Blog

Nov 6, 2026

Living near a new Southwest Metro station? How to reduce noise in your home.

If you live near one of the new Southwest Metro stations, you may be hearing station chimes and announcements from inside your home, sometimes well into the evening. In most ...

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Nov 4, 2026

How do I keep afternoon heat out of west-facing rooms in Perth?

In Perth, much of a room's summer heat comes in through the windows, especially those facing west. Window film reduces the heat from direct sun, and secondary glazing slows heat ...

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Oct 28, 2026

Can you double glaze a Melbourne heritage home without replacing the windows?

Secondary glazing lets owners of Victorian, Edwardian and interwar homes improve comfort while keeping their original windows. It sits discreetly on the inside, so the look of the home from ...

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Oct 21, 2026

How do I reduce aircraft noise from the new Western Sydney Airport?

Western Sydney International Airport is set to open for passenger flights on 25 October 2026, and unlike Sydney Airport it has no curfew. If your home is near a flight ...

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Oct 14, 2026

Is double glazing worth it in Canberra? How windows affect heat loss and heat gain.

In Canberra, windows are one of the main places a home loses warmth in winter and takes on heat in summer. Retrofit double glazing improves how existing windows perform in ...

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Sep 11, 2026

The New Home Comfort Priority For Sydney Is Quiet

For years, when people talked about home comfort, they were referring to mainly thermal comfort. Was the home warm enough in winter? Cool enough in summer? Was the heating efficient? ...

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Aug 27, 2026

How To Reduce Noise In Newcastle And Central Coast Homes

Newcastle and the Central Coast offer coastal living within commuting distance of Sydney. It gives you an established suburb, growing town centres, local cafes, schools, rail connections and quick access ...

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Aug 4, 2026

We're Back! Meet Jono, the New Face of Magnetite Newcastle and Central Coast

After a short pause in operations due to the passing of previous franchise owner, Magnetite Newcastle and Central Coast is now back to business. Jonothan Cody has picked up the ...

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Jul 21, 2026

Why Window Insulation Should Be Part Of Every Home Plan

Most people do not think about their windows until they start affecting the way their home feels. A home that feels cold even with the heater on in winter, the ...

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May 12, 2026

5 Ways To Stay Warm This Winter In Canberra (And Why Your Windows Matter Most)

Canberra winters have a certain reputation. Bright blue skies, frosty mornings and that familiar moment where you step onto a cold floor and wonder if the heater is doing anything. ...

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Apr 28, 2026

How To Thermally Insulate Windows: A Complete Guide

If a room feels cold even when the heater is on, the problem is often not your heating system. It’s heat escaping due to inadequate insulation around your home. And ...

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Apr 2, 2026

NSW Outdoor Dining Reforms: How Sydney Residents Can Reduce Street And Nightlife Noise

Sydney is leaning into alfresco dining and outdoor events in a bigger way. The NSW Government’s recent update on “vibrancy reforms” points to 580+ businesses across the state already using relaxed rules to host ...

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Glazing Type	Cooling Stars	Heating Stars	Cool%	Heat%	Uw	SHGC
Single glazed 3mm clear glass*					7.4	0.77
Single glazed 3mm clear glass & 4.5mm Magnetite			35%	59%	2.9	0.67

Glazing Type

Cooling Stars

Heating Stars

Cool%

Heat%

SHGC

Single glazed 3mm clear glass*

7.4

0.77

Single glazed 3mm clear glass &
4.5mm Magnetite

35%

59%

2.9

0.67

Glazing Type	Cool%	Heat%	Uw	SHGC
Single glazed 3mm clear glass*	20%	28%	5.5	0.69
Single glazed 3mm clear glass & 4.5mm Magnetite	37%	61%	2.6	0.66
Single glazed 3mm clear glass with Solartite** and 4.5mm Magnetite	76%	45%	1.8	0.20

Glazing Type

Cooling Stars

Heating Stars

Cool%

Heat%

SHGC

Single glazed 3mm clear glass*

20%

28%

5.5

0.69

Single glazed 3mm clear glass &
4.5mm Magnetite

37%

61%

2.6

0.66

Single glazed 3mm clear glass with
Solartite** and 4.5mm Magnetite

76%

45%

1.8

0.20

Glazing Type	Cooling Stars	Heating Stars	Cool%	Heat%	Uw	SHGC	AI
Double Glazed 3mm clear glass/12mm air gap/3mm clear glass IGU (Insulated Glass Unit)*			40%	55%	3.0	0.61	5.0
Single glazed 3mm clear glass & 4.5mm Magnetite			37%	61%	2.6	0.66	0.5

