Sound Insulation Capability of Container Houses

The sound insulation capability of container houses is generally weak, but it can be significantly improved through targeted modifications.

Limitations of Original Sound Insulation Performance

The sound insulation of the walls of a standard 20-foot steel container is only 28-35 dB, which is far below the requirement of at least 45 dB for partition walls in office spaces as specified in the 'Design Code for Sound Insulation of Civil Buildings'. There are three main reasons for its poor sound insulation:

1. Thin steel plate walls: The wall thickness of a container is only 1.5-2 mm. The metal material has limited ability to block sound waves, allowing high-frequency noise (such as vehicle traffic sounds) to easily penetrate the walls.
2. Structural sound transmission: The rigid connections of the metal frame amplify vibration transmission. For example, raindrops hitting or external mechanical vibrations may be directly conducted to the interior through the frame.
3. Sealing defects: There are gaps of 3-5 mm at joints and door seams, allowing low-frequency noise (such as people's conversations) to enter the interior through air leakage.

Improved Sound Insulation After Modification

Through material upgrades and structural optimization, the sound insulation performance of container houses can approach that of traditional buildings:

• Chengdu Maike Polymer Materials Project: After being modified with the self-developed Jingyue polymer flexible sound insulation roll, under the working condition of 'sound source outside the container and measurement inside the container', the sound insulation reached 12.1 dB (the noise inside the container dropped from 62.6 dB to 48.5 dB); under the working condition of 'sound source inside the container and measurement outside the container', the sound insulation reached 7.7 dB (the noise outside the container dropped from 63.5 dB to 55.8 dB).
• Shenzhen Outdoor Coffee Brand Case: By transforming the walls into a combination of 'sound insulation felt + sound-absorbing cotton (density ≥ 80 kg/m³)', the sound insulation was increased to 42 dB, effectively blocking out the noisy external environment.
• Falila Container Pre-installation Solution: After pre-installing 30 mm closed-cell thermal insulation sound insulation panels, the ambient noise dropped from 72 dB to 33 dB, suitable for scenarios with high requirements for quietness.
• Door and Window Sealing Optimization: In a delivery station of a food delivery platform, by replacing the container doors and windows with 'double-glazed windows + sealing strips', the noise dropped from 55 dB to 35 dB, significantly improving the indoor acoustic environment.

Residential Experience Issues Without Modification

If no special modifications are made, the sound insulation defects of container houses will directly affect residential comfort: external noise from vehicle traffic and people's conversations will clearly enter the interior. The sound of raindrops hitting the metal walls is especially noticeable on rainy days. Long-term exposure to such an environment may lead to problems such as decreased sleep quality and difficulty concentrating. Therefore, it is necessary to choose appropriate sound insulation modification solutions according to the usage scenario.