• 10 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Solenoid Valve

A small solenoid valve cut through: an electromagnet on top, a valve underneath.

Parts of a Solenoid Valve

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Coil
  2. Body
  3. Ports
  4. Plunger (core)
  5. Spring
  6. Lead wires
  7. Valve seat
  8. Orifice
  9. Disc
  10. Core tube (plunger tube)

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

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All 10 parts on the diagram

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The solenoid 5

  1. Coil Current in it makes the magnetic field that lifts the plunger.
  2. Plunger (core) An iron slug; the magnetic field pulls it up.
  3. Spring It pushes the plunger back down when the current stops.
  4. Lead wires They carry the current to the coil.
  5. Core tube (plunger tube) It guides the plunger and keeps the fluid in.

The valve 5

  1. Body The block the fluid passes through; the seat is in it.
  2. Ports The inlet and the outlet, where the pipes screw in.
  3. Valve seat The disc presses on it to shut the valve.
  4. Orifice The opening the fluid passes through when the valve is open.
  5. Disc A soft pad that covers the orifice and seals it.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it. Wikipedia, Solenoid valve (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenoid_valve); a valve maker's 1966 selection catalog (https://archive.org/details/TNM_Solenoid_valve_selections_-_Valcor_1966_20170829_0138); a second maker's installation and maintenance sheets for its solenoids, bound into an equipment manual (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6032632); an air conditioning maker's training booklet, the solenoid valve pages (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6963436). Hints and detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; a schematic of no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a solenoid valve fall into two sets: a solenoid, which is an electromagnet, and the valve it works. The drawing cuts a small one through, in its closed position with the current off.

Read the full guide

The solenoid

The coil is many turns of wire round the core tube, fed by two lead wires. Inside the tube is the plunger, an iron slug that slides up and down. With no current, the spring holds the plunger down. With current, the coil makes a magnetic field that pulls the plunger up.

The valve

Fluid enters the body at one port and fills the space round the tip of the plunger. A disc in that tip rests on the valve seat and covers the orifice, so nothing passes. When the plunger lifts, the disc uncovers the orifice and the fluid flows through to the other port.

  • Typed answers take core or armature for plunger, and seal for disc.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a solenoid valve?

A coil, a plunger and a spring make up the solenoid. A body with two ports, a valve seat and an orifice make up the valve. A disc in the tip of the plunger does the sealing.

How does a solenoid valve work?

Current in the coil makes a magnetic field that pulls the plunger. In a normally closed valve that lifts the disc off the seat and opens the orifice. When the current stops, the spring pushes the plunger back and the valve shuts.

What is the plunger in a solenoid valve?

It is the moving iron slug inside the coil, also called the core or the armature. The magnetic field moves it, and its movement opens or closes the valve.

What does normally closed mean on a solenoid valve?

It means the valve is shut when no current flows and opens only while the coil is energized. A normally open valve is the other way round.

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