This section provides an overview for water meters as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 38 water meter manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked water meter companies as of December, 2024: 1.Sensus, 2.Neptune, 3.Discover Valve.
Table of Contents
A water meter is an instrument used to measure the flow rate of a liquid, a body, or any other mass or volume.
Also called a flowmeter, when selecting an instrument, the purpose of use should be clearly defined, and the accuracy, measurement range, and required sensors should be selected. High accuracy is not necessary for monitoring or controlling water volume but is required for controlling the amount of application or spraying.
There are two types of measurement methods: volume flow rate, which measures the change in volume per hour, and mass flow rate, which measures the change in mass per hour. Water volume control is important from the viewpoint of quality control, early detection of equipment malfunctions, protection of equipment, and cost reduction through understanding of water volume.
Water meter is used at plants and manufacturing sites to control the amount of water in piping facilities such as water supply and drainage pipes, etc. When installed outdoors, select a device that is compatible with outdoor environments or a device with a large bore that can handle higher flow rates and higher pressures.
Flow control of cooling water and cleaning water at metal processing and semiconductor manufacturing sites has become important from the viewpoint of quality control, and equipment can be selected in consideration of clogging, maintainability, and accuracy.
In the case of coating liquids and lubricating oil other than water, models that enable more precise flow control are selected from the viewpoint of process control. Other applications include manufacturing in the food, chemical, and paper industries.
The principle of a water meter depends on the measurement method.
Ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received from two points on the pipe, and the difference in propagation time is measured.
The electromagnetic flowmeter measures the amount of water by measuring the electromotive force generated by the movement of a conductive liquid in a magnetic field. Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction is used as the measurement principle.
The water volume is measured by the position of the float that moves up and down.
Water flows through a U-shaped pipe and the amount of water flow is measured by comparing the amount of twist in the pipe.
When water passes through a column-shaped vortex generator, a vortex is generated, and the number of vortices is detected to measure the amount of water.
Pulses generated by the turning of the impeller are converted into a voltage signal to measure the amount of water.
This meter measures the amount of water by detecting the difference in pressure between the front and back sides of the water as it passes through the throttle valve. The square root of the differential pressure between two points is taken according to Bernoulli's theorem, so the amount of water can be calculated accurately.
There are a wide variety of water meter types, depending on the principle of measurement. Each method has different features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Installed on the outside of piping, ultrasonic flowmeters are used to measure outdoor piping. Since there are no moving parts, maintenance is easy, and digital and analog flowmeters can be used. However, it is prone to errors due to air bubbles.
Low-pressure drop and can measure the direction of flow.
Simple structure and low cost, but not very accurate.
It is insensitive to changes in viscosity and density and has a fast response speed. However, it is expensive and has a large pressure drop.
Simple structure with no moving parts, but vulnerable to vibration.
Used in large water meters.
Simple, inexpensive, and easy to install and remove. On the other hand, they cause pressure loss and are not suitable for measuring liquids mixed with solids or small flow rates.
Since there are many types of water meters, it is necessary to select the right product for your purpose. First, define the purpose of the measurement and determine the accuracy required of the water meter. For example, volumetric flow monitoring displays instantaneous flow rates and does not require high accuracy. And if the error that causes an alert is too fine, on the contrary, it is because it is not useful.
Next, consider the detailed conditions of the actual installation environment. Specifically, the power supply, output signal, and installation location are important.
Finally, the cost is compared to determine the best solution. Not only the price of the main unit but also the price of related equipment, installation costs, maintenance work costs, etc. must be compared in total to make a decision.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Sensus, a Xylem brand, is a manufacturer of smart metering solutions for water, gas, and electric utilities headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina. The company offers electricity meters, mechanical water meters, ultrasonic meters, radio frequency (RF) meters, and thermal mass meters. It also provides communication networks, including cellular, wireless, and satellite-based networks, and software products such as AutomationControl Software and AutoRead Software, enabling various utilities to manage smart metering systems. The company extends remotely managed products and solutions that deliver time and accurate data for commercial utilities, cooperatives, and municipalities.
Neptune was established in 1892 and is now a manufacturer and provider of water utility technology solutions. The company provides water meters, data collection systems, endpoints, and registers, including the MACH 10 Ultrasonic water meter, R900 Gateway, Belt Clip Transceiver (BCT), and E-CODER. It also offers software to leverage AMR/AMI data, such as the Neptune 360 and N_SIGHT Host Module. The company's water solutions are designed and engineered with the client's specific needs to deliver safe and clean water and minimize water loss. Likewise, it serves water utilities in many industries in the US and worldwide.
