ASSE 1016 vs ASSE 1070 Shower Valve: Which One Goes Where

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For a shower, the asse 1016 vs asse 1070 shower valve question is mostly about where the device sits. ASSE 1016 covers the valve at an individual shower or a tub and shower combination. ASSE 1070 covers a device that limits the temperature of water supplied to fittings such as sinks, lavatories, bidets and bathtubs. The two numbers are close, the devices look similar, and some product pages use the wrong one. This guide compares them using a state residential code reference, an ASSE International guidance paper, a manufacturer’s standards chart and a manufacturer’s comparison page that disagrees with the others.

Quick answer

For a shower or a tub and shower combination, the device to look for is an ASSE 1016 valve, which is an individual shower control valve.
For a sink, lavatory or bidet, the ASSE paper and the Leonard chart both point to ASSE 1070, which limits the hot or tempered water supplied to the fitting.
The ASSE paper says a shower valve listed to ASSE 1016 provides both scald and thermal shock protection, while an ASSE 1070 device provides scald protection only.
The Massachusetts residential code text requires a 1070 water temperature limiting device on bathtub valves, except where the valve is a combination tub and shower valve under the shower section.
Fontana’s comparison page labels thermostatic shower valves as ASSE 1070 devices. That conflicts with the ASSE paper, so do not use that page to choose a shower valve.

What each standard is for

The ASSE paper gives a short scope for each device. For a shower, it says that “Shower valves shall be automatic temperature and/or pressure compensating valves intended to be installed at an individual shower or tub/shower combination.” That is the ASSE 1016 device. For the limiting device, the paper says that “Water temperature limiting devices are intended to limit the hot or tempered water temperature supplied to fittings for fixtures such as sinks, lavatories, bidets, or bathtubs to reduce the risk of scalding.” That is the ASSE 1070 device. The two scopes overlap at the bathtub, which is why the placement question comes up.

The Massachusetts residential code text on UpCodes handles the bathtub case directly. Its section on fixture valves says “Bathtubs and whirlpool bathtub valves shall have or be supplied by a water-temperature-limiting device that conforms to ASSE 1070/ASME A112.1070/CSA B125.70, except where such valves are combination tub/shower valves in accordance with Section P2708.4.” The exception points back to the shower control valve section, so a tub and shower combination valve follows the shower rules, while a bathtub valve without a shower follows the 1070 rule.

Leonard Valve’s chart states the difference in its own words. It describes the 1016 device as the standard for “shower and tub valves only,” and it describes the 1070 device as the approach used for lavatories and sinks. Its chart table places 1070 on lavatory and sink applications. A reader should therefore see the two standards as separate device families, not as interchangeable options for the same outlet.

Protection: scald only or scald and thermal shock

The ASSE paper’s most important difference is the protection each device gives. For the shower valve, the paper says “These devices provide both scald and thermal shock protection.” For the limiting device, the paper says “These devices provide scald protection ONLY, and DO NOT provide thermal shock protection.” The paper therefore treats the shower valve as the device that covers both risks, and the limiting device as the one that covers scald risk only at the fitting.

Leonard’s chart uses similar language for the limiting device. It says “These devices are not intended to provide protection against thermal shock.” That sentence is in the chart’s own words, not a quotation from the standard, and it matches the ASSE paper. The practical result is that a sink or lavatory limiting device is not a substitute for a shower valve, even if the water temperature is set to a safe maximum.

The paper also describes the 1070 setting. It says “The user control allows the outlet temperature to be adjusted up to a maximum temperature of 120° F (49° C).” The 1016 valve has a limit stop, and the paper says that “The temperature limit stop must be set at the time of installation.” These are two different controls, and the installer should check the label for each device.

Where each device is placed

The ASSE paper’s question and answer section gives two examples that show the placement logic. In the first, a plumber wants to protect the hot water to a bathtub used by small children, with no access to the supply pipes at the tub. The paper lists three solutions. One is a tub and shower combination valve listed to ASSE 1016 at the bathtub, with the limit stop set at the installation. Another is a device listed to ASSE 1070 on the hot water supply to the tub, with the temperature limit set. A third is a device listed to ASSE 1062 on the tub spout. The paper also says that installing a device listed to ASSE 1017 at the water heater “will not provide adequate scald protection.”

In the second example, a doctor wants temperature adjustment at a scrub sink. The paper asks whether a wall-mounted 1016 valve can provide that. Its answer is “No. A device listed to ASSE 1070 is to be used on surgical scrub sinks.” The example shows that a shower valve is not a general substitute for every fixture. A sink needs a device listed for a sink, even when the sink is in a clinical room that also has showers.

The paper also gives a hospital example for sitz baths. It says that if a sitz bath has final temperature adjustment at the point of use, the proper device is one listed to ASSE 1070. If the sitz bath uses only tempered water, the paper points to ASSE 1069 instead. These examples show that the 1070 family is tied to the fixture and its control point, while the 1016 family is tied to the individual shower.

What the Massachusetts code adds for showers

The Massachusetts shower section gives the rule for a shower or tub and shower combination. It says “Individual shower and tub/shower combination valves shall be balanced-pressure, thermostatic or combination balanced-pressure/thermostatic valves that conform to the requirements of ASSE 1016/ASME 112.1016/CSA B125.16 or ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1.” That sentence is the reason a shower valve should be checked for the 1016 designation, or for the equivalent A112.18.1 and B125.1 designation, rather than for 1070.

