The most common type of valve in the world today is probably the globe valve. Millions are in use, and most are under your nose or literally under your hands as you wash up at the sink. That’s right—the faucet valve is actually a globe valve hidden under a shiny coat of chrome plating. These utilitarian flow control devices are also the heart of every hose bib. In fact, the plumbing industry uses more globe valves today than any other industry segment.

If you walk through any large PVF warehouse and look around, it seems that valves come in three flavors: black, silver and gold. These “flavors” are really iron, steel and bronze, which constitute the lion’s share of valve body materials used in today’s valve industry.