Discover Valve, established in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2003, is a manufacturer of valves and water meters, used for water management across various industries. Their product portfolio includes water control valves, including gate valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, check valves, and pressure reducing valves, designed for precise water flow management. The company also manufactures hydrants and water distribution accessories, enabling water supply management for municipalities, irrigation and agriculture, and utility companies.
Badger Meter, Inc. was founded in 1905 and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Badger Meter is a manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions in the United States and globally. Badger Meter serves several industries including water treatment, water distribution, aviation, concrete production. Badger Meter offers utility water solutions and commercial & industrial solutions product segments. Together they include products such as meters, software, diagnostics, and quality monitoring.
Hoffer Flow Controls was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The company is an ISO 9001-certified designer and manufacturer of turbine flowmeters and related process instrumentation used in aviation, oil & gas, power generation, and other industries. The company’s product lines include turbine flow meters, electronics, and cryogenic flow meters. Turbine flow meters are further delineated by application, such as those for industrial turbines, oil & gas turbines, and autoclave turbines. Electronics include pressure flow computers, printers, and signal converters. The company also provides full ISO 17025-certified cryogenic field calibration services.
Chardon Laboratories was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company is a provider of water treatment services for automotive, manufacturing, health care, plastics, and other industries across the northeastern and northern United States. Customers include Yum Brands, US Bank, Cintas, PNC, and Honda. The company’s services include cooling tower water treatment including bacterial and corrosion elimination, boiler water treatment, closed loop water treatment, and various water testing and long-term water management plans.
Siemens Process Instrumentation is a service by industrial giant Siemens. Siemens Process Instrumentation offers single-source measurement solutions to increase plant efficiency and enhance product quality. Siemens Process Instrumentation is a designer of instruments designed to seamlessly interplay with existing industrial automation and control systems. Productand design categories include pressure measurement, temperature measurement, flow measurement, level measurement, positioners, weight measurement, process controlling and protection, supplementary components, communication, product solutions for OEM, and digitalization.
Assured Automation was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Roselle, New Jersey. Assured Automation is an ISO 9001:2015 certified supplier of automation equipment serving manufacturing, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries among others. Assured Automation offers products in 2 major product lines: valves and flow meters. Valves include compact on/off valves, actuated 2-way and 3-way ball valves, actuated butterfly valves, actuated plug valves, actuated globe valves, manual gate valves, manual valves, lead free brass valves, thermal and remote shutoff valves, valve actuators, and valve & actuator accessories. Flow meters include water meters, fuel meters, industrial flow meters, lube-oil meters, and others.
RainMaker Pump Stations was founded in 2001 and is based in Lexington, South Carolina. The company is a manufacturer of custom-engineered products for commercial, governmental, and residential customers. The company has five product lines: Industrial/Municipal, Agricultural Irrigation, Landscape Irrigation, Pump Controls, and Accessories. Through these lines, the company produces individual pumps, complete pumping systems, individual starters and control boxes, and other necessary components and fittings. The company’s other services include custom fabrication, startup, installation, and repairs for systems and individual products.
Controls Warehouse is based in Ocala, Florida, and has operated since the early 1990s. Controls Warehouse is a master distributor of flow meters and related products. Product applications include acids, alcohol, solvents, air, steam, compressed gas, natural gas, cold/hot water, irrigation, wastewater, oil, fuel, petroleum, liquid propane, paint, latex, and molasses. Controls Warehouse product lines include batch/flow, timer/counter/rate, force meters, insertion meters, magnetic flowmeters, multi-jet flowmeters, positive displacement meters, turbine meters, ultrasonic flowmeters, and variable area flowmeters.
AW-Lake is based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. AW-Lake is a distributor of process flow measurement equipment for oil and gas, automotive, hydrogen fueling, chemical, manufacturing, marine, industrial, and aerospace industries among others. AW-Lake is ISO-9001:2015 certified. AW-Lake products include gear & PD flow meters, turbine flow meters, Coriolis mass flow meters, variable area meters, paddle wheel flowstat meters, ultrasonic flow meters, monitors, controllers, flow sensors, pickups, turbidity sensors, and wireless/Bluetooth devices. AW-Lake products are often used in oil, lubricants, water, chemicals, paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and sanitary liquids gas.
