Comparison · Valves
Ball valve vs. butterfly valve: which one to choose?
At which size the butterfly valve becomes cheaper, what it weighs and what its pressure drop costs per year. Calculated with list prices, a market sample and manufacturer data sheets from DN 25 to DN 200.
Contents
Use a threaded ball valve up to 2″. Above that, with flanges, use a butterfly valve unless you need gas-tight shut-off, a full, unobstructed bore (pigging, solids) or high pressure.
- Price (US median across 5–15 sellers): 4″ butterfly ≈ $131 vs flanged ball ≈ $1,009, 7.7 times as much. At 2″ the threaded ball valve is cheaper: $66 vs $89 5.
- Weight at 4″ (DN 100): 4.5 kg vs 28.7 kg; face-to-face length 52 mm vs 190–350 mm 3, 4.
- Open loss coefficient: butterfly ζ ≈ 0.4–1.2, ball ≈ 0.05 2. That is about €34 a year of extra pump energy at 4″, continuous duty 6.
Key terms in 30 seconds
- DN (nominal size)
- Size of the connection, roughly the inside diameter in mm. DN 50 is about 2″.
- PN (pressure rating)
- The pressure the valve is built for. PN 16 means 16 bar.
- Flange / thread
- Flange: round plate with bolt holes, bolted between two pipe ends. Thread: screwed in, common up to 2″.
- Face-to-face length
- How much room the valve takes up in the line, measured flange to flange.
- ζ (zeta, loss coefficient)
- How strongly the fully open valve slows the water down. Smaller is better.
- Full bore
- The bore is as large as the pipe. Nothing is in the way.
- Pig
- A cleaning plug pushed through the line. It only passes a full, unobstructed bore.
The differences at a glance
| Feature | Ball valve | Butterfly valve |
|---|---|---|
| Basic type and movementclassified to EN 736-1 | Ball/plug valve 1. 90° turn, flow passes through the closure member 10 | Butterfly valve 1. 90° turn, flow passes around the closure member 10 |
| Open loss coefficient ζDN 50 / 100 / 200 | 0.064 / 0.048 / 0.038 2 (advantage) | 1.2 / 0.59 / 0.41 2 |
| Price DN 50 / 100flanged, German market median | €212 / €762 5 | €91 / €152 5 (advantage) |
| Price DN 200one distributor series, PN 16 | €3,037 3 | €373 3 (advantage) |
| Weight DN 50 / 100 / 200 | 9.7 / 28.7 / 124 kg 3 | 2.9 / 4.5 / 11.7 kg 3 (advantage) |
| Face-to-face DN 100 | 190 mm (series 27) or 350 mm (series 1) 4 | 52 mm (series 20) 4 (advantage) |
| Threaded version | yes, ¼″–2″ (1″ ≈ €13) 5 (advantage) | no, wafer or lug |
| Unobstructed bore | yes, full bore, piggable (advantage) | no, the disc sits in the flow |
| Breakaway torque DN 100 | not collected | 37 Nm 2 |
| Tightness | soft-seated; for gas in buildings a separate product standard, EN 331 7 | soft-seated (liner); manufacturers state testing to EN 12266-1, leakage rate A 2 |
| Product standardsexamples | EN 1983 (steel), EN 13547 (copper alloy), EN 331 (gas) 7 | EN 593 7 |
✓ = advantage on this feature. Market median: Google Shopping offers, median of the seller medians, mostly incl. VAT, 2026-11-02 5. Distributor series: net list prices of a German online valve distributor, 2026-11-02 3.
Which one fits your line?
Work through the questions from top to bottom. The first one that applies decides.
- Size up to 2″ with a threaded connection?→ Ball valve
- Gas, such as natural gas in a building installation?→ Ball valve to EN 331
- Solids, fibres or a pig in the line?→ Ball valve, full bore
- Tight on space or weight, or DN 100 (4″) and larger?→ Butterfly valve
- Water, cooling water or air, and price matters?→ Butterfly valve
- Frequent switching with an actuator?→ both
Mini study: from which size is the butterfly valve cheaper?
Many guides say the butterfly valve only pays off from DN 100 (4″). We checked: first with one distributor that sells both types in the same pressure rating, then across many sellers as a cross-check.
- Sample
- 6 sizes, DN 25–200, 2 valve types each
- Selection
- PN 16, hand lever, same distributor; wafer butterfly valve, flanged full-bore ball valve
- Updated
- 2 November 2026
- Limits
- 1 distributor, net list prices; materials differ (cast steel vs ductile iron)
- Valves get larger to the right (nominal size DN); price rises upwards.
