FAQs of Butterfly Ball Valve

1. What are the core structures and advantages of the butterfly ball valve? 

The core structure is 304/316 stainless steel body + precision polished ball core + EPDM/PTFE seal + integrated butterfly handle; Plumberstar adopts forging body + CNC finishing process, the valve body has no sand hole crack, the fitting accuracy of ball core and valve seat is ≤0.01mm, the butterfly handle adopts ergonomic design, the opening torque is 25% lower than that of traditional handle, and the integrated anti-misoperation buckle is convenient and safe.

2. Why choose a butterfly ball valve?

Compared with traditional round or square handles, the butterfly handle offers clear advantages.
Easy to use:
The flat butterfly shape allows full opening or closing with a simple 90° turn. It is easy to operate, even in tight spaces.
Safer operation:
An integrated snap-type locking design helps prevent accidental operation.
Stronger and more durable:
The handle is made of one-piece forging, and Impact resistance is improved by about 30%.
Clear status at a glance:
An “ON / OFF” mark is printed on the end of the handle, making the working status easy to identify during daily use.

3. How about the sealing performance of the butterfly ball valve?

Bidirectional elastic seal structure, soft seal leakage rate ≤1×10 Pa·m³/s, to achieve the industrial zero leakage standard. metal hard seal leakage rate ≤1×10 Pa·m³/s. Suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. All products undergo a 100% hydraulic test at 1.5 times the working pressure, with pressure maintenance for 30 minutes without leakage prior to delivery.

4. What health safety indicators does the butterfly ball valve meet?

• Core applicable standards
• International standard: FDA 21 CFR Part 177 applies to all parts in contact with food/water, such as stainless steel materials and seals. It meets the general requirements for international food-grade products. Another standard, EU EC 1935/2004, Materials and articles in contact with food, states that the production process must not add any plasticizers, bisphenol A, or other prohibited substances to the product. The finished product must pass the migration test. It can then be used in food and drinking water scenarios in the European market.
• Sanitary requirements for critical components
• Stainless steel parts (304/316L): adopt food-grade stainless steel substrate, internal surface electrolytic polishing treatment, roughness Ra≤0.4μm, no sanitary dead corner, avoid medium residue breeding bacteria, at the same time comply with GB/T 3280-2015 stainless steel cold-rolled steel plate standard, ensure material purity.
  Seals (PTFE /food-grade silicone rubber): PTFE seals meet FDA 21 CFR Part 177.1550 standards, silicone rubber seals meet FDA 21 CFR Part 177.2600 standards, have no odor, no precipitation, are long-term immersion in hot water at 95℃ without deformation, and do not release harmful substances.
  Auxiliary materials, including thread sealing tape, flange gaskets, and other supporting parts, are selected from food-grade materials to prevent pollution during installation.
• Testing and certification assurance
• Hygienic products shall pass special hygiene tests before leaving the factory, including heavy metal migration test, microbial contamination test, odor test, etc., and each batch shall be accompanied by a third-party test report (Chinese and English versions can be provided); meanwhile, all series of hygienic products shall pass FDA and WRAS (British Drinking Water Safety Certification) double certification, and scanned original certificates can be provided during customs clearance to ensure compliance with global food, pharmaceutical and drinking water industries.

5. Can the steel ball valve be customized for the material and connection mode?

• Custom Order Key Information

MOQ
For standard material or connection customization:
DN15–DN50: 500 pcs per size
DN50 and above: 300 pcs per size
For special materials (such as titanium alloy or chromium-molybdenum steel) or complex connection designs, the MOQ is 1000 pcs. Mixed sizes are allowed to meet the MOQ requirement.
Lead time
Standard customization: ≤25 days
Special material customization: ≤35 days
Urgent orders can be arranged with priority on the production line. The fastest delivery time can be shortened to 18 days.
Customization process
Customer requirements (material grade, connection standard, logo file)
Custom solution and quotation issued within 1 working day
Order confirmation after signing the customization agreement
Sample provided within 3 working days (optional)
Mass production
100% inspection before shipment
Throughout the process, production progress is shared in real time.

• Advantages of Customized Service

Direct supply from the factory, with no middleman involved. Customization costs are 15%–20% lower than most competitors.
An experienced R&D team supports customization and can optimize the structure based on customer drawings or actual working conditions.
All customized products come with a global 2-year warranty. Any manufacturing defect within the warranty period will be replaced free of charge.
Full support for foreign trade orders. English test reports, certification documents, and customs clearance assistance are all available.

