Abstract: An electrohydraulic valve has a body with a pair of valve seats spaced apart in a bore. A valve element slides within the bore and has first and second end surfaces that selectively engage each valve seat to control fluid flow between a workport and each of an inlet port and an outlet port. The engagement of the valve element with the two valve seats is such that pressure from the workport is applied to substantially identical areas of the first and second end surfaces regardless of the position of the valve element in the bore. Thus the pressure forces exerted on both ends of the valve element balance each other, so that the only net forces producing movement of the valve element are from a spring and a solenoid.