- Careful: the price axis jumps in steps of ten, from 100 to 1,000 EUR. One step up means ten times the price. The DN axis is compressed as well: sizes move closer together to the right. The marks 2 and 5 sit in between.
- The orange line is the butterfly valve (wafer). It sits at the bottom at every size, so it is the cheapest. The light grey line is the flanged ball valve (full bore); it is the most expensive almost everywhere. Dark grey (globe valve) and aubergine (gate valve) lie in between. Hollow markers come from a sister series of the same distributor.
- Example DN 100: butterfly about €170, ball valve over €700.
- The chart shows list prices of a single distributor. Across many sellers (market median) DN 100 costs: butterfly €152, ball valve €762 5.
- Same layout as above, with weight instead of price. The axis again jumps in steps of ten (10 kg, 100 kg). The marks 2 and 5 sit in between.
- The orange butterfly valve is far below all others. At DN 200 there is a whole step of ten in between: the ball valve weighs about ten times as much (124 kg vs 11.7 kg).
- Example DN 100 (4″): butterfly 4.5 kg, ball valve 28.7 kg (hollow marker, long series).
- In practice: one fitter can carry a butterfly valve alone, a large ball valve not.
The distributor series in numbers
| DN | Butterfly | Ball (flanged) | Factor | Weight butterfly | Weight ball | Face-to-face butterfly | Face-to-face ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | €62.78¹ | €98.21 | 1.6 | 1.9 kg | 4.1 kg | 33 mm | 125 mm |
| 50 | €107.51 (€70.14¹) | €220.82 | 2.1 (3.1) | 2.9 kg | 9.7 kg | 43 mm | 150 mm |
| 80 | €123.82 | €418.92 | 3.4 | 3.7 kg | 18.1 kg | 46 mm | 180 mm |
| 100 | €173.71 | €731.40² | 4.2 | 4.5 kg | 28.7 kg² | 52 mm | 190 mm³ |
| 150 | €232.34 | €1,593.70 | 6.9 | 7.8 kg | 72.5 kg | 56 mm | 350 mm |
| 200 | €372.57 | €3,036.81 | 8.2 | 11.7 kg | 124 kg | 60 mm | 400 mm |
¹ Sister series with stainless steel disc. ² At DN 100 only the long series is listed (face-to-face 350 mm). ³ Short series (series 27) per KLINGER Ballostar KHE-FK data sheet. Net list prices, weights and lengths per distributor and data sheet, 2026-11-02 2, 3, 4.
Cross-check: many sellers instead of one series
A single distributor can be an outlier. So we asked the same question on Google Shopping: flanged, hand-operated, cast or steel body, one value per seller, counted from three sellers 5. The result confirms the series; in the market the gap is even slightly larger.
| Size | Ball valve (median, sellers) | Butterfly valve (median, sellers) | Factor market | Factor distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DN 50, flanged (DE) | €212 (6) | €91 (9) | 2.3 | 2.1 (3.1) |
| DN 100, flanged (DE) | €762 (11) | €152 (5) | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| 2″ (US; ball valve mostly threaded) | $66 (15) | $89 (5) | 0.75 | – |
| 4″ (US; flanged or wafer/lug) | $1,009 (5) | $131 (12) | 7.7 | – |
German prices as displayed, mostly incl. VAT; US prices excl. sales tax. Retrieved 2026-11-02 5.
What does this mean for you? Below DN 50 (2″) use the threaded ball valve. From DN 50 with flanges the butterfly valve is the standard for water, cooling water and air. Choose the ball valve there when you really need it: tight shut-off on gas, pigging, solids, high pressure or an unrestricted bore.
Pressure drop and energy cost
Open, the butterfly valve loses 10 to 20 times as much pressure as the ball valve – most of all at DN 50, because disc and shaft block a larger share of the cross-section there 2. In money that is little, as the calculation shows.
Simply explained: The more the valve resists (ζ) and the faster the water flows (v), the more pressure is lost. Speed counts twice: double the speed gives four times the loss.
- Δp
- pressure drop across the open valve in Pa
- ζ
- loss coefficient from the manufacturer data sheet
- ρ
- density of the medium, water 998 kg/m³
- v
- flow velocity, here 2 m/s
Butterfly DN 100: 0.59 · 998 · 2² / 2 ≈ 1,178 Pa, about 12 mbar – roughly 12 cm of water column the pump has to add.
