A steel rail is a mechanical guide component that transforms rotating wheel motion into controlled linear travel, ensuring predictable vehicle behavior even under heavy loads and high-frequency operation. Its surface hardness and internal toughness are optimized to prevent rapid wear and internal cracking, which are common failure modes in overloaded or poorly selected rail sections.
GNEE RAIL offers steel rails covering railway, crane, and industrial transport applications under all international standards, and supports customers with steel grade selection, hardness control options, ultrasonic testing, and coordinated supply of fishplates, bolts, clips, and baseplates.
What are railway tracks called?
Railway tracks are commonly called railway track, railroad track, or simply track, but in technical and engineering contexts they are more precisely referred to as a railway permanent way or a rail system, which emphasizes that the track is a fixed infrastructure designed for long-term service rather than a temporary path.
From a structural standpoint, the track is formally described as a railway track structure, consisting of several integrated components: steel rails, rail fastenings, sleepers (also called ties), ballast or slab, and the subgrade. In standards and technical documents, the word rail refers only to the steel running surface, while track or track system refers to the complete assembly that supports and guides the train.
GNEE RAIL supports both railway and industrial track projects by providing complete rail system solutions, including light rails (8–30 kg/m), heavy rails (38–60 kg/m), UIC50/54/60, DIN 536 crane rails, QU crane rails, and matched fastening systems with installation and technical support.
Chinese Standard steel Rail
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
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 | |
What is the function of steel rails?
Steel rails serve as the essential foundation of railway tracks, functioning primarily to provide a continuous, smooth, and rigid surface for train wheels. They guide wheels along a precise path, support and distribute immense vertical and lateral loads to sleepers/ballast, and act as electrical conductors for signaling systems.
- Guidance and Support: Rails ensure train wheels stay on track, preventing derailments while providing a low-resistance, smooth, and stable surface for movement.
- Load Distribution: They withstand significant pressure, including vertical loads, lateral, and centrifugal forces from turning, braking, or accelerating trains, transferring these forces to the sleepers and ballast.
- Safety and Control: Rails function as the orbital circuit for automatic signaling systems in electrified railways, crucial for detecting train location.
- Structural Integrity: Designed with high-strength, wear-resistant, and high-fatigue-strength steel to handle heavy traffic loads while maintaining geometric stability (gauge).
Since 2008, GNEE RAIL has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE 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 RAIL has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.