6. What is the overall cost performance of butterfly ball valves?

Low procurement cost
Products are supplied directly from the source factory, with no middlemen involved. Prices are 40%–60% lower than imported brands, and 15%–20% lower than most small and medium-sized manufacturers in the same industry.

Low installation cost
The valve has a compact structure and simple connections. Installation time is reduced by about 30% compared with traditional valves, and no specialized installation team is required.

Low maintenance cost
Seals can be replaced independently. There is no need to scrap the entire valve during maintenance. As a result, maintenance costs are only about 20% of similar products.

Long service life
The soft seal has a service life of ≥8 years, while the metal hard seal can last ≥15 years. This is far longer than the industry average of around 5 years, which greatly reduces replacement frequency.

Low energy consumption
The butterfly handle requires low operating torque and does not need extra power. If electric operation is used, energy consumption is about 25% lower than traditional valves.

Overall cost advantage
Based on a 10-year service cycle, the total cost is only about 30% of that of imported brands, offering clear long-term value.

7. Why choose Plumberstar Steel Ball Valve over other brands?

There are two reasons for choosing Plumberstar Steel Ball Valve With Butterfly Handle:

1) Stronger structure and more reliable sealing

Many competitors still use cast valve bodies, which are prone to developing sand holes or cracks. Plumberstar uses a forged valve body combined with CNC machining. This process gives a 100% inspection pass rate for the valve body.

The fitting accuracy between the ball and the valve seat is ≤0.01 mm, much higher than the industry average of 0.03 mm. This directly improves sealing performance.
For soft seals, the leakage rate is ≤ 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ Pa·m³/s, which meets the industrial zero-leakage standard. Most competing products can only reach 1×10⁻⁹ Pa·m³/s.

Quality control runs through the entire process. A total of 12 inspection steps are applied, including raw material spectral testing and 100,000-cycle open/close fatigue testing. The final factory pass rate is ≥99.9%, compared to the industry average of approximately 98%, which significantly reduces after-sales risk for customers.

2) Flexible customization and faster delivery

Plumberstar supports full customization of materials, connection types, and brand logos. The minimum order quantity starts at 300 pieces for DN50 and above, much lower than the industry norm of around 1,000 pieces. This makes customization possible even for small and mid-size foreign trade orders.

Delivery is also faster.
Standard customization takes ≤25 days, special customization takes ≤35 days, and urgent orders can be delivered in as fast as 18 days. This is about 40% shorter than the typical industry cycle of 35–45 days.

Thanks to automated production lines and reserved raw materials, Plumberstar can respond quickly to urgent overseas orders. Free services such as laser logo marking and customized packaging are also included, while many competitors charge extra for the same options.

8. How does the butterfly handle affect the torque operation of the ball valve?

• Labor-saving operation based on the lever principle

The valve uses a widened flat butterfly handle. Compared with small round handwheels, the handle has a longer lever arm. This lever-style design lowers the force needed to operate the valve. In normal working conditions, only 5–8 N of force is required to fully open or close the ball valve. This means the operating torque is reduced by more than 40% compared with round handwheels.

• Even force distribution and stable torque

The butterfly handle uses a symmetrical structure, so the force applied by the user stays aligned with the rotation axis of the valve core. This allows the force to spread evenly during operation and avoids torque imbalance caused by one-sided loading. Unlike offset handle designs, this structure helps prevent valve core sticking due to uneven force. Each opening and closing action remains smooth and consistent.

9. How reliable is the shut-off performance for the ball valve？

The valve body and ball are made of stainless steel and brass. This helps the valve body and ball be highly resistant to erosion caused by various fluids. chemical fluids, and even seawater. thereby preventing conditions such as valve body pitting and corrosion of the sealing surface. Simultaneously, sealing parts are produced out of premium materials, such as reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene, which ensures stable operation over a wide range of temperature conditions. When fully closed, a tight seal is formed between the seal and the precisely machined ball. Blocking all paths for medium leakage at the material level. Butterfly Handle & Body Integration for Precise Shut-off. The valves are designed with a butterfly handle that features a 90˚ rotary open-close operation. Similar to a standard ball valve, it provides fast shut-off with minimal impact on the seal surface. Moreover, in the butterfly handle design, symmetrical force distribution ensures that there is no deformation or movement of the ball due to imbalanced force distribution. thereby ensuring that the ball and the closure seat are properly aligned.

10. Are you manufacturing the butterfly ball valve in your factory?

Yes, it’s new economic raw materials, A105 steel, which we forged ourselves in the factory. Output more than 200000pcs ball valves each month. It’s much cheaper than brass and stainless steel ball valves.