Ball valve DN 100: 0.048 · 998 · 2² / 2 ≈ 96 Pa, about 1 mbar. Running 6,000 h a year that is €37 vs €3 of electricity 6.
- Nominal size DN to the right, ζ upwards: how strongly the open valve slows the flow. Lower is better.
- Steps of ten again (0.1 – 1 – 10). The dark grey globe valve at the top resists about ten times as much as the orange butterfly valve, the butterfly about ten times as much as the light grey ball valve at the bottom. Aubergine is the gate valve.
- Dots are individual data sheets, the line is the middle value (median).
- Example DN 100: butterfly ζ 0.59, ball valve ζ 0.048.
| DN | Δp at 2 m/s: butterfly / ball | Energy per year*: butterfly / ball |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 24 / 1.3 mbar | €19 / €1 |
| 100 | 12 / 1.0 mbar | €37 / €3 |
| 150 | 8 / 0.9 mbar | €58 / €6 |
| 200 | 8 / 0.8 mbar | €103 / €10 |
* 6,000 operating hours a year, pump efficiency 0.6, electricity €0.20/kWh; own calculation 6.
What does this mean for you? Pressure drop is rarely the argument against the butterfly valve – except at DN 25–50 in lines with little pump reserve.
Operation and water hammer
To open, the butterfly valve needs a breakaway torque of 9 Nm at DN 50, 37 Nm at DN 100, 125 Nm at DN 150 and 200 Nm at DN 200 (Ebro Z 011-A, 16-bar disc, liquids) 2. The butterfly valve of the distributor series is available with a hand lever up to DN 200 and with a manual gearbox from DN 25 to DN 300 2. The data sheets do not state a fixed limit for the gearbox; at 125–200 Nm we consider the gearbox the more comfortable choice. We did not collect torques for the ball valves.
Both types close with a quarter turn. For water hammer, what counts is how fast that happens. Our example line: steel pipe DN 50, 100 m long, water at 2 m/s, pressure wave at about 1,355 m/s 6. Closed briskly by lever (effective closing time assumed at 0.2 s), pressure rises by about 20 bar – the same for ball and butterfly valve. With a manual gearbox it is about 0.8 bar; this assumes an effective closing time of 5 s, the real one depends on gear ratio and cranking speed. For comparison, a gate valve with handwheel reaches about 1.4 bar.
- Effective closing time in seconds to the right, pressure rise in bar upwards. Both axes jump in steps of ten (0.1 – 1 – 10 – 100 s; 0.01 – 0.1 – 1 – 10 bar). One step up means ten times the pressure.
- Each grey line is a pipe length: light grey 20 m, black 100 m, dark grey 500 m. The dashed line is PN 16 – above it the surge is higher than the 16 bar the valves are built for.
- The orange band on the left applies to ball and butterfly valves by lever: both close equally fast. At 100 m and 0.2 s that gives about 20 bar (orange dot).
- The hollow orange dot is a butterfly valve with gearbox (≈ 5 s, assumed): 0.8 bar. For comparison, the gate valve (aubergine dot): 1.4 bar.
Tightness, gas and pigging
Open, a full-bore ball valve has a bore as large as the pipe. A pig, fibres or solids pass through. In a butterfly valve the disc sits in the middle of the flow even when open.
For gas in building installations there is a separate product standard for manually operated ball valves, EN 331 7. A butterfly valve is only an option for gas if it is specifically approved for it.
Both types are soft-seated: the ball valve of the distributor series with PTFE seat rings 3, the butterfly valve with an EPDM rubber liner. The butterfly valve manufacturers in our analysis state leak testing to EN 12266-1 with leakage rate A and give a maximum of 110 to 130 °C for EPDM 2.
US standards: MSS SP-67 covers butterfly valves; MSS SP-110 covers ball valves with threaded, socket-weld, solder, grooved and flared ends – not the flanged version 9. The European butterfly valve data sheet in our analysis also lists face-to-face to API 609 Table 1 and flange drilling to ASME Class 150 2.
