own at the window or fitted behind a shutter.
Like shutters, cellular blinds aren't laboratory tested for sound, so we don't quote a figure or rank one cell size or fabric above another for noise. When you choose a cellular blind, choose it for the fabric, the light control and the look you want, and treat any help with noise as a welcome extra.
See our Duette cellular blinds page for the full range.
Combined systems: shutters and cellular blinds
Where the window recess allows it, a cellular blind can be fitted behind a shutter. The arrangement, working inwards from outside, is:
That gives you two separate layers inside the window instead of one, with air between them. Following the principles above, more layers and fewer gaps generally mean more help with noise, and a solid panel shutter in front of the blind leaves no louvre gaps at all.
Whether a blind will fit behind a shutter depends on the depth of the recess and how far the window handles stick out, which we check when we visit. Read more about combining the two on our shutters and blinds page.
Installation quality and where sound gets past
However good the product, sound will take any route around it. These are the most common paths, and what helps with each.
| Where sound gets past | What helps |
|---|---|
| Gap between the frame and the window reveal | A close, careful frame fit |
| Gaps between the louvres | Closing the louvres, or choosing solid panels |
| Where two panels meet | Panels that close neatly against each other |
| Trickle vents and other openings | Closing them when noise matters most |
| Vibration carried through the building | Beyond what any window treatment can do |
Why we don't quote noise reduction figures
The only reliable way to know how much sound a product stops is to test it in an accredited acoustic laboratory. The shutters and blinds we fit haven't been through that testing, so there's no measured figure we can give you, and we don't put estimates on our website.
What we can tell you is what the physics supports: sound passes through gaps, heavier and sealed layers block more, the window is usually the weak point, and for a serious noise problem acoustic secondary glazing is the recognised solution. If you see a noise reduction figure quoted for a shutter or blind anywhere, it's worth asking how it was measured.
Frequently asked questions
Do shutters reduce noise?
How many decibels do shutters reduce?
Are shutters as good as secondary glazing for noise?
Which shutters are best for noise reduction?
Do shutters block traffic noise?
Do shutters stop bass noise from pubs and nightclubs?
What is better for noise: shutters or curtains?
Do Duette blinds reduce noise?
Will shutters help me sleep better?
Does the air gap between glass and shutter matter for noise?
Concerned about noise in your home?
We can talk through your noise situation and what shutters and blinds can and can't do for it. Request a brochure or arrange a consultation.