
Ball valves are durable and usually work to achieve perfect shutoff even after years of disuse. They are therefore an excellent choice for shutoff applications (and are often preferred to globe valves and gate valves for this purpose). They do not offer the fine control that may be necessary in throttling applications but are sometimes used for this purpose. The body of ball valves may be made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. The ball may be chrome plated to make it more durable.
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