Shielding Design
Radiation shielding designfor diagnostic imaging rooms.
Shielding design is the physics behind a safe imaging room: how thick every wall, door, and window must be before your x-ray, CT, or fluoroscopy equipment can go in. Heartland Physics prepares yours directly — calculated under NCRP 147, signed by the physicist, and ready for your state reviewer.
What it is
What a shielding design answers
Before an imaging room is built or new equipment goes in, someone has to answer a precise physics question: how much shielding does each barrier need? A shielding design answers it with math — workload, use and occupancy factors, scatter and leakage calculations — and documents the answer so your state radiation control program can review it. Done right, it protects your patients, your staff, your neighbors, and your license.
Floor plans & equipment
Your architectural drawings and the exact equipment going into the room — make, model, and tube orientation drive everything downstream.
Workload & occupancy
Weekly patient volume, use factors, and who occupies each adjacent space — offices, corridors, waiting rooms, floors above and below.
NCRP 147 calculations
Primary, scatter, and leakage barrier calculations under NCRP Report No. 147 — the methodology state reviewers expect to see.
Signed design report
A wall-by-wall barrier schedule, marked-up floor plans, and the physicist's signature — ready for your contractor and your state.
By modality
Shielding design for every room type
Timing
When a shielding design is required
01
New construction or renovation
Most states require a physicist's shielding design before walls go up — retrofitting lead after the fact is the expensive path.
02
New or replacement equipment
A new CT, fluoroscopy unit, or CBCT changes workload and scatter — your existing design may no longer cover the room.
03
State registration or plan review
Many state radiation control programs require the shielding design on file — or submitted for review — before the room can be used.
04
Room repurposing
Turning a general x-ray room into a CT suite (or vice versa) almost always changes what the barriers must stop.
Not sure what your state asks for? Check your state's shielding requirements — we track the agency, the forms, and the timelines for all 50 states. Ready for the document itself? See what a shielding plan includes and how delivery works.
Questions
Shielding design FAQ
What is radiation shielding design?
Shielding design is the physics work that determines how thick the walls, doors, floors, and windows of an x-ray or imaging room need to be. A qualified physicist calculates barrier thicknesses from your equipment, workload, and floor plan — following NCRP Report No. 147 — and documents the answer in a signed report your state radiation control program can review.
Is a shielding design the same thing as a shielding plan?
Yes — the terms are used interchangeably. Some states say 'shielding plan,' others say 'shielding design' or 'shielding evaluation.' All refer to the physicist-prepared report specifying barrier thicknesses for the room. What matters is that it follows NCRP 147 methodology and is signed by a qualified physicist.
How much does a shielding design cost?
$950 per room, flat. That includes the barrier calculations, marked-up floor plans, the signed report, and direct support if your state reviewer has questions about the design.
Who is allowed to prepare a shielding design?
Requirements vary by state, but most expect a qualified medical or health physicist — typically board-certified or state-approved. Every Heartland Physics shielding design is prepared and signed directly by Lancer Smith, M.S., an approved consulting physicist.
How long does a shielding design take?
Most designs are delivered within five business days of receiving complete project information — facility details, floor plans, and equipment specs through the online intake.
Which rooms need a shielding design?
In most states, any room with x-ray producing equipment: general radiography, CT, fluoroscopy and C-arms, mammography, dental and CBCT, and veterinary imaging rooms. Small offices are not exempt — dental and veterinary rooms are among the most common projects.
Flat rate · 5 business days