Ryan Herco Flow Solutions was founded in the 1950s in California. RHFS sells and provides value added support for a wide variety of fluid handling and filtration needs. Product categories include tubing, hoses, piping, drain waste vent & containment, valves, measurement & control devices, fluid pumps, filters & housings, storage & containment tanks, heaters, mixers, and grating in addition to customized systems and material fabrication. Value added services include industrial service and repair of components, custom fabrication, and pump repair services.
Tecnidro SRL, established in 1987 and headquartered in Genova, Italy, is a designer, manufacturer, and supplier of water flow management equipment and systems. The company's products include water pumps, tangential water meters, and electric deluge valves. It offers solutions for fire protection systems, agricultural irrigation, and mining. It also manufactures the largest control valve in the world, reaching a nominal diameter of 1400 mm (56”). Its systems are used in commercial buildings, fuel stock plants, and waste supply plants.
TOFLO CORPORATION was established in 1973 and is a manufacturer of flow sensing and flow control products based in Hino, Tokyo, Japan The company manufactures various flow-related products such as variable area flow meter, flow control valve, vortex flow meter, plastic pressure switch, and metal check valve. The products are used in various applications such as gas management, chemical industries, waste water management, and industrial manufactures. The company had acquired certifications such as ISO 9001 for the Quality Management System and Eco Action 21 for environmental sustainability.
Nittoseiko Co. Ltd, established in 1938 at Kyoto, Japan is a manufacturer of screw driving components and screw fastening products. The company specializes in manufacturing advanced solutions for fastening, assembly as well as inspection technology. The products list involves loose proof screws, special cold forged parts, automatic screw driving machines, screw driving robots and measuring instrumentation systems. The products are used in applications such as automobiles, home appliances, telecommunications, electronic products and machinery. These fastening and assembly systems make it easier to assemble various components and also bond them together in a robust way.
OVAL Corporation, founded in Tokyo, Japan, in 1949 is a manufacturer of metrological control equipment and related systems and measuring devices and environmental control related instruments. The company's product portfolio includes batch controllers, flow computers, peripherals and related instruments, system solutions and calibration equipment. Their products are used in industries such as Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology, Chemical and Petrochemical, Environmental Testing and healthcare. The company provides services such as Product Selection Guidance, Engineering Support, and Custom Manufacturing.
Wenling Younio Water Meter Co. Ltd., founded in 2011, is a Chinese manufacturer of water meters and related water supply equipment located in Zhejiang, China. It offers single-jet, multi-jet, volumetric, and Woltman-type meters, along with smart options like wired and wireless meters, prepaid valve control meters, and ultrasonic meters. Additionally, it provides data collectors, sensors, and other water meter accessories. The company manufactures 2 million water meters annually. It holds ISO, NSF, and CE certifications and serves municipal, industrial, irrigation, and commercial water supply needs.
Kamstrup is a global manufacturer of system solutions for smart energy and water metering, established in 1946 in Skanderborg, Denmark. The company offers a wide range of water meters for both residential and commercial applications, as well as heat meters for measuring the consumption of district heating and other thermal energy sources. It also offers electricity meters, meter reading devices, and data analytics software for smart water metering. It is accredited by Soliditet’s credit assessment system. It ensures clean water and energy while serving domestic, commercial, and industrial customers.
Ningbo Water Meter is a professional water meter manufacturer in China founded in 1958. The company specializes in manufacturing a full range of mechanical water meters, from 15mm to 500mm, equipped with IoT metering and smart platforms through AMI/AMR. It offers liquid-sealed plastic water meters, rotary piston water meters, dry-type water meters, single-jet and multi-jet water meters, and ultrasonic water meters. It also provides water meter components and accessories like meter boxes, test benches, and spare parts. It is ISO-certified and approved by EC-TYPE (MID) and OIML R49. Moreover, the company’s water management solutions are designed for domestic, industrial, and irrigation applications.
Ningbo Aimei Meter Manufacturing Co. Ltd., established in 1996, is a manufacturer and exporter specializing in water meter products headquartered in Zhejiang Province of China. The company offers prepaid water meters, ultrasonic water meters, remote reading water meters, single-jet and multi-jet water meters, rotary position type water meters, and more. It also provides a water meter box, filter, and other accessories, along with installation and maintenance services. The company adopts international standards such as ISO 4064, OIML-R49, MID 2014/32/EU, and NSF-61 to produce water meters. It also adheres to the “customer-centric” approach to meet the needs of industrial and commercial sectors.
