Precision Valve Balls for OEM Manufacturers
Hartford Technologies manufactures precision valve balls for check valves, ball valves, hydraulic systems, and industrial OEM applications, engineered to your exact tolerances in stainless steel, tungsten carbide, bearing steel, and carbon steel.
Our goal is to partner with you to identify the best possible alternatives for your next valves project:
Check Valves | Hydraulic Cartridge | Hydraulic Shuttle | High & Low Pressure Relief | Flow Control | Pneumatic | Poppet | Float Valves | True Union | Fuel Pump
Hartford balls for valves, hydraulic, cartridge style, shuttle ball type and true union and shuttle ball valves are manufactured in materials to meet your requirements for hardness, chemical compatibility and recyclability, as well as FDA and EC/EC/EMEA requirements.
ISO 9001 Certified | IATF 16949 Certified | FDA & EC/EMEA Compliant | Two-Continent Operations
Materials, Grades & Sizes
We specialize in precision valve balls manufactured from:
Stainless Steel (302/18-8, 304, 316, 316L) — corrosion-resistant, FDA-compliant, ideal for food, pharmaceutical, and chemical valve applications.
Carbon Steel — plated for corrosion resistance and/or surface hardness, suited for high-pressure industrial and hydraulic valve systems.
Tungsten Carbide — extreme hardness and wear resistance for abrasive media, high-pressure, and high-cycle valve applications.
Chrome Steel — high strength and surface finish consistency for precision ball valve seats and check valve applications.
We produce sizes from 12.5mm-50mm and geometric tolerances to suit the application. We have recently added manufacturing capabilities to meet increased demand for various shapes and designs of poppet valves.
Precision grades available per ISO 3290, DIN 5401, and ABMA standards. Hartford manufactures balls to ABMA grades 10, 25, 50, 100 and greater. Custom modified balls including slotted, drilled, flat, and trunnion configurations available on request.
Hartford valve ball specialists work with customers to identify the best solutions and to assure that balls seat properly. We supply applications as diverse as fuel pumps/carburetors, natural gas, transportation, fire prevention equipment, agricultural equipment, automotive fuel and refrigeration valves, hydraulic manifolds, outboard motors and oil patch equipment.
Why Valve Manufacturers Choose Hartford
Hartford’s two-continent operations — US engineering with global manufacturing — give valve OEMs a competitive advantage that purely domestic or purely offshore suppliers can’t match:
IATF 16949 certified — the same quality standard required by automotive OEMs, applied to every valve ball production run
ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certified — consistent quality management and environmental compliance
US engineering support — your application engineer is available domestically, regardless of where parts are produced
FDA & EC/EMEA compliant materials — for pharmaceutical, food processing, and medical valve applications
0 PPM defect rate — backed by statistical process control on all production runs
Releases only require a minimum $400 order value, so we can ship weekly or monthly for large programs.
Rapid Prototyping for Valve Ball Applications
Our rapid prototyping service is recognized as one of the industry’s pre-eminent resources for the development and testing of precision balls for valves. Hartford’s two-continent operations provide additional advantages in lead time, logistics and cost, particularly for global customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials are used for precision valve balls?
Precision valve balls are commonly manufactured in stainless steel (302, 304, 316, 316L), carbon steel, tungsten carbide, and chrome steel. Material selection depends on media compatibility, pressure rating, temperature range, and regulatory requirements (FDA, EC/EMEA). Hartford manufactures valve balls across all of these materials with tolerances to ISO 3290 and ABMA standards.
What is the difference between a valve ball and a ball valve?
A ball valve is a complete flow-control assembly. A valve ball (or valve sphere) is the precision-machined spherical component inside the valve that controls flow by rotating against the seat. Hartford manufactures the precision valve ball component — not the complete valve assembly — for ball valve OEMs and industrial manufacturers.
Does Hartford supply custom or modified valve balls?
Yes. Hartford manufactures modified valve balls including slotted, drilled, flatted, and trunnion-mounted configurations for specialized high-pressure, zero-leak, or cryogenic applications. Rapid prototyping is available.
What certifications does Hartford hold for valve ball manufacturing?
Hartford Technologies holds ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and ISO 14001 certifications. All valve ball materials can be supplied with material certifications and certificates of conformance. PPAP documentation is available for automotive and high-compliance applications.
