February 1999

Process Industry Practices

Piping

PIP PNSMV002
Valve Commodity Code System
 PURPOSE AND USE OF PROCESS INDUSTRY PRACTICES

In an effort to minimize the cost of process industry facilities, this Practice has
been prepared from the technical requirements in the existing standards of major
industrial users, contractors, or standards organizations. By harmonizing these technical
requirements into a single set of Practices, administrative, application, and engineering
costs to both the purchaser and the manufacturer should be reduced. While this Practice
is expected to incorporate the majority of requirements of most users, individual
applications may involve requirements that will be appended to and take precedence over
this Practice. Determinations concerning fitness for purpose and particular matters or
application of the Practice to particular project or engineering situations should not be
made solely on information contained in these materials. The use of trade names from
time to time should not be viewed as an expression of preference but rather recognized as
normal usage in the trade. Other brands having the same specifications are equally
correct and may be substituted for those named. All practices or guidelines are intended
to be consistent with applicable laws and regulations including OSHA requirements. To
the extent these practices or guidelines should conflict with OSHA or other applicable
laws or regulations, such laws or regulations must be followed. Consult an appropriate
professional before applying or acting on any material contained in or suggested by the
Practice.

© Process Industry Practices (PIP), Construction Industry Institute, The University

of Texas at Austin, 3208 Red River Street, Suite 300, Austin, Texas 78705. PIP
member companies may copy this practice for their internal use.

Not printed with State funds.

 February 1999

Process Industry Practices

Piping

PIP PNSMV002
Valve Commodity Code System

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ..................................2 5. Examples of Use of the Valve

1.1 Purpose ............................................2 Commodity Codes System ......... 5
1.2 Scope ...............................................2 5.1 Typical Examples of PIP Valve
Commodity Codes............................ 5
2. References....................................2 5.2 Typical Examples of Valve
Commodity Codes Generated by
3. General Requirements .................2 Users................................................ 5

4. Valve Commodity Code System..3

4.1 Valve Commodity Code Format........3
4.2 Field 1: Valve Types .........................3
4.3 Field 2: Pressure Class .....................4
4.4 Field 3: Body Material .......................4
4.5 Field 4: End Connection Type
Sequence Number ............................5
4.6 Field 5: Reserved for User Addenda .5

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PIP PNSMV002
Valve Commodity Code System February 1999

1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose
This purpose of this Practice is to establish a common method and format for
designating PIP valve commodity codes. This Practice also provides a standardized
method for users of PIP piping practices to add valves or add valve variations to PIP
piping line class specifications.

1.2 Scope
This Practice applies to manually operated valves listed within the PIP Piping Line
Classes. Valve commodity codes in the PIP Piping Line Class Specifications and PIP
Valve Descriptions shall follow the numbering convention specified herein.

2. References

The following codes, standards, and publications are listed as a source of reference material
and are not intended to form part of this Practice except as specifically invoked within the text
of this Practice. Refer to the latest editions unless a specific date has been identified. Short
titles will be used herein when appropriate.

Process Industry Practices

– PIP PNSM0001 - Piping Line Class Designator System
– PIP PNSM0002 - Piping Material Specifications - Line Class Index

3. General Requirements

3.1 The PIP valve commodity code consists of five (5) alphanumeric fields describing
valve type, pressure class, body material, sequence number, and user options.
3.2 Valves listed in PIP Piping Line Class Specifications and PIP Valve Descriptions shall
utilize designator Fields 1 through 4, resulting in a 9-character alphanumeric valve
commodity code.
3.3 Part of Field 2 is reserved for Users for special valve pressure classes (class numbers
80-99).
3.4 Part of Field 4 is reserved for Users (sequence numbers 930-999). Users have the
option to describe valves with as few as 9 characters in the valve commodity code. If a
valve operator or other addenda is required, then the User may use up to eleven (11)
total characters in the valve commodity code as applicable.
3.5 Field 5 is exclusively reserved for User options.
3.6 Some plug and ball valves in the PIP Piping Line Class Specifications and the PIP
Valve Descriptions have gear operators specified by PIP when the force required to
operate the valve is excessive. In these instances, PIP may use two (2) valve
commodity codes, with different sequence numbers in Field 4, for the same valve. The

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 PIP PNSMV002
February 1999 Valve Commodity Code System

difference is based on size and operator. PIP will use a 9-character valve commodity
code regardless of the valve operator specified.
3.7 Requirements for gear operators for gate and globe valves will not be specified in PIP
Piping Line Class Specifications or PIP Valve Descriptions. Although PIP has
defaulted to specify handwheels for all gate and globe valves in the valve descriptions,
PIP will use only the 9-character commodity code to describe a gate or globe valve.
Users should provide requirements for gear operators and lockable devices in their
own specifications.

4. Valve Commodity Code System

4.1 Valve Commodity Code Format

The format, as described in Section 3 above, is as follows:
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
Valve Type Pressure Class Body Material End Connection Type User Addenda
Sequence Number (optional)
2 alphabetic 2 numeric 2 alphabetic 3 numeric 1 or 2 alphabetic
characters characters characters characters characters

Examples of the use of this format are provided in Section 5.

