Boneyard Tools

RT60 Reverberation Time Calculator

Enter the room volume and its total absorption to estimate the RT60 reverberation time using the Sabine formula. You can give absorption directly in sabins or as a surface area with an average absorption coefficient.

How to use the RT60 calculator

  1. Enter the room volume in cubic metres.
  2. Give the total absorption in sabins, or a surface area with an average absorption coefficient.
  3. Read the RT60 reverberation time in seconds.

Examples

From total absorption

Volume 200 m3, 40 sabins
RT60 about 0.805 s

From surface and coefficient

Volume 200 m3, 240 m2, coefficient 0.15
36 sabins, RT60 about 0.894 s

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sabine formula for RT60?

RT60 equals 0.161 times the room volume in cubic metres divided by the total absorption in metric sabins. It estimates how long sound takes to decay by 60 decibels.

What is a sabin?

A metric sabin is one square metre of perfectly absorbing surface. Total absorption is the sum of each surface area multiplied by its absorption coefficient.

How do I find total absorption from materials?

Multiply each surface area by its absorption coefficient and add them up. This calculator can do the simple case for you from one surface area and an average coefficient.

What is a good RT60 for a room?

It depends on use. Control rooms and home studios often aim for roughly 0.2 to 0.4 seconds, while concert halls are deliberately longer to add warmth and space.

Why does the coefficient have to be between 0 and 1?

An absorption coefficient is the fraction of sound energy a surface absorbs, from 0 for fully reflective to 1 for fully absorptive. Values outside that range are not physical here.

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