A steel rail is a continuous steel beam forming the primary running surface for trains, cranes, or industrial vehicles, providing precise guidance and transmitting loads to the track substructure. Its profile is designed to resist bending, wear, and rolling contact fatigue over time. GNEE RAIL provides rails in all global standards including GB 8–60 kg, UIC50–UIC60, DIN536 A55–A120, QU70–QU120, JIS 15KG–CR100, AS1085 31–89 kg, BS11:1985, and AREMA/ASCE 25–175 lb, together with cutting, welding, and full-track assembly services.
What is the size of a standard railway?
In practice, common rail types are classified mainly by application and profile, because different operating conditions require different load capacity, head geometry, and base stability. The most widely used categories are light railway rails, heavy railway rails, crane rails, and special-purpose embedded rails, each serving a distinct role in rail systems worldwide.
- For railway transportation, the most common type is the flat-bottom railway rail, used for passenger, freight, and mixed-traffic lines. These rails are usually classified by weight per meter and standard profile. In lighter-duty lines such as industrial sidings and mining tracks, light rails in the 8–30 kg/m range are common because they are easier to install and sufficient for low axle loads.
| 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 | |
On mainline routes, the dominant products are heavy rails in the 38–60 kg/m range, especially internationally standardized profiles such as UIC50, UIC54, and UIC60, as well as equivalents under BS, AREMA/ASCE, JIS, and EN standards. Among these, 60 kg/m class rails are the most widely adopted globally for new construction due to their superior fatigue resistance and long service life under heavy traffic.
JIS E 1103/1101 Standard Steel Rail
| 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 |
UIC 860 Standard Steel Rail
| 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 | |
American Standard Steel Rail
| 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 | |
- For ports, steel mills, warehouses, and container terminals, the most common rail type is the crane rail, which is structurally different from railway rails because crane wheels impose very high concentrated loads and strong lateral forces.
Two mainstream crane rail systems are widely used: DIN 536 A-series rails (A55, A65, A75, A100, A120) and QU crane rails (QU70, QU80, QU100, QU120). These rails have wider heads and thicker webs to improve load distribution and resistance to side wear, making them suitable for overhead cranes, gantry cranes, and transfer cars operating with frequent start–stop cycles.
GB Standard Steel Rail
| 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 | |
DIN 13674-1-2003 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard：DIN 536 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| A55 | 55 | 65 | 150 | 31 | 31.8 | 10-12 |
| A55 | 65 | 75 | 175 | 38 | 43.1 | |
| A75 | 75 | 85 | 200 | 45 | 56.2 | |
| A100 | 100 | 95 | 200 | 60 | 74.3 | |
| A120 | 120 | 105 | 200 | 72 | 100 | |
- In urban rail and tram systems, a common rail type is the grooved rail, also known as embedded rail. This profile allows the rail to be installed directly into concrete pavement while providing a groove for the wheel flange, enabling safe coexistence with road traffic and pedestrians. Grooved railsare typical in street-running light rail and metro depots where flush surfaces are required.
| Size | Height (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Head A (mm) | Head B(mm) | Channel A (mm) | Channel B (mm) | Web (mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59R1 | 180 | 180 | 113 | 56 | 42 | 15 | 12 | 58.97 |
| 59R2 | 180 | 180 | 113 | 55.83 | 42.52 | 14.65 | 12 | 58.14 |
| 60R1 | 180 | 180 | 113 | 56 | 36 | 21 | 12 | 60.59 |
| 60R2 | 180 | 180 | 113 | 55.83 | 36.34 | 20.83 | 12 | 59.75 |
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.