Gate valves and butterfly valves are the two types of commonly used valves, and they have significant differences in their structure, usage methods, and adaptability to working conditions. Before explaining the difference between gate valves and butterfly valves, let's take a look at their respective definitions. Perhaps the difference between the two can be discovered from the definition.

A gate valve, as the name suggests, can cut off the medium in the pipeline like a gate, and is a type of valve that we all use in production and daily life. The opening and closing parts of a gate valve are called a wedge. The wedge performs a lifting motion, and its movement direction is perpendicular to the flow direction of the medium in the fluid pipeline. A gate valve is a block valve that can only be fully opened or fully closed and cannot regulate flow.

A butterfly valve, also known as flap valve. Its opening and closing parts are a disc shaped butterfly plate, which is fixed on the valve stem and rotates around the valve shaft to achieve opening and closing. The direction of motion of the butterfly valve is to rotate in place, from being fully open to fully closed, and only rotation with an angle of 90 is required. In addition, the butterfly plate of the butterfly valve does not have self-locking ability, and a turbine reducer needs to be installed on the valve stem. With it, the butterfly plate has self-locking ability and can also improve the operational performance of the butterfly valve.

Differences
1. Differences in athletic ability
From the above definition, we understand the differences in the direction and mode of motion between gate valves and butterfly valves. In addition, as the gate valve can only be fully open and fully closed, the flow resistance of the gate valve is smaller in the fully open state. The butterfly valve is in a fully open state, and the thickness of the butterfly valve creates resistance to the flow medium. In addition, the opening height of the gate valve is relatively high, so the opening and closing speed is slow. The butterfly valve only needs to rotate at an angle of 90 to achieve opening and closing, so it can open and close quickly.

2. Differences in functions and purposes
The sealing performance of gate valves is good, so they are often used in pipelines that require strict sealing and do not require frequent repeated opening and closing, to cut off the flow medium. Gate valves cannot be used for regulating flow. Additionally, a gate valve is not suitable for pipelines that require emergency shut-off due to its slow opening and closing speed. The use of butterfly valves is relatively more extensive. Butterfly valves can not only be used for cutting off, but also have the function of adjusting the flow rate. In addition, butterfly valves can be opened and closed quickly, and can also be opened and closed frequently, especially suitable for situations where quick opening or cutting is required.

Butterfly valves have smaller overall dimensions and lighter weight than gate valves. Therefore, it is recommended to use more space saving wafer butterfly valves in some environments with limited installation space. Among large-diameter valves, butterfly valves are the most commonly used, and it is also recommended to use butterfly valves in medium pipelines containing impurities and small particles.

Butterfly valves have gradually replaced other types of valves in many operating conditions and become the preferred choice for many users.

3. Differences in price
Under the same pressure and diameter, the price of gate valves is higher than that of butterfly valves. However, the diameter of butterfly valves can be large, and the price of large diameter butterfly valves is not cheaper than that of gate valves.