Butterfly valve vs. ball valve: How to make the best choice behind the 90° rotation?

In the field of fluid control, butterfly valves and ball valves are popular because they both enable quick opening and closing with a 90° rotation. However, their core structures and performance differ significantly. An inappropriate choice can lead to inefficiency, increased costs, and even system failure. YEKE will provide you with a thorough analysis to help you make the most informed decision. Core Structure and Working Mechanism

1. Core Structure: The Essential Difference Between a Disc and a Sphere

Butterfly valves have a simple structure, consisting of a valve body, a disc-shaped disc, a stem, and a seat. The disc is installed perpendicular to the flow path and can be rotated 90° to control the flow of media. Sealing is achieved by the compression between the disc edge and the seat, making it particularly suitable for large-diameter valves.

Ball valves: These valves feature a more sophisticated structure, with a channeled ball as the core opening and closing element. When the ball channel is aligned with the flow path, the valve opens fully; when rotated 90°, the valve closes completely. The seal relies on the tight fit between the ball surface and the valve seat, resulting in a more reliable seal.

Comparison of working characteristics

Advantages, Disadvantages and Cost Analysis

The core advantages of butterfly valves:

High cost-effectiveness: simple structure, light weight, procurement cost is much lower than the same specification ball valve, especially in large diameter applications.

Small space occupation: short installation length, suitable for pipeline layout with limited space.

Applicable to large diameters: It is the most economical choice for achieving large flow control.

Limitations of butterfly valves:

The operating pressure and temperature range is smaller than that of ball valves.

Under high pressure or frequent adjustment conditions, the seal life may not be as good as that of a ball valve.

The core advantages of ball valves:

Super strong sealing: whether it is soft seal or metal seal, it can achieve excellent shutoff effect.

High pressure resistance: The robust structural design enables it to cope with a wide range of service conditions from normal pressure to ultra-high pressure.

Low flow resistance and high reliability: Full-bore design has minimal pressure loss and low failure rate.

Limitations of ball valves:

The initial purchase cost is higher, and the larger the diameter, the more significant the price gap with butterfly valves.

Comprehensive cost perspective:

Butterfly valve: With its excellent initial cost, it has become a cost-effective choice for medium and low pressure and large diameter service conditions, and can effectively control the initial investment of the project.

Ball valve: Although the initial investment is high, its longer service life and lower failure rate can bring better long-term comprehensive costs in critical situations such as high pressure, corrosive environments, and those requiring zero leakage.

There is no better, only more suitable

Looking for large-caliber, low-cost flow switches and controls? Butterfly valves are your best choice.

Do you require absolute sealing, high pressure resistance, zero leakage, or are your media expensive or dangerous? Ball valves are your reliable guarantee of safety and performance.

Choosing YEKE means partnering with a knowledgeable and trustworthy expert. We not only offer a full range of butterfly valves and ball valves, but also draw on our professional experience to analyze your specific operating conditions and find the optimal balance between performance and cost.

Contact the YEKE professional team now to get your one-stop fluid control solution!