A ball valve uses a bored sphere held between seats to give quick quarter-turn isolation with very low resistance. Soft seats give bubble-tight shutoff; metal seats take higher temperature and abrasive service at the cost of some leakage.
Ball valves dominate isolation duty on gas, hydrocarbon, chemical and utility lines, and they are the standard valve for actuated on-off service. When a plant converts manual isolation to automated, or changes seat material for a new service, the replaced valves are usually still in good order.
We buy ball valves in any quantity — single items, mixed pallets or whole cribs, including valves that need repair and assemblies that are missing parts. We do not require a clean inventory before reviewing a list.
| Common patterns | Two-piece and three-piece bolted body, Floating ball and trunnion mounted, Soft seat PTFE, RPTFE and PEEK, Metal seated for high temperature and abrasive service |
|---|---|
| Typical service | Hydrocarbon isolation, Chemical and petrochemical, Oilfield manifolds |
| What we look at | We check body style, port size, seat material, pressure class, end connection and operator. Then condition: does the stem turn, is the ball scored, are the seats intact. Photographs of the bore and the seat faces settle most questions. |
| What to keep | Keep the handle or gear operator, the stem, and the end caps or weld ends. Do not remove the ball to inspect it unless you are keeping the seats with it. A three-piece ball valve with its centre section removed loses most of its value. |
Patterns and variants
What turns up most often
Variants matter because they change the buyer pool. A standard pattern sells to a rebuilder or a plant with the same service; a specialised trim sells to a much smaller group but often at a higher price. If you are unsure which variant you have, the nameplate or the trim marking will usually say.
Before it leaves site
How to protect the value
Keep the handle or gear operator, the stem, and the end caps or weld ends. Do not remove the ball to inspect it unless you are keeping the seats with it. A three-piece ball valve with its centre section removed loses most of its value.
Where they come from
Industries and services
- Hydrocarbon isolation
- Chemical and petrochemical
- Oilfield manifolds
Most of the surplus we see comes from plants that have replaced equipment for a reason that has nothing to do with the valve: a unit was re-rated, a line was re-piped, a control loop was upgraded or a project was re-scoped. The valve is simply the part that has to move.
Related patterns
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Read →Questions sellers ask
Do you buy ball valves with damaged seats?
Yes, and they are usually still worth buying. A scored ball or a worn seat can often be replaced, so the body, stem and operator retain value. Say plainly what is damaged rather than describing the valve as perfect.
Are actuated ball valves worth more?
Often yes, if the actuator and positioner are complete and identifiable. A valve with a working actuator package is a different product from a bare valve, so photograph the actuator nameplate separately.
What sizes do you take?
From half-inch instrumentation valves up to large trunnion mounted pipeline valves. Size affects logistics more than it affects whether we are interested.