Sabin (unit)

In acoustics, the sabin (or more precisely the square foot sabin) is a unit of sound absorption, used for expressing the total effective absorption for the interior of a room.

It can also be expressed as a coefficient, with a value of 1.00 representing a material which absorbs 100% of the energy, and a value of 0.00 meaning all the sound is reflected.

[1] The concept of a unit for absorption was first suggested by American physicist Wallace Clement Sabine, the founder of the field of architectural acoustics.

He defined the "open-window unit" as the absorption of 1 square foot (0.093 m2) of open window.

The total absorption A in metric sabins for a room containing many types of surface is given by

Sabins are used in calculating the reverberation time of concert halls, lecture theatres, and recording studios.