Best 5mm acoustic underlay
Updated: 20 October 2026
You have six gold-looking rolls and one pack of boards in a tab, and they are not the same evidence. The best 5mm acoustic underlay in this set means the listing that states what you need and has a UK review file you can read, at a shelf price from 19 October 2026. It does not mean a laboratory winner, or a pass under Approved Document E. The full table, with price per square metre, is the [5mm acoustic underlay comparison](/hub/flooring/5mm-acoustic-underlay). If you buy through our amazon.co.uk links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Products Compared editorial team scored the six kept listings from stars, review volume, what the bullets state, UK review notes, and price. We did not lay a test floor.
You have six gold-looking rolls and one pack of boards in a tab, and they are not the same evidence.
You have six gold-looking rolls and one pack of boards in a tab, and they are not the same evidence. The best 5mm acoustic underlay in this set means the listing that states what you need and has a UK review file you can read, at a shelf price from 19 October 2026. It does not mean a laboratory winner, or a pass under Approved Document E. The full table, with price per square metre, is the 5mm acoustic underlay comparison. If you buy through our amazon.co.uk links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Products Compared editorial team scored the six kept listings from stars, review volume, what the bullets state, UK review notes, and price. We did not lay a test floor.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | amazon.co.uk ratings | Foil on the listing | Claimed sound | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Royale Royale Sonic Gold 5 mm | 4.6 from 800 | Not stated | Not stated | 8.3 | about £29.34 | View offer |
| Best value |  AcuStick AcuStick sonic gold 15 m² | 4.5 from 682 | Stated | 24 dB | 8.1 | about £29.50 | View offer |
| Alternative |  FloorPro FloorPro XPS 5 mm boards | 4.5 from 336 | Not stated | 23 dB | 7.7 | about £24.77 | View offer |
On this page
What best means in this set
Best here is a job inside these six amazon.co.uk listings, not a claim about every underlay in the UK. The top pick is the Royale 15 m² roll: the highest editorial score, 4.6 from 800 ratings, the largest sample, at £29.34, about £1.96 per square metre. The best value is the AcuStick 15 m² roll, at £29.50, about £1.97 per square metre, because the listing prints a gold foil and a 24 dB claim at essentially the same price, with 4.5 from 682 ratings. The other four do not get a badge.
A printed decibel figure is still a seller’s line. Trim Acoustics’ Soundshield 5, outside this set, was £91.16 for 15.07 m² with a stated impact improvement of 27 dB. Floor Depot’s own Sonic Gold 5 mm was £2.80 per square metre the same day, so the two keen amazon rolls are the cheap end of ordinary underlay. Standards, tog, and what a decibel bullet is allowed to mean stay on the buying guide.
Rolls with a large review count
Royale (B00EZMY36G) is the roll to open if you are laying wood or laminate, you want the biggest UK rating file, and you will measure the goods when they arrive. The bullets say foam, high acoustic properties, and wood or laminate. They do not state a decibel number or a foil. UK reviews describe a gold face, warmth under bedroom laminate, less foot noise than bare boards, and an overlap used on screed. Treat that gold face as something reviewers saw, not as a specification. The same reviews include a roll about 1 m² short of 15 m², tears when a board edge catches the sheet, and awkward overlaps. Tape is not in the bullets. Skip Royale if you need the foil and the decibel line in writing, or if the floor is click vinyl.
AcuStick’s 15 m² roll (B07WVFCS66) is the one to open if those written lines matter. The bullets state a gold foil moisture membrane, sound absorption of 24 dB, 1 m by 15 m, and Barrier Pro X tape at the seams, for wood and laminate. The 24 dB figure is not an Approved Document E result. UK reviews praise easy cutting, a warmer feel than thin white foam on concrete, and less noise downstairs. They also record tears while the foam is walked on, a crisp-packet crinkle that stayed, no tape in the box, and one roll measured under 12 m². One luxury vinyl click floor unclipped because the layer was too soft. That argument is on the laminate or vinyl page.
The other four
The AcuStick twin pack (B07WPFT2H2) is titled as two rolls and 30 m² at £68.99. If the title coverage is right, that is about £2.30 per square metre, worse than two of the 15 m² rolls at £1.97. The bullets still say 1 m by 15 m, the weight field is 3 kg, and another field says 322.117 square feet. The review text matches the 15 m² ASIN, so 682 ratings are not a second opinion.
