How to Prepare an Industrial Valve Datasheet: A Practical Guide for EPC Projects and Buyers

An industrial valve datasheet is more than a list of dimensions and pressure ratings. For EPC contractors, process engineers and procurement teams, it is a technical document that connects the process conditions, valve construction, materials, actuation, control requirements and inspection documentation.

A well-prepared valve datasheet helps engineers compare different configurations, allows manufacturers to select appropriate products, and gives procurement teams a clearer basis for technical and commercial evaluation.

For international projects, the datasheet should also make standards, materials, testing requirements and documentation expectations clear enough for different project stakeholders to review.

Quick Answer: What Should an Industrial Valve Datasheet Include?

An industrial valve datasheet should normally define the service medium, line size, pressure class, operating and design temperature, flow requirements, valve type, body and trim materials, connection standard, leakage requirement, actuator configuration and control interface.

Depending on the application, additional information may include hazardous-area classification, fire-safe requirements, fugitive-emission requirements, low-temperature service, corrosion allowance, surface treatment, inspection requirements and certification documentation.

The exact content depends on the valve type and project specification. A datasheet for a manual butterfly valve, for example, does not require the same information as one for a pneumatic control valve.

Why Is a Valve Datasheet Important?

Industrial valves operate within a specific process envelope. A valve that appears suitable based on nominal diameter may not be appropriate when actual pressure, temperature, fluid composition, differential pressure or operating frequency is considered.

The datasheet provides a common technical reference between the process engineer, piping engineer, automation engineer, valve manufacturer and procurement team.

This is particularly important for international EPC projects where the end user, engineering contractor and valve supplier may be located in different countries and use different documentation systems.

Instead of asking a supplier simply for a “DN100 pneumatic valve,” an engineering datasheet can define what the valve must actually do.

What Basic Process Information Should Be Provided?

The first part of a valve datasheet should describe the process service.

The supplier should know what medium passes through the valve and whether it contains solids, corrosive components, suspended particles or other characteristics that affect material compatibility.

Pressure and temperature should be stated as operating and design values whenever possible. Minimum and maximum conditions are particularly important because the valve may experience conditions significantly different from its normal operating point.

Flow information is also important for regulating valves and for applications where pressure drop is a major consideration.

A basic process section may therefore include:

The actual requirements vary according to the project and valve type.

How Should the Valve Type Be Defined?

The datasheet should identify the valve's functional role before specifying the exact model.

For isolation service, the specification may call for a ball valve, butterfly valve, gate valve or another shut-off design. For flow regulation, a control valve may be more appropriate. Check valves serve a different purpose by limiting reverse flow.

Actuation should also be defined according to the required operating method. Manual, pneumatic and electric actuation create different requirements for utilities, control interfaces, response time and maintenance.

Juliang's public product catalogue covers pneumatic valves, control valves, solenoid valves, electric valves, corrosion-resistant valves, angle seat valves, self-operated control valves and manual valves. This provides multiple product pathways, but the final model still needs to be matched to the project service conditions.

Body, Trim and Sealing Materials

Material selection is one of the most important parts of a valve datasheet.

The body material should be compatible with the process environment and design conditions. Internal trim and sealing materials must also be considered because they may be exposed directly to the process medium.

For corrosive services, engineers may need lined valves or corrosion-resistant alloys. For hygienic applications, wetted surfaces, connections, cleanability and elastomer compatibility become more important.

For example, Juliang publishes corrosion-resistant valve solutions including fluorine-lined ball and butterfly valve configurations. These are relevant to chemical, pharmaceutical and wastewater applications, but the specific lining and seal configuration should be verified against the actual medium and operating temperature.

A useful datasheet should therefore distinguish between body material, trim material, seat material and seal material instead of using a single general term such as “stainless steel valve.”

Pressure Class and Temperature Rating

Pressure class should not be treated as an isolated number.

The allowable pressure of a valve can depend on material, temperature, valve design and applicable standard. The datasheet should therefore identify both the pressure rating and the relevant temperature conditions.

For control valves, engineers should also consider differential pressure rather than only upstream pressure. High differential pressure can influence cavitation, flashing, noise, vibration and trim selection.

Juliang's published pneumatic control valve information covers configurations ranging from general process control to high-pressure and severe-service applications, including labyrinth and porous trim designs intended for applications involving pressure reduction and cavitation-related concerns.

What Should Be Included for Pneumatic Valve Actuation?

A pneumatic valve datasheet should provide more information than simply “pneumatic actuator.”

The required air supply pressure, actuator type, fail position, operating torque, stroke, switching frequency and control accessories can all affect the final configuration.

For a quarter-turn valve, the actuator must generate sufficient torque throughout the operating cycle. For a control valve, actuator sizing is related to the valve's force or torque requirement and the required control behavior.

The datasheet may also identify accessories such as positioners, solenoid valves, limit switches, air filters, regulators and position feedback.

The connection between the valve and actuator should be treated as an engineered assembly rather than two unrelated products.

What Should Be Included for Electric Valves?

Electric valves require a different set of technical inputs.

The electrical supply, actuator output torque, operating time, control signal, enclosure requirements and feedback configuration should be defined.

For automated systems, engineers may specify local control, remote open/close commands, proportional control or integration with PLC, DCS or SCADA systems.

Juliang's electric valve product information describes electric ball valves, electric butterfly valves and other electrically actuated configurations for industrial automation and process applications. The company also publishes actuator-related information, but the exact actuator selection should be confirmed using the valve's operating torque and project control requirements.

How Should Control Valve Requirements Be Specified?

Control valves require more detailed process information than simple isolation valves because the valve continuously regulates the process.

The datasheet may need to include the required flow coefficient, normal and maximum flow, upstream and downstream pressure, differential pressure, fluid density, viscosity, temperature and required leakage class.