The same section also covers flow-reduction devices. The Massachusetts text says that “Temperature-actuated, flow-reduction devices” installed for individual fixture fittings must conform to ASSE 1062, and that such valves “shall not be used as a substitute for the balanced pressure, thermostatic or combination shower valves required for showers in Section P2708.4.” That sentence names the 1062 device type. It shows that a flow-reduction device does not satisfy the shower valve rule, but it does not by itself settle how a 1070 device is treated on a shower supply.

The Fontana conflict

Fontana’s comparison page describes thermostatic valves as ASSE 1070 devices and pressure balance valves as ASSE 1016 devices. It also presents the thermostatic type as giving anti-scald protection and the pressure balance type as not giving it. That mapping conflicts with the ASSE paper, which treats ASSE 1016 as the individual shower valve family, with thermostatic, pressure balancing and combination types, and which states that those valves provide both scald and thermal shock protection.

The conflict matters because a homeowner who buys a valve from a product page may be told a shower valve is 1070. The ASSE paper and the Massachusetts code both put the individual shower valve in the 1016 family. A homeowner should check the marking on the valve and the local code before buying, and should not rely on a comparison table for the standard that applies.

A placement checklist

If the device serves an individual shower or a tub and shower combination, look for an ASSE 1016 marking, or the A112.18.1 and B125.1 equivalent that the Massachusetts text allows.
If the device serves a bathtub with no shower, look for an ASSE 1070 device on the tub supply, as the Massachusetts bathtub rule describes.
If the device serves a sink, lavatory or bidet, use an ASSE 1070 device on that fitting, as the ASSE paper’s scrub sink example describes.
Do not use a water heater device listed to ASSE 1017 as a substitute for point-of-use scald protection. The ASSE paper says the 1017 example at the water heater does not give adequate scald protection.
Check the marking against the manufacturer’s installation sheet and the local code edition before buying a replacement.

What the sources do not settle

The sources do not give every edition of ASSE 1016 or ASSE 1070, and the ASSE paper, the Leonard chart and the Massachusetts code may refer to different years. The Leonard chart uses a 2015 designation for 1070 and a 2017 designation for 1016, while the ASSE paper uses other years in some places. The edition that applies to a product or a project should be confirmed on the product marking and with the local building department.

The sources also do not state the test procedure for each standard, and they do not describe every listed device. The Massachusetts text is a state residential code reference from a published copy, so the local amendments should be checked. The Fontana page is a manufacturer comparison, and it is cited here only because it disagrees with the other sources.

FAQ

Can an ASSE 1070 device be used in a shower? The ASSE paper does not present 1070 as the shower valve. For an individual shower, the paper and the Massachusetts code point to the 1016 family, or to the equivalent designation the code allows.

Can an ASSE 1016 valve be used at a sink? No, according to the ASSE paper’s scrub sink example. That example says a device listed to ASSE 1070 is to be used on surgical scrub sinks.

Which device covers a bathtub? The Massachusetts code says a bathtub valve needs a 1070 water temperature limiting device, unless the valve is a combination tub and shower valve under the shower section. The ASSE paper also lists a 1016 tub and shower combination valve as one option for a bathtub.

How we chose

The ASSE International paper was used for the scope and protection statements because it gives the two families side by side. Leonard’s chart was used for the manufacturer’s plain-language description of each device. The Massachusetts code text was used for the bathtub rule and the shower section, since that is a state code reference. The Fontana page was included because it contains a mapping that conflicts with the other sources, and that conflict is reported here. Quoted phrases were compared with the saved text before the draft was saved.

What we could not verify: what the sources do not say

We could not read the ASSE 1016 or 1070 standards directly, because their full text is not freely available in the saved sources. The descriptions here come from a guidance paper, a manufacturer chart and a state code reference. We did not verify test values, the edition in force for a given product or the listing of any specific valve. The Fontana mapping could not be checked against the standards and is reported only as what the page says.

Related guides

Sources

UpCodes, Chapter 27 Plumbing Fixtures, Massachusetts Residential Code, 10th edition (as shown on UpCodes), https://up.codes/viewer/massachusetts/irc-2021/chapter/27/plumbing-fixtures (opened 2026-10-30). State residential code text for bathtub valves and shower control valves.
ASSE International Scald Awareness Task Group, Guidelines for Temperature Control Devices in Domestic Hot Water Systems (white paper), https://asse-plumbing.org/media/pbfltxqk/asse_guidelines_for_temp_control_devices.pdf (opened 2026-10-30). Association guidance on scope, protection and placement examples.
Leonard Valve Company, ASSE Standards: Making Sense of It All chart (October 2020), https://www.leonardvalve.com/api/image/ASSE%20Standards%20&%20Chart-%20Making%20Sense%20of%20It%20All%20(Oct2020).pdf (opened 2026-10-30). Manufacturer standards chart.
Fontana Showers, Thermostatic vs Pressure Balance Shower Valves, https://www.fontanashowers.com/thermostatic-vs-pressure-balance-shower-valves-s/12114.htm (opened 2026-10-30). Manufacturer comparison page, cited for a mapping it gets wrong compared with the other sources.