How to Spec Acoustical Ceilings for LEED Certification

LEED Credits Where Ceilings Contribute

Under LEED v4 and v4.1, acoustical ceiling products intersect with these credit categories:

Materials and Resources: Building Product Disclosure and Optimization

This is where ceiling tiles shine. Armstrong, USG, and CertainTeed all publish Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their ceiling products. An EPD is a third-party verified document that discloses the environmental impact of a product through its lifecycle.

LEED awards credits for using products with EPDs (disclosure) and for using products with below-average environmental impact within their category (optimization). Most major-brand ceiling tiles qualify for both.

Materials and Resources: Sourcing of Raw Materials

Ceiling tiles contain significant recycled content. Mineral fiber tiles typically contain 25–80% recycled content (post-consumer and post-industrial). Armstrong's Cortega line uses recycled content from their Ceiling Recycling Program, which takes old tiles and grinds them into feedstock for new ones.

Read our ceiling tile recycling guide for more on this process.

Indoor Environmental Quality: Low-Emitting Materials

Ceiling tiles must meet VOC emission requirements. GREENGUARD Gold certification is the standard the industry uses. Most commercial ceiling tiles from major manufacturers carry GREENGUARD Gold. This contributes to the IEQ low-emitting materials credit.

Indoor Environmental Quality: Acoustic Performance

LEED v4.1 includes a credit for acoustic performance in occupied spaces. Different space types have different requirements — offices need specific background noise levels and reverberation times, classrooms must meet ANSI S12.60, healthcare spaces have speech privacy requirements.

Specifying ceiling tiles with appropriate NRC and CAC ratings for the space type is essential for this credit.

Energy and Atmosphere: Optimize Energy Performance

High light reflectance (LR) ceiling tiles contribute to lighting energy reduction. This gets modeled as part of the building's energy performance, which feeds into the largest LEED credit category. See our ceiling energy efficiency guide.

Products That Check the Most Boxes

Some ceiling products are designed specifically with LEED in mind:

Armstrong Ultima: EPD, GREENGUARD Gold, high recycled content, NRC 0.70, LR 0.90. Contributes to 5+ LEED categories.
Armstrong Cortega: All the same certifications at a lower price point. NRC 0.55, LR 0.83. Good for budget-conscious LEED projects.
CertainTeed Symphony: EPD, GREENGUARD Gold, NRC 0.70, fiberglass construction. Strong LEED contribution.
USG Radar Illusion: EPD, GREENGUARD Gold, recycled content. Solid mid-range option.

For detailed product comparisons, read our Cortega vs Radar comparison and Symphony vs Calla comparison.

Documentation Requirements

For LEED submittal, you'll need:

EPDs for each ceiling product
GREENGUARD Gold certificates
Recycled content documentation (manufacturer letter or product data sheet)
Product cut sheets showing NRC, CAC, and LR values
Ceiling Recycling Program participation documentation (if applicable)

Armstrong makes this easy — their LEED documentation package includes everything needed for credit documentation in a single download.

Specification Language

When writing Division 09 51 00 (Acoustical Ceilings) specs for LEED projects, include:

Required EPD compliance
Minimum recycled content percentage
GREENGUARD Gold certification requirement
Minimum NRC and CAC values tied to the LEED acoustic credit requirements
Minimum LR value
Ceiling recycling requirement (contractor to participate in manufacturer take-back program)

Our GC spec guide covers the broader spec process.

Common Mistakes

Substituting without checking LEED impact: A value-engineered tile may not carry the same EPD, recycled content, or GREENGUARD certification as the specified product.
Ignoring the grid: LEED credits apply to the grid system too. Specify grid with EPDs and recycled content.
Not recycling old tiles: On renovation projects, sending old ceiling tiles to landfill when a recycling program exists costs you a potential credit.

Need Help with a LEED Ceiling Spec?

Elite Acoustics Inc has installed ceilings on LEED-certified projects across Northern California. We help architects and sustainability consultants select products that maximize credit contribution while meeting acoustic and budget requirements. Get in touch.