BONGARD, a company founded in 1922 and based in Holtzheim, France, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in bakery equipment and machinery. The company's product portfolio includes twin-arm mixers, dough sheeters, and combined modular and convection ovens. These products are primarily used in the baking and pastry-making industries, which include bakeries, pastry shops, and catering companies. The company offers services including technical support, customization, and installation, with distributors in various countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.
Maddalena Spa, founded in 1919 and headquartered in Friuli-Venezia, Giulia, Italy, is a manufacturer of meters for drinking water and thermal energy meters. The company's products include medium-to-large gauge meters for utility applications, multi-jet meters, and communication modules to lower meter reading times, improve network monitoring, and identify possible leaks or faults in large-scale utility systems. It serves industries that include thermal energy, municipal water distribution, and agricultural irrigation. It was also among the winners at the 2023 FVG energy awards.
Tokyo Keiso Co., LTD. is a Tokyo-based flow & measuring instruments manufacturer established in 1954. The company provides various types of flowmeters and controllers, as well as level gauges and switches used with gas, liquid and solid materials. The company offers custom-designed products, as well as long-term support in the form of maintenance, calibration, and repair. Tokyo Keiso Co., LTD. products have applications in food and beverage production, drug manufacturing, and chemical storage. Their clients include Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Japan Atomic Power Company, and Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
CAHORS is a developer and manufacturer of energy distribution and telecommunication networks established in France in 1910. The company offers products and services for the energy sector, including electrical distribution and automation networks, renewable energy integration, electrical equipment for infrastructure and transport, smart grids, telecom-TV, gas and water meters, and urban equipment. It also offers additional support services such as training, auditing, maintenance, and cybersecurity. The company’s equipment and solutions are ISO-certified and customized for medium- and low-voltage electricity distribution networks, serving both public and private sectors, from transformer substations to residential electricity distribution.
Nancrede Engineering Co., established in 1932, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a manufacturer and supplier of industrial water treatment systems and equipment. They offer a wide range of products, including reverse osmosis systems, water softeners, UV disinfection systems, and chemical dosing equipment. These products cater to industries such as manufacturing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and power generation. Their water treatment solutions are used for applications such as water purification, process water treatment, boiler feedwater treatment, and wastewater treatment in industrial sectors, to improve water quality, remove impurities, while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
Ultraflux is a French SME that specializes in flow measuring instrumentation based on the ultrasonic transit time difference theory. They were founded in 1974 in France, and have a large installed base of devices worldwide. Located in Eragny sur Oise, France, they manufacture and distribute their own line of flow meters, probes and detectors. Using ultrasonic technology as its foundation, Ultraflux creates, produces, and sells measurement instruments. They were first to employ ultrasonic for flow assessment in the 1970s.
Hebei Shanghong Water Meters Technology Co. Ltd. is a Chinese developer, manufacturer, and distributor of water meters, founded 2013 and is headquartered in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. The company offers a wide range of water meters, including mechanical water meters, AMR water meters, prepaid water meters, valve control water meters, and ultrasonic water meters. The company also provides water meter parts and test benches. The company complies with international quality, environmental, and safety standards while serving commercial, agricultural, industrial, and domestic markets.
ABB is a manufacturer and supplier of robotics and process automation products that was established in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1988 following the merger of BBC of Switzerland and ASEA of Sweden. The company specializes in products for electrification and motion control applications. These products include sensors, motors, and drives for in-facility delivery rovers. It also offers transformers, circuit breakers, and inverters for maintaining operational efficiency in automated lines. The company chiefly serves clients in the mining, oil and gas, and food and beverage industries.
AMF Industries Inc., a manufacturer and supplier based in Labrador City, Canada, was established in 1999 and is recognized for delivering top-notch technical and non-technical goods and services. The company offers various products, including Control Valves, Automated On/Off and manual valves, Field instrumentation for temperature, flow, pressure and level measurement, and Analytical Products like CEMS and analyzers for liquids, gases and humidity. The company offers Complete Integrated Solutions through a dedicated team of Technical Personnel, catering to shutdowns, interim replacements, and the repair of precision instrumentation and automation products.
