RC - Room Criteria

Room Criteria - RC - measuring background noise in a building over frequencies ranging 16 Hz to 4000 Hz

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Room Criteria (RC) measures the background noise in buildings over frequencies ranging 16 Hz to 4000 Hz.

RC - room criteria curves

RC requires a determination of the mid-frequency average level and the perceived balance between high and low frequency sound.

Type of Room - Space Type	Recommended RC Level RC Curve	Equivalent Sound Level dB(A)
Apartments	25 - 35 (N)¹⁾	35 - 45
Assembly Halls	25 - 30 (N)	35 - 40
Churches	30 - 35 (N)	40 - 45
Courtrooms	30 - 40 (N)	40 - 50
Factories	40 - 65 (N)	50 - 75
Hotels/Motels
- Individual rooms or suites	30 - 35 (N)	35 - 45
- Meeting or banquet rooms	25 - 35 (N)	35 - 45
- Service and Support Areas	40 - 45 (N)	45 - 50
- Halls, corridors, lobbies	35 - 40 (N)	50 - 55
Offices
- Conference rooms	25 - 30 (N)	35 - 40
- Private	30 - 35 (N)	40 - 45
- Open-plan areas	35 - 40 (N)	45 - 50
- Business machines/computers	40 - 45 (N)	50 - 55
Hospitals and Clinics
- Private rooms	25 - 30 (N)	35 - 40
- Operating rooms	25 - 30 (N)	35 - 40
- Wards	30 - 35 (N)	40 - 45
- Laboratories	35 - 40 (N)	45 - 50
- Corridors	30 - 35 (N)	40 - 45
- Public areas	35 - 40 (N)	45 - 50
Schools
- Lecture and classrooms	25 - 30 (N)	35 - 40
- Open-plan classrooms	30 - 40 (N)	45 - 50

Movie motion picture theaters	30 - 35 (N)	40 - 45
Libraries	35 - 40 (N)	40 - 50
Legitimate theaters	20 - 25 (N)	30 - 65
Private Residences	25 - 35 (N)	35 - 45
Restaurants	40 - 45 (N)	50 - 55
TV Broadcast studies	15 - 25 (N)	25 - 35
Recording Studios	15 - 20 (N)	25 - 30
Concert and recital halls	15 - 20 (N)	25 - 30
Sport Coliseums	45 - 55 (N)	55 - 65
Recording studios	15 - 20 (N)	25 - 30

¹⁾ Neutral (N). The levels in the octave bands centered at 500 Hz and below must not exceed the octave-band levels of the reference spectrum by more than 5 dB at any point in the range; the levels in the octave bands centered at 1000 Hz and above must not exceed the octave-band level of the reference spectrum by more than 3 dB at any point in the range.