As one of the alternative steel materials, ductile iron ball valves were discovered by humans in 1949 and quickly adopted by valve manufacturing enterprises. Steel with a carbon content of less than 0.3%, cast iron, and ductile iron with a carbon content of at least 3%. The existence of graphite layer structure without forming low-carbon content steelmaking as free carbon. Carbon is the natural form of free graphite flakes in iron. In ductile iron, it is transformed into small flakes of graphite balls through special treatment. This enables the ball to have better physical properties compared to the improved ratio of ductile cast iron and steel. This is the spherical microstructure of carbon, which has better ductility and impact resistance, and there is no table of ductility due to the cast iron on the inner side of the sheet.

Obtained from a ductile ferrite matrix, therefore, the load pressure of ductile iron parts is achieved during the intermediate annealing cycle of ferrite. The spherical structure within the toughness of cast iron can be easily eliminated by post-treatment, which can eliminate the phenomenon of internal cracks in ink sheets during the manufacturing of stone valves. In the microscopic photograph of ductile iron, it can be seen that the graphite balls terminate after the propagating cracks. In the ductile iron industry, these so-called graphite balls are the "crack terminators" because of their ability to prevent damage. Compared with cast iron, ductile iron has advantages in strength. The tensile strength of ductile iron is 60K, while the tensile strength of cast iron is only 31K. The yield strength of ductile iron is 40K, while iron does not show yield strength or fracture occurrence. The strength ductile iron has a much better cost ratio than cast iron.

Ductile iron ball valves should generally be installed horizontally in pipelines. Ball valves are divided into pneumatic ball valves, electric ball valves, and manual ball valves according to their driving methods.