Top 5 temporary acoustic barrier suppliers in the UK: Echo Barrier, Siderise, BIGBEN, Hushtec and RVT Group compared

If you’re a resident wondering what’s been clipped to the fence next door, or a site manager choosing barriers to keep the neighbours on side, the number of brands can be confusing. Each quotes different figures in different ways, so it’s hard to tell which is better.

This guide compares five of the best-known temporary acoustic barrier suppliers in the UK, using each company’s own published data and test reports, and explains which figures actually matter.

Disclosure: this site is supported by Hushtec, one of the five suppliers below. Suppliers are listed alphabetically, not ranked. Where a figure isn’t published, we say so.

In this article you’ll learn:

• Who the five main suppliers are, what each offers and where the barriers are made
• How their ratings compare
• Why “up to 43 dB” and “Rw 26 dB” aren’t the same kind of number
• Why some “acoustic” barriers reflect almost as much noise as plain hoarding
• Which barriers you can hire, and from whom

What should you compare temporary acoustic barriers on?

The fairest single figure for comparing barriers is Rw (weighted sound reduction index), a lab rating in decibels for how much sound passes through the panel, measured to ISO 10140-2 and calculated to ISO 717-1. Higher is better. Every 10 dB is roughly a halving of how loud the noise sounds.

The second is αw (weighted sound absorption coefficient), rated 0 to 1 under ISO 11654, which shows how much sound the face soaks up instead of reflecting back across the site. ISO 11654 grades it from Class A (0.90 to 1.00) down to Class E (0.15 to 0.25). Anything at 0.10 or below is not classified: it absorbs so little that, acoustically, it behaves like a reflective surface such as solid timber hoarding. A reflective barrier still blocks sound passing through it, but it bounces noise back across the site, where it can build up and escape over the top or towards homes opposite. Then check fire classification, weight, size, how panels join, and whether you can hire or must buy.

Be wary of “up to” or “max” figures. They are usually the best result at one frequency, which always flatters a panel compared with its Rw. Our guide to what the Rw rating means explains why, with a real example.

Also check you’re comparing like with like. Several suppliers sell more than one product under the same brand name, and a fence-mounted barrier can have a very different rating from a heavier curtain or enclosure panel made by the same company.

At a glance

The table compares each supplier’s fence-mounted temporary barrier, the type most often seen on site perimeters.

From manufacturer documents and test reports available in November 2026. Products and figures change, so check current data with each supplier.

1. BIGBEN Sound Blocker

The BIGBEN Sound Blocker is a temporary acoustic barrier range sold through UK site-supplies retailers including Leach’s and Dust Arrest. It comes in two sizes, 1.2 x 2 m (vertical) and 3.6 x 2 m (horizontal), with a fire-retardant version, an “Envirohedge” hedge-print version for sites where appearance matters, and custom logo printing. Panels have multiple eyelets for fixing to scaffolding or fencing with toggle ties and overlap to cover any length.

What to note: the retail listings we found don’t publish Rw, absorption or weight figures. At the time of writing, Dust Arrest listed the 3.6 x 2 m panel at £457 ex VAT, with discounts for bulk orders. Ask for the lab test report before buying if you need to meet a noise assessment.

Best for: sites wanting branded or hedge-printed screening that can be bought outright.

2. Echo Barrier

Echo Barrier Ltd, founded in 2010, is registered in England with its head office in Suffolk. Its panels are made in Slovakia: trade records show them shipped by Echo Barrier s.r.o. in Košice, with Slovakia as the country of origin. The rollable PVC-faced panels are a common sight on UK roadworks, rail and building sites and are widely available to hire. The H9 measures 2050 x 1335 mm and weighs 5.5 kg; the H4 is the same size at 7.1 kg. They include reflective strips, anti-theft cables and RFID tags.

What to note: the spec sheets quote “max noise reduction” of 43 dB (H9) and 40.8 dB (H4). The H9’s UKAS-accredited lab report from the University of Salford (January 2019) shows the 43 dB is the result at 4000 Hz; its overall rating is Rw 16 dB (C;Ctr -1;-3), at 2.0 kg per square metre. Its absorption is rated αw 0.25 (Class E) overall, but it absorbs very strongly between about 250 and 500 Hz, where much engine noise sits. Read more in What is Echo Barrier?

Best for: quick-to-fit, very light panels on short jobs, especially where hire is preferred and the main noise isn’t heavy low-frequency plant.

3. Hushtec

Hushtec is a New Zealand manufacturer of temporary acoustic barriers with its own UK manufacturing site in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, where its Performance and Premium panels are made. It supports this site. Its range runs from the Performance barrier (Rw 26 dB, PVC outer with acoustic foam core, 2000 x 1300 mm, Velcro joins and eyelets) to Premium (Rw 32 dB) and Signature Series (Rw 38 dB). It also makes pile shrouds and Rapidwall, a supported acoustic wall system wind-load tested up to 8 m tall for screening above fence height.

