What are the Ball Valve Body Material Types?

The most common body materials are brass, stainless steel and PVC. The sphere is usually made of chrome-plated steel, chrome-plated brass, stainless steel, or PVC. Gaskets are also usually made of Teflon, but can also be made from other synthetic materials or metals.

1. Brass Ball Valve

Rice has the largest market share. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and has good mechanical properties. Brass valves can be used for water, gas, oil, air and many other fluids (drinking). Chloride solutions (eg seawater) or demineralized water can cause dezincification. Dezincification is a form of corrosion in which zinc is removed from the alloy. This creates a porous structure whose mechanical strength is greatly reduced. A brass finish is ideal for an air ball valve. You can examine our manual 2-way brass ball valves or 3-way brass ball valves.

2. Stainless Steel Ball Valve

Stainless steel is used for corrosive environments and aggressive environments. For this reason, they are frequently used in sea water, swimming pools, osmosis systems, high temperatures and many chemicals. Most stainless steels are austenitic. Types 304 and 316 are the most common, 316 has the best corrosion resistance. 304 is sometimes referred to as 18/8 due to its 18% chromium and 8% nickel. 316 contains 18% chromium and 10% nickel (18/10). Stainless steel valves generally require a higher operating torque than, for example, brass or PVC valves. This must be taken into account when a stainless steel valve is operated by an electric or pneumatic actuator. You can check out our manual 2-way stainless steel ball valves or our 3-way stainless steel ball valves.

3. PVC Ball Valve

PVC generally has a lower price (excluding ISO-top valves) and is widely used in irrigation, water supply and drainage or in corrosive environments. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. PVC is resistant to most salt solutions, acids, bases and organic solvents. It is not suitable for temperatures above 60 °C and is also not resistant to aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons. PVC ball valves have a lower pressure rating because they are not as strong as brass or stainless steel. A more detailed article about PVC ball valves can be read here.

Comparison of Brass, Stainless Steel and PVC Ball Valve

To summarize in general, brass, stainless steel and pvc materials have advantages and disadvantages according to their usage areas.