How to read Russian and GOST valve codes: 30s41nzh, 30ch39r, 15s22nzh

Codes such as 30s41nzh or 15kch19p are familiar to every buyer in the former Soviet Union but puzzle engineers elsewhere. Foreign contractors replacing valves in plants built to GOST standards meet them on every drawing. The system is simple once each part is known.

TAZ Engineering Team · 2026-10-21 · 7 min

Structure of the code

The designation has four parts: digits for the valve type, letters for the body material, the model number (sometimes preceded by an actuator digit) and letters for the seat material. Example: 30s941nzh means gate valve (30), carbon steel body (s), electric actuator (9), model 41, stainless steel seats (nzh).

Valve type

Common type codes: 11 plug or ball valve for pipelines, 15 globe valve, 16 lift check valve, 17 safety valve, 18 pressure regulator, 19 swing check valve, 25 control valve, 30 and 31 gate valve, 32 butterfly valve.

Body material

s carbon steel; ls alloy steel; nzh stainless steel; ch grey cast iron; kch malleable iron; vch ductile iron; b brass or bronze; p plastic; tn titanium; a aluminium. In Cyrillic these are с, лс, нж, ч, кч, вч, б, п, тн and а.

Actuator digit and model

An extra digit before the model number shows the operator: 3 worm gear, 4 pneumatic, 5 bevel gear, 6 pneumo-hydraulic, 7 hydraulic, 8 solenoid, 9 electric. No digit means manual handwheel or lever. So 30s41nzh is handwheel-operated and 30s941nzh is the same model with an electric actuator.

Seat material and examples

nzh stainless steel; br brass or bronze; r rubber; p plastic such as PTFE; e ebonite; bt babbitt; st stellite; bk no rings, seats machined in the body or closure.

From the TAZ range: 30s41nzh steel wedge gate valve with stainless seats; 30ch39r cast-iron resilient-seated gate valve; 30ch6br cast-iron parallel gate valve with brass rings; 15s22nzh steel globe valve; 19s53nzh steel swing check valve. The code describes the design; pressure, temperature, end connection and test standard must still be checked in the product passport or datasheet.

Checklist

valve type
body material
actuator type
model number
seat material
PN and temperature from datasheet
end connection and face-to-face