Network’s generic roll (B0DRDDMG3C) is £29.50 for 15 m². The bullets say 25 dB, gold foil, laminate and vinyl, and 0.9 tog. The star line is 5.0 from one rating, and there is no review text. The part string matches AcuStick. The 0.9 tog figure, about 0.09 m²K/W for the underlay alone, is the useful bit if you are adding resistances for underfloor heating and the plank maker agrees. Skip it as proof it works under vinyl.
FloorPro Smoothfit (B0D49DXYGH) is £21.50 for a titled 7.5 m², about £2.87 per square metre, with 4.0 from 32 ratings and a gold foil stated. The title says 5 mm and the thickness field says 0.01 m. One concrete kitchen report says the foam filled with water and the laminate lifted, with no leak in the room. Use it only for a small, already-dry wood or laminate room. FloorPro XPS boards (B0B324P5MB) are the sheet option: 21 pieces, 9.79 m², £24.77, about £2.53 per square metre, 4.5 from 336 ratings, 23 dB and up to 2.2 tog, no foil stated. Up to 2.2 tog is about 0.22 m²K/W before the floor, already over a 0.15 m²K/W combined heating cap. Choose the boards for a sheet lay on wood or laminate, with no underfloor heating and a vapour plan already settled.
When none of them is the purchase
Leave the set when the floor needs a sound test, when the plank maker forbids this thickness, or when the slab is above the moisture limit. A foam roll near £2 per square metre can make a bedroom feel less sharp underfoot. It does not certificate the flat. Scotland’s impact limit on new domestic work is stricter than England’s, and neither number is printed on these packets. Click vinyl in the reviews and in maker sheets wants a thin, dense underlay, often around 1–2 mm in a brand system, not this foam.
If you still want one of the six, use the top pick for the rating sample and the best value when you want foil and a decibel line in the bullets at the same money. Measure the room, add a cutting margin, and buy the tape the listing names.
Common questions
Which listing has the strongest UK rating sample?
Royale, at 4.6 from 800 ratings. AcuStick’s 15 m² roll is next, at 4.5 from 682. The twin pack does not add another 682, because the review text is the same block. Network’s 5.0 from one rating has no review text, so it is the weakest sample even though the star is the highest.
Which one prints a foil and a decibel claim?
AcuStick’s 15 m² listing states a gold foil and 24 dB. Network states a foil and 25 dB, plus 0.9 tog, with almost no reviews. Smoothfit states a foil and no decibel figure. Royale’s bullets state neither. The XPS boards state 23 dB and no foil. A stated line is still a claim, not a laboratory certificate.
Is the twin pack cheaper per square metre?
Not at the 19 October 2026 shelf price. £68.99 for a titled 30 m² is about £2.30 per square metre. The single AcuStick roll is £29.50 for 15 m², about £1.97. Check the live price, because a later offer can change the sum. Also check that two rolls are actually in the parcel, because the weight field is still 3 kg.
Why not trust 5.0 from one rating?
One rating can be a single satisfied order, a mistake, or an empty file. This listing’s extract has the star and no review text. You cannot see whether anyone laid it under laminate, let alone under vinyl. A large file with a 4.5 or 4.6 tells you the repeated complaints, which is more useful than a perfect score you cannot read.
When are the XPS boards the better buy?
When you want boards rather than a roll, the use is wood or laminate, and there is no underfloor heating. You get a stated size, 336 ratings, and a lower price than Smoothfit’s short roll. You do not get a stated foil, and up to 2.2 tog is too much resistance to assume over a heated floor. Sheets in the reviews snap, so handle them as boards.
Who should leave this set?
Anyone fitting click vinyl, anyone with a screed that has not been tested, and anyone who needs a documented impact result for a flat conversion. A specialist acoustic mat is a different budget. These six are ordinary foam and board underlay around £2 to £3 per square metre, with the limits written above.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources listed in the research digest. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.
- Approved Document E, GOV.UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- East Lindsey Guidance Note 53, resistance to the passage of sound (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Scottish Technical Handbook 2022, section 5.1, noise separation (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Technical Booklet G 2012, Northern Ireland (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SITMA, sub-floor testing requirements under Approved Document E (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI, BS EN 16354:2018 laminate floor underlays (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- EPLF underlay materials bulletin, December 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Quick-Step UK, vinyl with underfloor heating or cooling (retrieved 19 October 2026)