A steel rail is a structural track component engineered to guide wheels and carry concentrated loads safely to the supporting sleepers and subgrade, while maintaining precise alignment and smooth vehicle operation. Its head, web, and foot profile control bending and wear. GNEE RAIL provides all-standard rails including QU70–QU120, DIN536 A55–A120, GB 8–60 kg rails, UIC50–UIC60, JIS 15KG–CR100, AS1085 31–89 kg, BS11:1985, and AREMA/ASCE 25–175 lb, with optional surface treatments, pre-assembly, and project-specific technical guidance.
What are different types of rails?
Rail models (specifications) are usually classified mainly by weight per meter (kg/m). Standards vary in different countries and regions, and they are also subdivided according to purposes (such as main railway lines, subways, light rails, crane rails, etc.). The common rail models and classifications are as follows:
I. Rail models according to Chinese National Standards (GB)
Railways in China mainly classify rails by weight per meter, with the following common models:
1. Rails for ordinary lines (used in main railways, freight railways, etc.)
- 38kg/m: Commonly used in early railways, now gradually phased out, only retained in some branch lines, special lines or old lines.
- 43kg/m: Once widely used in medium and low-speed railways, now mostly used in local railways, factory and mine special lines, etc.
- 50kg/m: One of the main models for current main lines of ordinary speed railways, suitable for mixed passenger and freight lines, with good strength and durability.
- 60kg/m: The main model for heavy-haul railways and high-speed ordinary railways (such as lines with a speed of 160-200km/h), with stronger bearing capacity and better wear resistance.
- 75kg/m: Used in heavy-haul railways (such as Daqin Railway) and freight dedicated lines, suitable for trains with large axle loads (axle load ≥25t), with excellent strength and fatigue resistance.
|
Classification
|
Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Heavy Rail | 38 KG/M | 134 | 68 | 114 | 13 | 38.733 |
| 43 KG/M | 140 | 70 | 114 | 14.5 | 44.653 | |
| 45 KG/M | 145 | 67 | 126 | 14.5 | 45.546 | |
| 50 KG/M | 152 | 70 | 132 | 15.5 | 51.514 | |
| 60 KG/M | 176 | 73 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.64 | |
2. Special rails for high-speed railways
60kg/m (high-speed rail): China's high-speed railways (with a speed of 250-350km/h) mainly use 60kg/m rails. The materials are mostly U71MnG, U75V, etc., which require higher flatness, wear resistance and welding performance, usually as seamless lines (long rail strips).
Some special sections (such as heavy-haul high-speed railway test lines) may use rails with higher strength of 75kg/m, but their application is less.
3. Light rails (urban rail transit, light railways)
15kg/m, 22kg/m, 30kg/m: Mainly used in urban light rails, factory railways, mine branch lines, etc., with low bearing capacity, suitable for low-speed and light-load scenarios.
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| 22 KG/M | 93.66 | 50.8 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | |
| 24 KG/M | 107 | 51 | 90 | 10.9 | 24.46 | |
| 30 KG/M | 107.95 | 60.33 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | |
4. Crane rails (special rails)
Models start with "QU", divided by head width, such as QU70, QU80, QU100, QU120 (unit: mm). They are mainly used for tracks of cranes, gantry cranes and other large equipment, with high strength and wear resistance.
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Crane Rail | QU 70 | 120 | 70 | 120 | 28 | 52.8 |
| QU 80 | 130 | 80 | 130 | 32 | 63.69 | |
| QU 100 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 38 | 88.96 | |
| QU 120 | 170 | 120 | 170 | 44 | 118.1 | |
II. Common international rail models
- Europe (UIC standards): Such as 49E1, 54E1, 60E1, 68E1, etc. (the number after "E" indicates rail height, in mm), corresponding to approximately 49kg, 54kg, 60kg, 68kg per meter.
| Standard: UIC860 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| UIC50 | 70 | 152 | 125 | 15 | 50.46 | 12-25 |
| UIC54 | 70 | 159 | 140 | 16 | 54.43 | |
| UIC60 | 74.3 | 172 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.21 | |
- United States (AREMA standards): Expressed in yard-pound system, such as 115RE, 132RE, 141RE, etc. ("RE" is the standard rail, the number indicates the weight per yard in pounds, 115RE is approximately 67.7kg/m).
| ASTM standard, AREMA standard | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Foot | Thickness | |||
| ASCE 25 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.4 | 6-12 |
| ASCE 30 | 42.86 | 79.38 | 79.38 | 8.33 | 14.88 | |
| ASCE 40 | 47.62 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 9.92 | 19.84 | |
| ASCE 60 | 60.32 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 29.76 | |
| ASCE 75 | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 12-25 |
| ASCE 85 | 65.09 | 131.76 | 131.76 | 14.29 | 42.17 | |
| ASCE 90 | 69.09 | 130.18 | 142.88 | 14.29 | 44.65 | |
| ASCE 115 | 69.06 | 139.7 | 168.28 | 15.88 | 56.9 | |
| ASCE 136 | 74.61 | 152.4 | 185.74 | 17.46 | 67.41 | |
| ASCE 175 | 109.86 | 152.4 | 152.4 | 38.1 | 86.8 | |
- Japan (JIS standards): Such as 50N, 60N, 75N, etc. ("N" is the new rail type, corresponding to 50kg, 60kg, 75kg per meter).
| Standard: JIS E 1103/1101 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| JIS 15KG | 42.86 | 79.37 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | 9-10 |
| JIS 22KG | 50.8 | 93.66 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | 9-10 |
| JIS 30A | 60.33 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | 9-10 |
| JIS 37A | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 10-25 |
| JIS 50N | 65 | 153 | 127 | 15 | 50.4 | 10-25 |
| CR 73 | 100 | 135 | 140 | 32 | 73.3 | 10-12 |
| CR 100 | 120 | 150 | 155 | 39 | 100.2 | 10-12 |
As a professional rail fastener supplier, GNEE RAIL can provide different standard steel rail such as GB,American, BS, UIC, DIN, JIS, Australian and South Africa which used in railway lines, cranes and coal mining.