How soundproof are office phone booths? A buyer’s guide

First, define the privacy you need

A routine video check-in and a sensitive personnel discussion do not have the same brief. List the kinds of conversations the space will host and who may be nearby. If confidentiality is important, involve the people responsible for that risk before selecting a booth; do not rely on the product category name as reassurance.

Also distinguish the caller’s experience from that of colleagues outside. During a demonstration, consider both perspectives. Can the caller work comfortably? What can someone nearby hear? Use the exercise to identify questions for the supplier, not to certify performance or establish a universal privacy guarantee.

What does ISO 23351-1 measure?

ISO 23351-1:2020 describes a laboratory method for comparing how furniture ensembles and enclosures reduce the speech level of a person speaking inside them. Its scope concerns complete products rather than a standalone panel or individual material. That makes the identity of the tested product important when reading a claim.

A useful follow-up is to ask whether the report covers the exact configuration you are buying. Record the standard, reported result, test organisation and model reference together. Do not rank two products by their headline numbers until you have established that the figures describe comparable measurements.

ISO: scope of ISO 23351-1:2020

Turn a headline into a document request

If a listing says “up to” a certain reduction, ask what the qualifier means. If it gives an acoustic class, ask for the document behind it. If a brochure lists several products together, check which result belongs to which model. A missing answer is a reason to investigate, not a reason to assume the most favourable interpretation.

Use a simple comparison record. Keep the original wording next to the evidence received, and mark unresolved points clearly. This prevents a measured figure, a marketing description and an impression from a showroom visit being treated as three equivalent technical results.

• Exact product, size and configuration tested.
• Test method and date shown on the report.
• Reported result and any conditions or exclusions.
• Confirmation that the supplied version matches the evidence.

Make a demonstration useful

Prepare a short, ordinary conversation and use the same routine when comparing booths. Ask to experience the space with its normal systems running. Check the door closes properly, try your headset and note what you would want to investigate further. If you record anything, obtain permission and avoid sensitive content.

Do not present a phone-app reading or a casual listening test as a certified acoustic rating. A showroom visit is valuable for understanding the experience, but it is not the same as a controlled test. If speech privacy is central to the purchase, ask a qualified acoustic specialist how to assess the intended location and use.

Keep acoustics in the wider buying decision

A booth also has to fit its users, their equipment and the building. Keep the acoustic assessment alongside the checks for ventilation, seating, lighting, access and installation. Avoid making one impressive number the only criterion while leaving the rest of the brief unresolved.

Our product pages deliberately distinguish confirmed details from information still to be checked. For example, COMINE models shown only by capacity should not inherit the acoustic results of another named series. Use the collection to create a shortlist, then request current, model-specific evidence before making the final decision.

Start with the office phone booth buying guide