John C. Ernst Co. is based in Sparta, New Jersey with distribution centers in Australia and Canada. The company is a manufacturer of flow-related products for industrial uses. The company’s product 8 segments include sight flow indicators, flow meters & totalizers, and liquid gauges & valves. The other segments are glass & gaskets, sight windows, switches & flow level, and ejectors and eductors. The company can sell direct to individual customers and to distributors.
Esko Pacific Sales Ltd. - Industrial Flowmeters, since 1982, has been a manufacturer and distributor of industrial flow monitoring and control equipment such as flow meters & rotameters, optical sheet break & felt guides, grease and oil lubrication & systems, seal water meters, and pressure & level transmitters. The company in Vancouver, BC, offers product customization, troubleshooting, and installation services for equipment in pulp&paper, mining, and petrochemical industries. The company is a sustaining TAPPI member representing industrial instruments from companies such as Assalub, Wika, Omron, Dropsa, and Tempress.
Hedland/Flo-Tech Auth. Flowmeter Dist. - M & M Control, established in 1984, and headquartered in Lake Villa, Illinois, is a distributor of process control equipments. The company distributes a wide range of products such as valves, gauges, regulators, and controls. These instruments are utilized for accurate measurement, monitoring, and for control of fluid flow in industrial processes, catering to various industries such as oil and gas, water treatment, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing industries.
Interworld Electronics & Computer Industries Inc was founded in 1978 and headquartered in Point Roberts, Washington. The company is a distributor of electronic diagnostics and measurement tools. The company has other offices in Canada and international support available. The company also offers a variety of software for construction as well as for PC-based tools such as automotive oscilloscopes. The company offers a variety of digitizers, automotive diagnostics tools, high-voltage products, data acquisition products, and others.
Interstate Pipe & Supply Company was established in 1968 and operates out of Butler, Pennsylvania. Interstate Pipe & Supply is a distributor serving municipal and industrial customers such as the oil and gas industry. Interstate Pipe & Supply products include pipes, valves, fittings, pumps, industrial products, municipal products, water, oil, gas well products, well pad products & accessories, tanks, tools, plumbing fixtures & appliance products, catch basins & trench drains, as well as accessories.
Plastic Engineered Products, Co. is owned by the Ryan Herco Flow Solutions Company and is a a distributor of fluid handling, control and high value filtration systems for corrosive and ultrapure systems. PEP offers both sales as well as services. Sales offerings include tubing, hoses, measurement & control devices, housings, tanks, and pumps. Services include custom plastic & fiberglass fabrication while field servies include emergency repair as well as maintenance and testing as well as fabrication and welding.
Ranking as of December 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Sensus |
10.4%
|
2 | Neptune |
7.2%
|
3 | Discover Valve |
6.9%
|
4 | Badger Meter, Inc. |
5.2%
|
5 | Hoffer Flow Controls, Inc. |
4.0%
|
6 | Chardon Laboratories, Inc. |
3.6%
|
7 | Tecnidro srl |
3.2%
|
8 | Assured Automation |
3.0%
|
9 | Siemens |
3.0%
|
10 | CAHORS |
2.8%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the water meter page as of December 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 12 | 50.0% |
Japan | 5 | 20.8% |
China | 4 | 16.7% |
Italy | 2 | 8.3% |
Denmark | 1 | 4.2% |
28 products are listed.
OVAL Corporation
30+ people viewing
This is a low -priced volume flow meter that mainly measure the amount of fuel oil and water supply of the boiler. Instant and accumulation flow ra...
Nippon Flow Cell
50+ people viewing
Last viewed: 16 hours ago
This is an area flow meter that realizes a short delivery time by standardizing the fluid and flow rate. Feature ・ The fluid and flow rate are sta...
Krone Co., Ltd.
40+ people viewing
Last viewed: 15 hours ago
■ Easy measurement of the amount of water passing as much as you attach it to the watering hose Attached to a watering hose, measurement is automat...
NITTOSEIKO CO., LTD.
60+ people viewing
Last viewed: 17 hours ago
We propose optimal models according to liquids and applications, such as power volume flow meter and turbine flow meter. It is a flow meter equipp...
NITTOSEIKO CO., LTD.
60+ people viewing
Last viewed: 19 hours ago
We propose optimal models according to liquids and applications, such as the main volume flow meter and turbine flow meter. It is a feather vehicl...
OVAL Corporation
40+ people viewing
Battery -type EX Delta II unnecessary external power supply so that EX delta II as a dedicated field monitor -only machine, which is frequently use...