Ceilings play a central role in defining the ambiance and functionality of interior spaces. Suspended ceilings in particular stand out for their versatility and practicality. Suspended or drop ceilings are designed to hang from overhead structures, concealing essential building elements such as wiring, mechanical systems, and plumbing, while also offering an opportunity for aesthetic enhancement and functional improvement.
Suspended ceilings aren't merely functional necessities; they are integral elements of interior design which top spaces that range from living rooms, to corporate offices and expansive airport terminals. By covering entire rooms, ceilings establish a unified visual identity and contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere of a space.
Suspended ceilings can be solid, providing a clean and seamless appearance, or perforated, offering a dynamic interplay of light and shadow. The choice of materials impacts both the aesthetic and functional aspects of the ceiling. Sound-absorbing materials like mineral wool, wood, or felt are often utilized to enhance acoustics, mitigating noise and reverberation in otherwise noisy environments.
These are 25 of Archello’s most popular suspended ceiling manufacturers specified by architects and designers, part of Archello's 25 best manufacturers series.
1. Knauf Ceiling Solutions, Germany
Knauf Ceiling Solutions is one of the four divisions of the family-owned Knauf Group. With more than 30 sales and production sites in Europe, Asia and Latin America and some 1600 employees Knauf Ceiling Solutions has a global presence. Its offerings include a range of innovative products such as HERADESIGN® Wood Wool sustainable acoustic ceilings, all-natural panels made from wood, water and magnesite, which provide outstanding acoustic solutions that improve wellbeing as well as performance. HERADESIGN® acoustic panels can last more than 80 years in buildings and are 100% recyclable.
2. Bruag, Switzerland
Bruag Design Factory AG is a Swiss company that combines creative and technical expertise. It products building materials that range from perforated facade systems to balcony railings and wall panels. Its range of interior suspended ceilings includes Room Acoustics by BRUAG for efficient sound absorption, which offers a comprehensive solution that improves both sound quality and visual appeal, transforming a functional necessity into a design statement. The panels, manufactured in MDF board, plywood or a high-pressure laminate, are available in 3,000 colors and are precisely laser cut to achieve maximum sound absorption.
3. Rockfon, Denmark
Rockfon is a leading supplier of stone wool acoustic ceilings and wall solutions. Its products are designed to address both the essential requirements of an indoor environment and aesthetic design considerations. Rockfon® SONAR® acoustic ceiling tiles with microtextured surface, for instance, are refined and highly durable ceiling tiles are engineered with robust edges and exceptional sound absorption capabilities, and are available in a comprehensive array of sizes and edge details. The product achieves the highest standard of fire safety while simultaneously delivering Class A sound absorption.
4. Barrisol - Normalu Sas, France
The Barrisol brand emerged in 1975 to offer a comprehensive range of over twenty unique stretched ceiling systems. Barrisol caters to both design professionals and individual users, prioritizing quality and durability. With over 80 patents, Barrisol constantly improves its products and processes, setting industry standards. The Barrisol Light stretched and illuminated ceilings line is a ceiling solution that can be used to illuminate an entire room or specific areas. It has a unique texture that allows for the uniform diffusion of light which can be adjusted, ranging from a bright, full-day effect to a softer, comfortable atmosphere.
5. Hunter Douglas Architectural, Netherlands
Hunter Douglas Architectural has major operation centers in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia, and the company contributes to thousands of high-profile projects including shopping centers, airports, government offices, hospitals, universities and offices. Its wide range of products include the Luxalon 300C/ 300L Wide Panel suspended ceiling system in aluminum or steel. This ceiling system is designed to enable architects to specify a closed ceiling with high performance aluminum or steel materials manufactured in a wide choice of panels, with soft edges for a monolithic ceiling appearance or panels with square edges for a smooth ceiling with narrow butt joints.
6. USG Corporation, United States
For more than 120 years, Chicago-based USG has expanded the boundaries of building science with products and systems that are safer, lighter, stronger and more sustainable. Its products have been used to build some of the world’s most iconic structures, such as the Freedom Tower in New York, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and Lotte Tower in Seoul. USG manufactures wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing and roofing products to enable customers to build the outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. USG Ensemble® Acoustical Panels for monolithic suspended ceilings uses perforated sheetrock and an acoustically transparent spray-applied finish to an NRC of 0.80 with a CAC 40 rating for truly optimized performance.
7. Saint-Gobain Ecophon, Sweden
Saint-Gobain Ecophon, part of the global Saint-Gobain Group, develops, manufactures and markets acoustic products and systems that contribute to a good working environment by enhancing wellbeing and performance. Ecophon has business units in twenty countries, delegations in another thirty countries worldwide, and approximately 1100 employees. It manufacturers products like Ecophon Focus™ Ds wall-to-wall suspended acoustic ceilings, a great choice for cellular offices, corridors, receptions, entrance halls, waiting rooms, team work spaces and other public areas where visual appeal and sound quality are equally important.