Glazing Type

Cooling Stars

Heating Stars

Cool%

Heat%

SHGC

Double Glazed 3mm clear glass/12mm air
gap/3mm clear glass IGU (Insulated Glass Unit)*

40%

55%

3.0

0.61

5.0

Single glazed 3mm clear glass &
4.5mm Magnetite

37%

61%

2.6

0.66

0.5

Glazing Type	Cooling Stars	Heating Stars	Cool%	Heat%	Uw	SHGC	AI
Double Glazed 5mm Supertoned glass/6mm air gap/5mm clear glass IGU (Insulated Glass Unit)*			54%	425%	3.30	0.461	5.0
Single glazed 3mm glass Solartite** and 4.5mm Magnetite			73%	38%	2.4	0.19	0.5

Glazing Type

Cooling Stars

Heating Stars

Cool%

Heat%

SHGC

Double Glazed 5mm Supertoned glass/6mm
air gap/5mm clear glass IGU (Insulated Glass Unit)*

54%

425%

3.30

0.461

5.0

Single glazed 3mm glass Solartite**
and 4.5mm Magnetite

73%

38%

2.4

0.19

0.5

Noise Reduction Technical Data and Results

Proven Results

Noise pollution is one the biggest problems faced in the cities today, particularly in a high-density living. Unwanted noise can be responsible for sleep loss and lack of concentration. This can lead to a deterioration of health through increased stress levels, headaches, high blood pressure and loss of hearing.

Noise penetrates windows through leaky seals or vibrations through the window structure. To reduce noise, a window should minimise air infiltration, hold enough weight to limit vibration and allow a large air cavity. This cavity, or air gap, is the key to secondary glazing.

Expert Advice:

CSIRO Research by John Davy shown an air cavity can effectively enhance sound insulation performance. The larger the air cavity the more noise the window system can reduce. Results show a wide air gap of 100-125mm will improve sound insulation by an average of 7dB(A) more than windows with a narrow gap of 8-13mm.

Window or Glass Door Type	Total Glass Thickness (mm)	Air Cavity Thickness (mm)	Sound Insulation (dB)
Single Glaze 3mm	3	0	23
Single Glaze 6mm	6	0	27
Double Glaze Narrow Gap	9-12	8-13	31
Double Glaze Wide Gap	9-12	100-125	38

Window or Glass Door Type

Total Glass Thickness (mm)

Air Cavity Thickness (mm)

Sound Insulation (dB)

Single Glaze 3mm

Single Glaze 6mm

Double Glaze Narrow Gap

9-12

8-13

Double Glaze Wide Gap

9-12

100-125

The human ear is less sensitive to low frequency sound. According to a study released by the CSIRO, the human ear needs a change of 3dB to detect a difference in noise levels and the human ear perceives a change of 10dB as a doubling or halving of the noise level.

If you double the thickness of glass in a window the noise level will decrease by 3dB the least amount possible to make a difference. If the glass is laminated there is no perceived difference in noise reduction.

National Acoustic Laboratory Testing:

Working with the principles of noise transfer, Magnetite® and Soundtite are designed for high performance, which is achieved by combining air tight seals with the ability to maximize an air cavity and the flexibility to vary glazing thickness to suit. Magnetite® is excellent at reducing general noise such as busy roads, commuter trains and noisy neighbours. Whereas, Soundtite works well to combat low frequencies noise such as garbage truck, freight trains or airplane during take-off and landing.

Test Code	Material Tested	Rw*	Improvement
ATF 707 (test window)	Aluminium sliding window, 3mm float glass with mohair seals	23	N/A
ATF 709	Test window, 100mm air gap and Magnetite System (4.5mm acrylic panel)	35	52%
ATF 1507	Test window, 100mm air gap and Magnetite System (10.0mm acrylic panel)	39	70%
ATF 817	Test window, 100mm air gap and Soundtite (6.38mm laminated glass)	41	78%

Test Code

Material Tested

Rw*

Improvement

ATF 707 (test window)

Aluminium sliding window, 3mm float glass with mohair seals

N/A

ATF 709

Test window, 100mm air gap and Magnetite System (4.5mm acrylic panel)

52%

ATF 1507

Test window, 100mm air gap and Magnetite System (10.0mm acrylic panel)

70%

ATF 817

Test window, 100mm air gap and Soundtite (6.38mm laminated glass)

78%

*The Weighted Sound Reduction Index (Rw) is a measure for sound insulation performance of a single building element such as windows. The higher the Rw rating, the better the sound insulation.

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