4.2 Field 1: Valve Types

Field 1 Valve Type

AG Globe (Angle Pattern)
BA Ball
BF Butterfly
CA Angle Check
CD Dual Plate Check
CL Lift Check (includes Piston & Ball Check)
CS Swing Check
CT Tilting Disk
DP Diaphragm
FB Flush Bottom (includes Ram type)
GA Gate
GL Globe (T-Pattern)
KG Knife Gate
ND Needle
PC Pinch/Clamp
PL Plug
SC Stop Check (includes Non-Return)
SP Special
YG Globe (Y-Pattern)

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PIP PNSMV002
Valve Commodity Code System February 1999

4.3 Field 2: Pressure Class

Field 2 Class
00 Note 1
12 125
01 150
17 175
02 200
13 250
03 300
04 400
06 600
08 800
09 900
10 1000
15 1500
16 1690
20 2000
25 2500
26 2680
30 3000
40 4000
45 4500
50 5000
60 6000
68 8000
70 10,000
80-99 Reserved for Users
Note 1: No ASME, API, or MSS Pressure Class. Consult Manufacturer's Specification.

4.4 Field 3: Body Material

Examples:
BA = Aluminum Bronze
CS = Carbon Steel
DC = Cast Iron, Grey
NC = Hastelloy C-276
SR = Type 304 SS
ST = Type 316 SS
LT = PTFE-Lined Carbon Steel
The above is an incomplete listing of body material designators. See Table 2 of
PIP PNSM0001 for a complete listing of PIP material designators. Field 3 is not
intended to identify the product form (casting, forging, etc.) or grade, but merely to
categorize by nominal material composition.

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 PIP PNSMV002
February 1999 Valve Commodity Code System

4.5 Field 4: End Connection Type Sequence Number

The Field 4 code is a sequential number assigned by PIP from the following list of end
connection categories. Numbers 000-929 are reserved for PIP use; numbers 930-999
are reserved for Users.

Field 4
End Connection
Sequence Type
Number Range
000-199 THRD
200-299 THRD X SW
300-499 SW
500-699 FLG
700-799 Wafer
800-899 BW
900-929 Special
930-999 Reserved for Users

4.6 Field 5: Reserved for User Addenda

Field 5 is one or two alphabetic characters reserved for User options. Typical use of
Field 5 would be to identify variations to the base PIP Valve Description such as valve
operators (if not already addressed in the Line Class Specification or Valve
Description) and lockable features, bellows seal, special trim, 100% RT, etc.

5. Examples of Use of the Valve Commodity Codes System

5.1 Typical Examples of PIP Valve Commodity Codes

a. Ball Valve, Class 150, 304 SS Body, FLG Ends Sequence Number 500
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
BA 01 SR 500 (blank)

As displayed in line class specifications and valve documents: BA01SR500.

b. Ball Valve, Class 150, 304 SS Body, FLG Ends Sequence Number 501
(Identical to BA01SR500 except for the addition of a gear operator within the
PIP description.)
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
BA 01 SR 501 (blank)

As displayed in line class specifications and valve documents: BA01SR501.

5.2 Typical Examples of Valve Commodity Codes Generated by Users

Occasionally, the User may have a unique application for which the specific valve
needed is not listed within a PIP Valve Description. As described in Section 4.6, the
User has some freedom to address these situations by “creating” User valve

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PIP PNSMV002
Valve Commodity Code System February 1999

commodity codes that follow the PIP Valve Commodity Code format. The following
examples (a. and b.) are hypothetical examples of valve commodity codes a User
might generate by taking advantage of the Addenda field (Field 5):
a. Gate Valve, Class 1500, Carbon Steel Body, BW Ends, with a User-specified
gear operator (“G”):
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
GA 15 CS 700 G

As displayed in line class specifications and valve documents: GA15CS700G.

b. Plug Valve, Class 300, 316 SS Body, BW Ends, with a User-specified

lockable lever handle (“L”) and a second User-specified option indicating
cleaned for oxygen service (“C”):
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
PL 03 ST 506 LC

As displayed in line class specifications and valve documents: PL03ST506LC.

Occasionally, the User may find that creating a unique valve commodity code by
utilizing the Addenda field (Field 5) is not suitable. In such cases, the User has the
option to utilize the numbers reserved in the End Connection Type Sequence Number
field (Field 4) as described in Section 4.5. The following example (c.) is a hypothetical
valve commodity code a User might generate by taking advantage of the numbers
reserved for Users in the Sequence Number field:

c. Ball Valve, Class 600, 304 SS Body, FLG Ends, User Sequence Number 930:
Field 1 Field 2 Field 3 Field 4 Field 5
BA 06 SR 930 (blank)

As displayed in line class specifications and valve documents: BA06SR930. In

this example, Sequence Number 930 would be a valve description that is
defined in supplemental specifications provided by the User. Numbers 930
through 999 are typically used for special valves that are not likely to be a PIP
standard (e.g., special trim, metal seats, bellows seal, additional testing, etc.).

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