8. Investwood, Portugal
Investwood, SA is a Portuguese company that manages the production and sales of wood fiber boards and cement-wood boards. Its plant was created in 1979 in France and established in 1992 in Portugal. SA produces Viroc® Cement Bonded Particle Board ceilings, a composite panel consisting of a mixture of wood particles and cement called Cement Bonded Particle Board (CBPB). It combines the flexibility of wood with the strength and durability of cement, allowing a wide range of applications both indoors and outdoors. The Viroc panel has a heterogeneous appearance with different shades randomly dispersed, resulting from the natural colors of the raw materials used and the chemical reactions.
9. Maxiply, Australia
Maxiply, based in Melbourne, supplies premium plywood products to Australia's architectural and high-end joinery sectors. With over 30 years of industry leadership, the company is committed to offering good quality timber paneling and decorative plywood. It collaborates closely with architects and designers to ensure compliant, sustainable, and versatile wall and ceiling designs. It manufactures products like Maxi Perforated Panels in plywood timber and hardwood veneers which boast a stylish design and superior sound-dampening capabilities that integrate aesthetics with functionality.
10. Rulon International, United States
For nearly 40 years, and in more than 40 different countries, Rulon International has been selling innovative, custom wood ceilings and wall systems to help professionals achieve their visions. Its products include Aluratone acoustic ceiling panels for high-profile architectural projects available in wood veneer finishes, Rulon Aluratone's acoustical wood ceiling and wall panels combine the warmth and beauty of wood with acoustical performance.
11. Lindner Group, Germany
The Lindner Group is among Europe’s leading companies for interior fit-outs, facade construction and insulation engineering projects with 50 years of experience developing new building solutions for the implementation of individual, high-quality projects. With a workforce of 6000 worldwide, Lindner manages production plants and subsidiary companies in more than 20 countries from its head office in Arnstorf, Germany. Its ceiling product range includes F30 Suspended Metal Fireproof Ceiling with integrated trunking luminaire, a sophisticated system for new buildings and renovations with certified fire resistance classes F 30, F 90, EI 30, EI 90. These ceiling systems are particularly indispensable for suspended ceilings in spaces that are part of building escape routes.
12. Unika Vaev, United States
Unika Vaev was founded in 1975, a company whose name means “unique weave” in Danish, representative of the quality of its textile products. Soon after its founding, Unika Vaev became an original source for contract textile needs. Having recognized a growing need for acoustical remedies in the contemporary workplace, during 2013 Unika Vaev developed its initial collection of decorative acoustic products. Over the past several years its acoustics collection has grown to include a broad array of products that provide absorptive, diffusive and attenuative solutions for wall, ceiling and floor applications. Its Sculptwood acoustic ceiling tiles with digitally printed wood on MDF core is an innovative, acoustic drop-in ceiling tile with a digitally printed wood finish foil wrap on MDF core, achieving an NRC of 0.80. Sculptwood prioritizes sustainability with low-VOC materials and a PVC-free construction, promoting healthy indoor air quality.
13. Troldtekt A/S, Denmark
Troldtekt prioritizes comfort and health in buildings. Since 1935, the company has designed, developed, and produced acoustic panels locally under eco-friendly conditions, in an effort to create healthy indoor climates and superior acoustics for any space. Troldtekt acoustic panels in cement and certified wood are made of wood sourced from Danish forests and cement produced by Aalborg Portland, Denmark. This unique composition provides the foundation for Troldtekt's excellent sound absorption capabilities, reducing noise and optimizing room acoustics.
14. Decoustics, Canada
Decoustics has been leading the custom design, engineering, and manufacturing of high-performance acoustical ceiling panels, wall panels, and systems since 1975. With a strong commitment to quality, innovation, and service, Decoustics has garnered renown and satisfaction in the architectural, construction, and interior industries. Decoustics Clean-Air Claro® customizable acoustical panels for improved indoor air quality is a fully customizable acoustical panel system that prioritizes both design and health, made with a high percentage of recycled content and no-added urea formaldehyde.
15. Autex Acoustics, United States
Autex Acoustics manufactures products that are carbon neutral, and claims to be the first business in the industry to include the cost of carbon in its products. It calculates the embodied carbon of its products, from the raw material to the manufacturing gate, using industry recognized ISO standards, and has reduced the carbon footprint products through smart design and efficient manufacturing. Its Accent Ceiling Tiles colored polyester acoustic tiles for standard grid systems is a simple, unassuming, high-performance acoustic tile. Made from non-woven, needle punched 100 percent polyester fiber, the tiles are lightweight yet sturdy, so they will not chip, crack, or break.
