Comprehensive Guide to Valve Standards: API, ANSI, ASME, and BS Specifications

Valve standards play a critical role in industries where fluid control and containment are essential, such as oil and gas, petrochemical, and power generation. Governing bodies like API (American Petroleum Institute), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) have developed comprehensive guidelines for valve design, construction, inspection, and testing. Understanding these standards is essential for ensuring operational safety, reliability, and efficiency.

Key Design Standards for Valve Construction

API 600 – Steel Gate Valves with Flanged and Butt-Weld Ends

API 600 is the cornerstone standard for steel gate valves, detailing design specifications, construction requirements, material selection, and trim designations. This specification applies to valves used in a variety of heavy-duty applications, primarily in the oil and gas industry. It also includes an appendix with guidelines specific to pressure-seal valves. ISO 10434 mirrors API 600, ensuring that international applications align with these rigorous specifications.

API 6D – Pipeline Valves (Gate, Plug, Ball, and Check Valves)

API 6D provides essential requirements for gate, plug, ball, and check valves used in pipeline service. Often regarded as the definitive standard for pipeline valve specifications, API 6D ensures valves meet stringent requirements to withstand the high demands of pipeline applications. Some buyers may opt for even stricter test protocols from standards like API 608 for ball valves or API 602 for small forged steel gate valves.

API 602 – Compact Steel Gate Valves

Specifically for smaller valves (100 NB or 4 inches and below), API 602 is the go-to standard for compact forged steel gate valves, including those with flanged, threaded, welded, or extended-body ends. The requirements are particularly stringent for 150, 300, and 600 pressure classes, where thicker wall specifications are mandated compared to ANSI B16.34.

API 603 – Corrosion-Resistant, Light-Walled Gate Valves

This standard covers lighter-walled gate valves, typically used in less demanding applications where the thicker castings required by API 600 are unnecessary. API 603 encompasses sizes from NPS 15mm to 600mm (0.5 inches to 24 inches) in classes 150, 300, and 600. However, API 603 still adheres to ANSI B16.34 wall thickness guidelines, ensuring structural integrity.

API 608 – Steel Ball Valves

Used primarily for floating ball valves, API 608 is applicable for 150, 300, 600, and 800 classes of steel ball valves. It’s widely employed for its clear specifications around valve design, materials, and testing. Larger trunnion-mounted ball valves, often used in pipelines, may fall under API 6D but may also be built to API 608 standards up to a size of 500 NB (20 inches).

API 609 – Butterfly Valves

API 609 encompasses lug-type and wafer-type butterfly valves designed for installation between ANSI B16 flanges, and it covers pressure classes from 150 to 1500. These valves are highly adaptable for various industrial applications due to their lightweight and space-saving design.

ASME/ANSI B16.34 – Steel Valves

This standard is one of the most comprehensive for specifying the pressure and temperature ratings of steel valves with flanged and butt-weld ends. It provides guidelines not only for valve manufacturing but also for upgrading with non-destructive examination procedures. Some gate valves built to the ASME B16.34 specifications might not meet the additional wall thickness requirements specified in API 600 or API 602 for certain pressure classes.

Standards for Valve Dimensions and Ends

ASME/ANSI B16.10 – Face-to-Face Dimensions for Ferrous Valves

For consistency in installation and replacements, ASME B16.10 specifies the face-to-face dimensions for flanged and butt-welded end valves. Notably, dimensions for screwed or socket-welded end valves fall outside the scope of this standard.

ASME B16.5 – Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings

This standard covers flanges and fittings from sizes NPS 1/2 through NPS 24 and includes both metric and inch dimensions. It's crucial for ensuring compatibility between flanged connections in pipeline and process installations.

ASME B16.47 – Large Diameter Steel Flanges

For larger flanges, ASME B16.47 governs sizes ranging from NPS 26 to NPS 60, providing clear guidelines on dimensions and tolerances, ensuring compatibility for large-scale industrial projects.

ASME B16.25 – Butt Welding Ends

ASME B16.25 specifies butt welding ends, ensuring proper alignment and welding integrity in pipeline systems, which is essential for maintaining fluid containment and minimizing leakage.

ASME B16.11 – Forged Fittings

This standard covers socket welding and threaded fittings, commonly used for smaller diameter piping connections, ensuring they are secure and reliable in high-pressure applications.

Inspection and Testing Standards for Valves

API 598 – Valve Inspection and Testing

API 598 sets forth the minimum testing and inspection requirements for check, gate, globe, ball, plug, and butterfly valves. Testing protocols in API 598 align with ASME B16.34 to establish the necessary pressure ratings, with test pressure requirements that vary based on valve type, materials, and intended application.

BS EN 12266 – Testing of Metallic Valves

This standard, specific to industrial valve testing, outlines mandatory pressure test procedures and acceptance criteria for metallic valves. It is commonly applied alongside other standards to meet European regulations.

ISO 5208 – Valve Test Standard

Adopted from API 6D testing protocols, ISO 5208 includes specific leakage rates, such as Leakage Rate A for zero leakage in soft-seated valves, as well as requirements for gate, globe, and check valves. This standard offers flexibility for meeting global testing requirements, particularly for valves intended for high-integrity applications.

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Material: ASTM A216 WCB, ASTM A351 CF8, ASTM A351 CF8M, ASTM A351 CF3, ASTM A351 CF3M, ASTM A352 LCB, ASTM A217 WC6 and ASTM A217 WC9

Two/Three-Piece body, floating ball type/Trunnion mounted type

Size: 1/2"-24"

Pressure: 150LB, 300LB, 600LB, 900LB,1500LB

Design and manufacture: ANSI B16.34, API6D and BS 5351

Face to face dimension: ANSI B16.10

Flange end: ANSI B16.5

Test and inspection: API6D or API 598

Type of operation: lever, worm gear actuator, electric actuator, pneumatic actuator to ISO 5211 standard.