Test report reader

Every figure on a test report, explained

This is the guidance the tool applies, as plain text. A figure on a report can be compared with a by-law figure only when both are the same rating and both were measured the same way: in a laboratory, or on site.

When can a report figure be compared with your by-law?

• Same rating, same basis: yes. An on-site L'nT,w can be compared with an L'nT,w by-law. An AAAC star by-law is an on-site L'nT,w limit: 2 star less than 65, 3 star less than 55, 4 star less than 50, 5 star less than 45, 6 star less than 40 (AAAC guideline V1.0). Only an AAAC member firm may issue a star certificate.
• IIC or FIIC against L'nT,w: approximately only. The AAAC says either value can be subtracted from 110 "to approximately indicate the other". In a Queensland field study the sums were 100 to 108, so use it as a range check, not as proof.
• Laboratory against on site: no. A laboratory test (Ln,w, IIC) suppresses the sound paths around the floor. An on-site test (L'nT,w, FIIC) includes them, with the slab, the ceiling and the workmanship. ISO 10140-3 says laboratory results are not directly applicable to a real building.
• ΔLw: never. It is the improvement from a covering or underlay on a reference floor, not a rating for your floor, and it cannot be subtracted from your building's figure.
• With and without + CI: no. CI is usually negative on a concrete slab, so a + CI figure is usually the lower number for the same floor.
• Airborne figures (Rw + Ctr, DnT,w + Ctr) against an impact by-law: no. They rate voices and music, not footsteps.

Questions to ask the supplier

1. Can you send the full test report, not a brochure page or a summary figure?
2. Is the figure a laboratory result (Ln,w, ΔLw or IIC) or an on-site result (L'nT,w or FIIC)?
3. What exact build-up was tested: which floor covering, which underlay and thickness, and which adhesive or fixing?
4. What slab type and thickness was it tested on, and was there a ceiling below?
5. Is there an on-site test (ISO 16283-2) of the same build-up?
6. Can you give the result in the rating my by-law uses, measured the way my by-law requires?
7. Does the figure include + CI?
8. If you claim a star rating, which AAAC member firm issued the certificate, and for which building?
9. Who carried out the test, who paid for it, and on what date?
10. Does the report carry a NATA endorsement, and is the test inside that lab's scope of accreditation?
11. Does the report include the frequency table or graph behind the single number?
12. Which installation details did the result depend on, such as a gap at the walls or an isolation strip under the skirting?

Based on the report contents in the ABCB handbook (Appendix D.3.3), the statement of results in ISO 717-2, NATA's guide to test reports and the AAAC explanatory note.