16. BASWA Acoustic AG, Switzerland
BASWA Acoustic is aworld leader in high-performance seamless acoustic ceilings. Its mission is simple: to increase wellbeing by combining effective sound absorption with complete architectural freedom. Its products are developed and engineered in Switzerland, and installed on-site using only highly skilled, certified installers. BASWA Natural acoustic ceilings made from natural fibres combines ecological properties with excellent sound absorption. The panels are made from natural kenaf plant fibres, covered with an open-pored pre-coating of recycled glass granulate and a top coat of marble sand with a stucco look.
17. Acoustical Surfaces, United States
Acoustical Surfaces has been providing acoustical solutions to soundproofing, noise control, acoustical, and vibration problems for over 35 years. It manufactures over 400 specialty soundproofing and noise control products and materials, such as Silk Metal™ micro-perforated sound-absorbing ceiling panels that reduce echo and sound reflections. These perforated metal acoustic ceiling and wall panels have an elegantly-smooth appearance, an NRC Rating of 0.80, and resembling smooth silk fabric. The tiles install easily into standard ceiling grids.
18. OWA, Germany
OWA was established in 1964 in Bavaria, Germany. Using raw materials responsibly and efficiently forms the basis of its environment-friendly operations. Its integrated heat recovery plant reduces energy consumption by a third, and some 80 percent of the water required in the OWA plant is vaporized in the production process, with residual production water recirculated. Its products include RAWConcrete monolithic mineral ceiling tiles, a monolithic ceiling system that looks like concrete and offers the acoustic performance of regular ceiling tiles. RAWConcrete can be mounted directly against the ceiling, or in combination with the S7 suspension system from OWA.
19. Durlum, Germany
Durlum develops and produces metal ceilings, lighting and daylight lighting systems. Durlam has been active for more than 50 years, and today employs more than 350. Its FLUID-C curved metal suspended ceilings are a counterpoint to the strict lines of conventional ceilings, and offer a flowing, organic look to imbue rooms with a unique character of curved edges and a variety of geometric shapes.
20. Carpentier Hardwood Solutions, Belgium
Carpentier Hardwood Solutions is a Belgian, family-run business. Over three generations, the family has built a reputation for producing high-quality wood products with sound craftsmanship. Carpentier top-quality suspended wood ceiling panels are available in a range of wood varieties that include thermo ash, thermo pine, thermo clear pine, solid and veneered oak, Douglas fir and reclaimed woods such as barnwood and oak.
21. Siniat, France
Siniat was established in 2012 when the global Etex Group of Companies acquired LaFarge Plasterboard. Siniat has 35 factories across Europe and the Middle East employing over 3,300 people. It manufacturers drywall products and systems for partitions, ceilings, wall linings and external sheathing purposes. Its products are used by small builders through to acclaimed architects and construction companies. Its CREATEX Helix ceilings with geometric perforated patterns offers a range of continuous-perforated plasterboard ceiling panels with different densities to achieve a number of aesthetic solutions.
22. Decustik - acoustic and decorative panels, Spain
Since 1982 Decustik has built acoustic and decorative panels systems for indoors. Decustik offers a range of acoustic solutions tailored to different needs, including wall panels, ceiling panels, and freestanding acoustic elements. Products combine functionality with aesthetic appeal, providing both acoustic performance and visual enhancement to interior spaces. Its Decustik microperforated wood acoustic panel system are veneered in all customary types of wood. Veneers are processed individually for each order to obtain the most even appearance possible for color and pattern.
23. Wuxi Boweite Metal Co., Ltd, China
Wuxi Boweite Metal Co.,Ltd is an innovative global enterprise of artistic patterned metal products. It textures, embosses and hammers ordinary sheet metals including stainless steel, copper, and brass with advanced equipment in modern factories and with professional production teams. Its range of products include Water Ripple Sheet B002 ceiling panels in stainless steel, designed to mimic the appearance of water ripples, creating a dynamic and engaging aesthetic effect on ceilings. The panels typically feature a series of undulating waves or concentric circles, reminiscent of the patterns formed when a droplet hits the surface of water.
24. Knauf Danoline, Denmark
Knauf Danoline develops and manufactures acoustic materials from perforated gypsum. From its facilities in Denmark, it has been delivering acoustic solutions for the construction market around the world since 1958. Knauf Danoline is part of the German, family-owned Knauf Group. With Knauf's global network of distribution, Knauf Danoline is represented in 130 countries. Its Solopanel Ceilings with perforations for monolithic surfaces is an unpainted acoustical panel for screw-fixing on ceilings and walls. The product is manufactured with a wide range of perforation designs and panel sizes, giving architects the option to design the acoustic surface that matches project requirements.
25. Slalom Srl, Italy
Slalom Srl produces decorative panels, acoustic panels, thermal insulation panels, and panels for flooring or cladding purposes. Its range of products includes ECOround three-dimensional thermoformed ceiling and wall panels available in two versions and a wide array of color options to absorb reverberation depending on the function of the space. Particularly suitable for retrofitting, the panels can be used in existing suspended ceilings.
