A steel rail is the primary load-carrying and guiding component of a track system, engineered to withstand repeated mechanical stress while keeping vehicles aligned along a fixed path. It acts as both a structural member and a precision guide surface. GNEE RAILWAY RAILWAY manufactures and supplies rails under GB, UIC, DIN536, JIS, AS1085, BS11, and AREMA/ASCE standards, including light rails, heavy rails, and crane rails such as QU70–QU120 and DIN A55–A120, with services including customized lengths, surface treatment, and full-track system supply.
What are ordinary rails made of?
Ordinary railway rails are made from high-strength, high-carbon steel, an engineered alloy designed for extreme durability, hardness, and wear resistance to handle heavy train loads, impacts, and constant stress, with manganese and silicon added for toughness and strength, replacing older, less durable iron tracks.
Key Components & Properties:
- High Carbon Content: Increases hardness and tensile strength, crucial for bearing immense pressure.
- Manganese: Boosts strength and wear resistance (abrasion).
- Silicon: Helps control oxide formation during manufacturing.
- Low Phosphorus & Sulfur: Prevents brittleness and cracking, improving safety.
- Hot Rolled Steel: The primary manufacturing process that gives rails their strength and shape.
Common Rail Steel Grades Worldwide:
| Grade | Standard / Region | Typical Composition (wt%) |
| R260 | EN 13674-1 (Europe) | C: 0.67–0.80, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Si: ≤0.50 |
| R350HT | EN 13674-1 (Europe) | C: 0.75–0.85, Mn: 0.80–1.20, Cr: 0.20–0.50 |
| Grade 260 | AREMA (North America) | C: ~0.77, Mn: ~1.0–1.2, Si: ~0.2 |
| Grade 350 | AREMA + Mill Specs (USA/Canada) | C: 0.78–0.83, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Cr: 0.2–0.6, + V/Nb (microalloyed) |
| BH Rail (Bainitic) | JIS E 1101 (Japan), adopted in EU/India | C: 0.65–0.80, Mn: 1.0–1.4, Cr/Mo/Ni (optional, mill-specific) |
| U71Mn | GB/T 2585 (China) | C: 0.65–0.77, Mn: 1.10–1.40, Si: 0.15–0.35 |
| U75V | GB/T 2585 (China) | C: 0.67–0.77, Mn: 0.70–1.00, V: 0.04–0.12 |
How are track rails manufactured?
Steel rails are made by melting high-carbon steel, continuously casting it into large billets, heating these billets in a furnace, and then passing them through a series of rollers in a rolling mill to gradually shape them into the I-beam profile of a rail. After rolling, the rails undergo controlled cooling, straightening, and sometimes heat treatment (like quenching and tempering) for enhanced wear resistance, before being cut to length or welded into long welded rails (LWRs).
1. Steelmaking & Casting
- Raw Material: High-carbon steel, often recycled, is melted in furnaces (like EAF or BOF).
- Refining: The molten steel is often refined (vacuum degassing) to remove impurities, improving internal quality.
- Continuous Casting: The liquid steel is poured into a continuous caster to form large rectangular or square "blooms" (billets).
2. Rolling
- Heating: Billets are reheated to around 1250°C in a soaking furnace to make them malleable.
- Descaling: High-pressure water jets remove oxide scale from the hot surface.
- Shaping: The billet is passed through multiple sets of grooved rollers (roughing, intermediate, and finishing stands) that gradually form the head, web, and base of the rail.
3. Finishing & Inspection
- Cooling: Rails cool slowly and controllably to prevent internal stresses and achieve desired properties; this can be natural or controlled.
- Straightening: A multi-roll straightener corrects any bends, ensuring precise dimensions.
- Heat Treatment (Optional): For heavy-duty rails, quenching (rapid cooling) followed by tempering increases surface hardness and wear resistance.
- Welding: Individual rails (e.g., 25m) are flash-butt welded into very long rails (500m+) to reduce joints.
- Inspection: Ultrasonic testing checks for internal flaws, and grinding removes the "rolled skin" from the running surface.
Since 2008, GNEE RAILWAY RAILWAY has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE RAILWAY is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE RAILWAY produces high quality steel rails that meet with requirements of most countries. Standard rail, head hardened rail, heavy rail,light rail,crane rail and other types are all available here, as one of the China main rail supplier, GNEE RAILWAY RAILWAY has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.