Which one where? Typical applications
| Application | Medium | Pressure | Temperature | Switching | Choice | Price (example) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building services, machines ½″–2″ | water, air | ≤ 16 bar | ≤ 80 °C | occasional | brass ball valve | €13 (1″) – €51 (2″) 5 |
| Cooling water DN 100–300 | water/glycol | PN 10/16 | –10 to 110 °C (EPDM; manufacturers state max. 110–130 °C 2) | rare | butterfly valve | €174 (DN 100) 3 |
| Ventilation/refrigeration, dry coolers | water/glycol | PN 6/10 | ≤ 80 °C | rare, actuator | butterfly valve with actuator | – |
| Gas line | natural gas | ≤ 5 bar | ambient | rare, fast | ball valve (EN 331 7) | – |
| Process with solids | sludge, fibres | ≤ 16 bar | per seal | occasional | full-bore ball valve | €221 (DN 50) 3 |
| Hygienic, food | product | ≤ 10 bar | CIP | frequent | hygienic butterfly or ball valve (mind the dead space) | – |
| Compressed-air main DN 50–100 | air | ≤ 16 bar | ≤ 60 °C | rare | ball or butterfly valve | €108–731 3 |
Typical applications. The data sheet and approval of the specific valve are what count.
Good to know: myth and reality
Choosing a flanged ball valve at DN 50–80 makes the line more expensive and heavier for no reason.
Include it when sizing a pump with little reserve.
Supports and installation get much simpler with the butterfly valve.
Never use the catalogue value of a large size for a small butterfly valve.
Matching products
Ball valveSafety Ball Valve, spring return, brass nick. plated, Rp 1/2View product →
CategoryBall valves, manually operatedView category →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a ball valve and a butterfly valve?
Both close with a quarter turn. In a ball valve the flow passes through the bore of a ball; in a butterfly valve it passes around a disc that stays in the flow even when open 10. With flanges the butterfly valve is much cheaper, lighter and shorter; the ball valve has the lower pressure drop and an unobstructed bore 2, 3, 5.
From which size is a butterfly valve cheaper than a ball valve?
With flanged ends from DN 25 (1″): in our distributor series the butterfly valve costs €63 vs €98 there, and €174 vs €731 at DN 100 3. With threads up to 2″ the brass ball valve stays cheaper; the butterfly valve always sits between flanges.
Does a ball valve pay off because of its lower pressure drop?
Rarely. At DN 100 it saves about €34 of electricity a year in continuous duty but costs about €560–610 more 3, 5, 6. It only pays that back after roughly 16–18 years.
What is a type 21 ball valve?
Type 21 is a product name, not a valve type defined by a standard: Asahi/America uses it for a plastic true-union ball valve 8.
Sources
- DIN EN 736-1:2018-05, Valves – Terminology – Part 1: Definition of types of valves; sections 4.1.4 (plug/ball valve) and 4.1.5 (butterfly valve).
- Manufacturer data sheets: Ebro Armaturen Z 011-A (08/2019), Danfoss VFY-WA and VFY-WH, Belimo D6..N, KLINGER Ballostar KHE-FK/FL, Danfoss JIP-FF; plus the data sheets of the butterfly and flanged ball valve of the distributor series [3].
- List prices, weights and face-to-face lengths of a German online valve distributor (wafer butterfly valve and flanged ball valve, PN 16, hand lever), retrieved 2026-11-02; own analysis.
- Face-to-face series to EN 558 as stated in the manufacturer catalogues of Ebro, KLINGER and ARI-Armaturen and the data sheets of the distributor series; the catalogues agree on the values given here.
- shukchok: Google Shopping analysis Germany and USA, 2026-11-02 – median of the seller medians, 5 to 15 sellers per group.
- shukchok: own calculation, 2026-11-02 – pump energy from pressure drop; water hammer on closing for an example line DN 50, 100 m, 2 m/s.
- Standard titles per DIN Media: DIN EN 1983:2013-12 (steel ball valves), DIN EN 13547:2013-12 (copper alloy ball valves), DIN EN 331:2016-04 (manually operated ball valves and closed bottom taper plug valves for gas installations for buildings), DIN EN 593:2018-01 (metallic butterfly valves for general purposes).
- Asahi/America: Type-21/21a True Union Ball Valve, product page, retrieved 2026-11-02.
- Milwaukee Valve: MSS/ASME Valve Summary (overview of MSS standard titles), retrieved 2026-11-02.
- HTI-Gruppe: Die Welt der Armaturen, 03/2018, p. 9 “Übersicht Armaturen Grundbauarten” (after KSB).
How to cite this page
Scharff, A. (2026): Ball valve vs. butterfly valve: which one to choose?. shukchok.com, Updated 2 November 2026. https://shukchok.com/en-us/wissen/kugelhahn-absperrklappe-vergleich