Differences Between Crane Rails And Railway Rails|Steel rails (railway rails) guide high-speed trains over long distances, focusing on smooth travel and distributing weight, while crane rails are specialized, heavy-duty tracks for cranes in factories/ports, designed to handle massive, concentrated point loads, impacts, and frequent starts/stops, featuring a wider, thicker head for maximum contact and stability under extreme vertical/horizontal forces. Crane rails look stockier, like a solid pillar, compared to the I-beam shape of typical railway rails.
| Feature | Steel Rail | Crane Rail |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | For standard railway transport (passenger & freight) | For industrial cranes and overhead systems |
| Material | High-carbon steel, alloyed steel | High-grade alloyed steel with impact resistance |
| Design | Smooth top, standard profiles (e.g., UIC60, UIC54) | Deeper groove, reinforced profile for heavy loads |
| Performance | Load distribution, durability under normal railway use | Impact resistance, shock absorption, high-frequency use |
| Typical Profiles | UIC60/UIC54/QU70/QU100 rail | QU70/A45/A55/A100/UIC60/A65 crane rail |
| Application | Railways, freight systems, passenger transport. | Yard cranes, ASC, STS Cranes, port systems, etc. |
| Standards | AREMA, UIC, JIS, BS, GB, Russian standard, etc. | DIN536 rail, UIC, JIS, BS, GB standard, etc |
What materials are used to manufacture steel rails?
Steel rails are primarily made from high-carbon alloy steel, using elements like Carbon (0.6-0.8%), Manganese (0.7-1.7%), Silicon, and sometimes Chromium, Vanadium, or Titanium for enhanced hardness, strength, and wear resistance, crucial for heavy loads and high speeds, with advanced types undergoing heat treatment like quenching for superior performance.
- High-Carbon Steel: Standard for general lines, offering good hardness.
- Alloy Steel: For high-stress tracks, with added elements like Vanadium or Chromium for extreme strength.
- Heat-Treated Steel: Carbon or alloy rails that undergo controlled heating and cooling (quenching & tempering) for maximum strength and wear resistance, creating a hardened surface layer.
| Steel Grade | C(%) | Si | Mn | Cr | V | P | S | Tensile Strength (Rm/MPa) |
| U71Mn | 0.65~0.76 | 0.15~0.58 | 0.70~1.40 | – | – | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥880 |
| U75V | 0.71~0.80 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.75~1.05 | – | 0.04~0.12 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥980 |
| U78CrV | 0.72~0.82 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.70~1.05 | 0.30~0.50 | 0.04~0.12 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥1080 |
| U77MnCr | 0.72~0.82 | 0.10~0.50 | 0.80~1.10 | 0.25~0.40 | – | ≤0.035 | ≤0.025 | ≥980 |
| U76CrRE | 0.71~0.81 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.80~1.10 | 0.25~0.35 | 0.04~0.08 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.025 | ≥1080 |
Types of rail track
- Chinese standard
1.Crane rail: QU120,QU100,QU80,QU70. They are most consist of manganese steel.
| 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 | |
2.Heavy rail: the 38kg,43kg,50kg standard are widely used. Besides, as to some lines with high speed and vast capacity, they all use the 60kg rail tracks.
| 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 | |
3.Light rail: light rail can also classified into two types, GB (China national standards) of 9kg,12kg,15kg,22kg,30kg/m and YB (Metallurgy Department Standard) of 8,18,24kg/m and so on.
| 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 | |
- Abroad
Among the rail track market in the world, there are many typical types. For example, the BS series (such as 90A, 80A, 75A, 75R, 60A and so on) of British, the DIN series of Germany, the ASCE series of America(such as 115RE, 136RE), the JIS series of Japan and the UIC series of International Union of Railways(such as UIC54, UIC60).
| Standard | Sepc. | Material Typical Grade |
| UIC860 | UIC54 | 700,900A,900B |
| UIC60 | ||
| EN13674.1 | 50E1 | R200,R350HT,R260Mn,R35LHT,R320Cr,R370CrHT |
| 54E1 | ||
| 60E1 | ||
| 60E2 | ||
| BS-11-1985 | BS80A | 700,900A,900B |
| BS90A | ||
| BS100A | ||
| AREMA | 115RE | SS,HH,LA,IH |
| 136RE | ||
| ASCE60 | U71Mn | |
| ASCE85 | U71Mn |
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.