Flow characteristic is another important consideration. Depending on the process, engineers may specify linear, equal-percentage or quick-opening characteristics.

Juliang's published pneumatic control valve information includes single-seat, sleeve, three-way, labyrinth, porous-trim and micro-flow configurations, with different structures intended for different process requirements.

For severe-service applications, the datasheet should clearly identify the expected cavitation, flashing, noise or vibration conditions rather than leaving these issues to the supplier to infer.

What About Solenoid Valves?

Solenoid valves are generally used for automated on/off control rather than continuous throttling.

Their datasheets commonly require the medium, pressure, temperature, connection size, valve function, voltage, coil type, flow capacity and sealing material.

For hazardous areas, the electrical protection and applicable certification must also be defined.

Juliang's published solenoid valve portfolio includes general-purpose, high-temperature/high-pressure, low-temperature, explosion-proof, vacuum and signal-feedback configurations.

The datasheet should identify the exact operating conditions instead of specifying only “industrial solenoid valve.”

Which Standards Should Be Listed?

The applicable standards depend on the valve type, service and destination market.

Commonly referenced standards may address valve design, dimensions, pressure testing, control valve performance, flanges, materials or electrical equipment.

The important point is to define the exact standard and scope.

For example, stating “API compliant” without identifying the relevant API standard does not provide enough technical information for an EPC project. Different standards address different valve types and testing requirements.

The same principle applies to ASME, ISO, IEC, EN and regional certification requirements.

If a project requires CE/PED, ATEX, SIL, fire-safe or other compliance, the datasheet should specify what is required and for which product or component. The supplier should then provide documentation that corresponds to the quoted configuration.

How Should Inspection and Testing Requirements Be Defined?

Inspection requirements should be established before the purchase order is finalized.

Depending on the project, the inspection plan may include material certificates, dimensional inspection, pressure testing, functional testing, leakage testing, actuator testing, coating inspection and final documentation.

For critical applications, buyers may also require third-party inspection or witness points.

The important principle is traceability. The valve, material documentation, test results and final datasheet should correspond to the same model and configuration.

A Practical Industrial Valve Datasheet Structure

A project team can organize the information into several connected sections rather than creating one long specification.

This structure gives engineers and procurement teams a common framework for reviewing supplier quotations.

Common Valve Datasheet Mistakes

One common problem is specifying the nominal pipe size but not the actual operating conditions.

Another is providing the pressure rating without defining temperature. This can make the specification incomplete because allowable pressure may vary with temperature and material.

Actuator information is also frequently overlooked. A valve may be mechanically suitable while its actuator does not provide the required torque, fail position or control interface.

For international projects, certification requirements should also be defined at the beginning. A generic request for “international certification” can create ambiguity during technical evaluation.

Finally, a datasheet should not combine assumptions from different valve families. Ball valves, butterfly valves, control valves and solenoid valves have different technical requirements and should be specified accordingly.

What Should Buyers Send to a Valve Manufacturer?

A supplier can usually prepare a more accurate technical proposal when the RFQ includes the complete service envelope.

For a typical industrial valve enquiry, the buyer should provide the process medium, pressure and temperature range, pipe size, flow information, valve function, connection standard, material requirements, actuator requirements and applicable project standards.

For automated valves, the control philosophy should also be included. This may involve air supply, electrical power, control signals, fail position and feedback requirements.

Juliang's published product range spans multiple valve categories and industrial applications, so the quality of the initial technical information directly affects the ability to identify an appropriate product family.

Shanghai Juliang Valve Group's Role in Industrial Valve Projects

Shanghai Juliang Valve Group provides a broad range of industrial valve products covering pneumatic, electric, solenoid, control, manual, corrosion-resistant and other specialized configurations. Its public product catalogue also organizes products by industrial applications including oil and gas, power generation, water and wastewater, industrial manufacturing and biopharmaceutical applications.

For engineering and procurement teams, the most useful approach is to treat the supplier's product catalogue as the starting point rather than the final technical specification. The selected valve should be verified against the project datasheet, model-specific documentation, material requirements, actuator configuration and applicable testing or certification requirements.

This approach also makes supplier comparison more transparent because different quotations can be evaluated against the same technical baseline.

FAQ: Industrial Valve Datasheets

What is an industrial valve datasheet?

An industrial valve datasheet is a technical document that defines the process conditions, valve construction, materials, performance, actuation, control requirements and applicable standards for a specific valve application.

What information is most important on a valve datasheet?

The process medium, pressure, temperature, flow, pipe size, valve type, materials, connection standard and actuation requirements are among the most important parameters.

Do pneumatic and electric valves need different datasheets?

Yes. Although they share basic valve information, pneumatic and electric actuators have different requirements for power supply, operating characteristics, control interfaces and accessories.

What information is required for a control valve?

A control valve specification generally requires more detailed process information, including flow conditions, pressure differential, temperature, fluid properties, required flow coefficient and leakage requirements.

Should certification requirements be included in the datasheet?

Yes. If a project requires specific standards or certifications, they should be identified clearly, including the applicable product scope and documentation requirements.

Can a manufacturer complete a valve datasheet?

A manufacturer can help complete or review technical information, but the process conditions and project requirements should come from the engineer, EPC contractor or end user. The final configuration should be technically reviewed before ordering.

Conclusion

A well-prepared industrial valve datasheet turns a general purchasing request into a technically verifiable specification. By connecting process conditions with valve type, materials, pressure and temperature ratings, actuation, control requirements, standards and inspection documentation, engineers can reduce ambiguity during supplier evaluation.

For EPC contractors and industrial buyers, the objective is not simply to identify a valve with the correct nominal size. The objective is to establish a complete technical basis that the manufacturer can use to select, configure, test and document the valve for its intended service.