Aluminium foil and foil-faced board
A continuous metal layer is a near-perfect RF barrier in principle — 40 dB and better — but seams, staples and penetrations mean installed performance is governed entirely by workmanship.
foilradiofrequency
Last verified 12 August 2026.
Also searched as: aluminium foil shielding, foil insulation board
- Form
- foil
- Targets
- radiofrequency
- Grounding required
- Yes — ungrounded installation can make things worse
- Datasheet attenuation
- 30–60 dBbroadband, workmanship dominatedsources: sbm-2024
Failure modes
- Unbonded seams behave as slot apertures and can leak more than the surrounding material blocks
- Creates a vapour barrier where none was designed, risking condensation inside the build-up
- Ungrounded foil can increase AC electric field readings in the room
Related records
- Carbon or nickel shielding paint
A conductive coating applied to walls and ceilings, quoted at 30–40 dB in the cellular bands; it must be bonded to a grounded conductive strip to also control low-frequency electric fields.
Shielding & remediation
Sources
- sbm-2024 Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024) — Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN), 2024. ngo, link checked 2026-08-12.
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