Rail track, also called railroad rail, railroad track, steel rail and so on, is widely used in the railway track system. Together with the cooperation with the railroad switch, it can make trains running without turning to the other directions. In general, rail track is consist of two parallel steel tracks and lays steadily on the railway sleepers. With the development of railway industry, the steel is widely used in the industry. Compared with other materials, the steel have a larger tolerance to bear more weight. The steel track can disperse the weight of the steel tracks and keep the stability of the railway transportation.
Why don't rail tracks rust?
Rail tracks don't rust readily because they're made of specialized, hard manganese steel alloy, which resists corrosion, plus friction from trains keeps the top polished; any rust that forms on the sides creates a protective barrier, slowing deeper corrosion, while heavy maintenance and replacement prevent significant issues.
Key Factors
- Alloy Composition: Rails use high-quality steel with added manganese (mangalloy) and carbon, making the alloy inherently less prone to oxidation (rusting) than regular steel.
| 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 |
- Friction & Wear: Constant train movement, especially braking, polishes the running surface, physically removing any nascent rust and keeping it shiny and rust-free.
- Thick Cross-Section: Rails are massive; even if rust forms, it only affects the outer layer, and this rust layer itself acts as a barrier, slowing further penetration.
- Maintenance: Railroads constantly inspect, grind, and replace rails, removing surface imperfections and replacing worn sections before rust becomes a major problem.
- Rust as a Barrier: For the sides and less-used parts, the initial reddish-brown rust layer (iron oxide) can actually form a protective coating, reducing the rate at which the underlying metal corrodes compared to a freshly exposed surface.
Steel rail types
The type of steel rail is usually divided by weight. For example, we often say a 50kg rail, which means rails with a weight of 50kg/m, and so on. There are 38kg rails, 43kg rails, 50kg rails, 60kg rails, 75kg rails, etc. There are also 24kg rails and 18kg rails, of which rails of 43 rails and above are generally called heavy rails, otherwise, the steel rails weight below 43kg are called light rail. There is a special kind of steel rail that is called crane rail. Crane rail is used for crane railway.
| 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 | |
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.
GNEE RAIL can customize the rail length and material according to your functional needs. You can choose 9 to 12.5m of track, or a small number of 6 to 9m of short track as a matching solution, which can meet your very few special requirements. Higher strength rails using materials such as U75V, U78CrV are also acceptable according to your requirements.