What to note: Hushtec publishes single-number Rw ratings for all three barrier grades. Its 2026 Performance brochure gives both Performance and Premium an absorption rating of αw 1.0, Class A, the top class under ISO 11654, with Performance also quoted at NRC 1.0. The full test report is available on request. As the manufacturer, Hushtec only sells its barriers; it does not hire them out. If you want to hire Hushtec barriers in the UK, they are available from rental partners Securasite, Safe Site Facilities and Sunbelt Rentals.

Best for: sites that need a choice of ratings, including heavy works near homes, or screening taller than a fence. Buy direct for long projects, or hire through a rental partner for shorter jobs.

4. RVT Group

RVT Group is a hazard control specialist based in Aylesford, Kent, established in 1993. As well as noise control, it supplies dust suppression, fume extraction and its MONITEX noise, dust and vibration monitoring with live online data. Its SOUNDEX range includes several separate products (quilts, curtains, cutting enclosures and machinery surrounds), and it has worked on projects including The Shard, HS2 and the Waterloo station upgrade.

What to note: RVT publishes detailed test data, and the SOUNDEX products are rated very differently, so check which one is on site.

• The SOUNDEX Quilt is RVT’s fence-mounted barrier, sized to hang on a standard 3.5 m temporary fence panel, with Velcro side connections and eyelets for fencing, scaffolding and hoardings. It measures 3600 x 2050 mm, weighs 15 kg and is rated Rw 15 dB, with αw 0.20 (Class E). Its headline “up to 28.2 dB” is its result at 5000 Hz.
• The SOUNDEX Curtain Plus is a separate, higher-rated curtain (Rw 24 dB, αw 0.70, Class C), 1250 x 2500 mm and 15 kg. It is mainly used for enclosures around piling rigs, compressors and generators, and for screening scaffold during demolition.
• The SOUNDEX Curtain Pyro Tech (Rw 14 dB) is designed for sub-surface work such as London Underground and is Class 0 to BS 6853.

Best for: larger projects wanting barriers, enclosures and noise monitoring from one hire supplier.

5. Siderise

Siderise Group is a UK specialist in fire, acoustic and thermal insulation with more than 40 years’ experience, based in Hadleigh, Suffolk. Its temporary barriers are sold through insulation merchants. The NRB Superflex Noise Reduction Barrier is rated Rw 22 dB (C;Ctr -1;-4) to BS EN ISO 717-1, tested to BS EN ISO 10140-2. It measures 2000 x 1200 mm, weighs 7.2 kg and hangs from fence panels by eyelets, overlapped by 50 mm. The NCBXL is a larger 3550 x 2000 mm, 36 mm-thick board with an absorbing core, rated Rw 17 dB. Siderise also makes a Flexible Noise Barrier tested to BS EN 1793 parts 1 and 2.

What to note: Siderise’s own technical data sheet (v6.00, June 2024) rates the NRB Superflex’s sound absorption at αw 0.10 to ISO 11654. That is below Class E, so the barrier is not classified for absorption. In practice its face reflects nearly all the sound that hits it, much like solid timber hoarding. It still blocks sound passing through (Rw 22 dB), but on tight sites, narrow streets or where homes face the works on both sides, reflected noise can bounce back across the site and out over the top. The large negative Ctr (-4) also means its effective rating for low-frequency plant noise is about 18 dB.

Best for: buying robust panels outright through a builders’ or insulation merchant, where blocking sound matters more than controlling reflections.

Hire or buy?

• Hire suits short jobs or one-off events. Echo Barrier and RVT Group products are widely available on hire. Hushtec does not hire out barriers itself, but its barriers can be hired from rental partners Securasite, Safe Site Facilities and Sunbelt Rentals.
• Buy suits long projects or contractors who reuse barriers across sites. Hushtec sells its barriers, and BIGBEN and Siderise panels can also be bought outright.

Questions to ask any supplier

• Which exact product is it? Many brands sell several products with different ratings.
• What is the Rw, and can I see the ISO 10140-2 / ISO 717-1 test report, ideally from a UKAS-accredited lab?
• What is the αw to ISO 11654, and which absorption class is it? If it’s 0.10 or below, the barrier is reflective.
• Which side is the absorbent face?
• What is the fire classification (not just “fire retardant”)?
• How do panels join, and how are gaps at the base sealed?
• Can the barrier go higher than the fence if needed?

Whichever supplier is used, the barrier will only work if it breaks the line of sight to the noise, has no gaps and sits close to the source. See Is an Rw 26 dB barrier enough?, What is the Rw rating? and our contractor guide.

This article is general guidance, not engineering advice. Product details are taken from manufacturer documents, test reports and trade records available in November 2026 and may change. Prices are indicative and exclude delivery.