Quick answer: Wood wool panels are made of wood strands bound with cement. They look rough and natural, are tough, and soak up sound well, especially when mounted with a gap behind. Fabric panels are smoother, come in many colours and usually soak up more sound for the same thickness. Choose wood wool for a raw, tough look; fabric for colour and a clean finish.

Key takeaways

  • Wood wool: tough, natural look, works well with a gap.
  • Fabric: smooth, many colours, strong performance.
  • Both work. Choose by look and how tough it must be.

What wood wool is

Wood wool is made from thin strands of wood mixed with cement and pressed into boards. The surface is rough and open, so sound can get in. It looks raw and natural, a bit like woven straw.

How well it works

Wood wool soaks up sound well, and better still with an air gap or a soft layer behind it. Fixed flat to a wall with no gap, it does less. Ask for the NRC (a score from 0 to 1 for how much sound a panel soaks up) of the exact board and mounting. See what NRC means.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our acoustic panels Singapore and recent projects.

Wood wool vs fabric infographic

Where wood wool shines

Wood wool suits gyms, sports halls, car-park lobbies, schools and cafés with a raw, industrial look. It takes knocks well. That makes it a good choice for walls that balls or bags hit.

Wood wool vs fabric panels diagram

Where fabric shines

Fabric panels suit offices, homes, churches and restaurants. They give you colour, a smooth finish, or printed art. Our Flexi™ panels reach NRC 0.80 at 25 mm and NRC 1.00 at 50 mm. See choosing panel colours.

Weight and fixing

Wood wool is heavier, so it needs solid fixings, especially on ceilings. Fabric panels are lighter and easier to fix. On any ceiling, panels should always be fixed mechanically, never glued.

What we use

We mainly supply and install fabric panels like Flexi™ in 39 colours. If wood wool suits your space better, we will tell you. Some spaces use both, with each in the spot where it works best.

Mixing both in one space

Wood wool on the lower walls in a gym or school corridor, where things get knocked. Fabric panels higher up and on the ceiling, where colour and a smooth finish matter.

Questions to ask about wood wool

What is the NRC with the mounting you plan? How heavy is each board? How is it fixed to the ceiling? Is it fire-tested? Does the dust need sealing?

What we see on real jobs

Wood wool suits gyms and sports halls, where walls take knocks. For offices and restaurants, fabric gives a much wider colour range.

Get a straight answer for your room

Send us a photo or a short video of the room on WhatsApp (+65 8930 1905). We'll reply with whether panels are the right fix, how many you need, where they go and the price. If it's really a soundproofing problem, we'll tell you.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

Related reading